The GI Motility Fellowship involves a one-year, combined clinical and motility testing experience. The fellow is also provided with the opportunity to participate in a certificate program in clinical research as part of a KL2 grant from National Institutes of Health.

Clinical Training

Clinical assignments are flexible, but in general, would include the following:

• Clinical Training in GI Motility
  A six-month, half-day assignment to an outpatient motility clinic and inpatient consultations for patients with suspected motility disorders. There is close supervision by eight staff gastroenterologists devoted to evaluation and treatment of patients with suspected motility disorders. This is a multi-disciplinary practice and opportunities for observing colleagues in the Departments of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Psychology, and Surgery are available. Mayo Clinic has provided an open access service to physicians and gastroenterologists in the upper Midwest since January 1992. It is anticipated that you will see up to 15 patients each week.
• Conferences
  Apart from the GI Divisional weekly gut, hepatobiliary, and research conferences, there are three separate conferences of the GI Motility Group, which provide forums for discussing articles, clinical-physiological conferences, and presentation of research protocols.
• Laboratory Training
  This is provided by a half-day assignment to clinical laboratories involved in the assessment of motility disorders. These include the esophageal, gastrointestinal, colonic and anorectal motility labs, the autonomic reflex lab (Department of Neurology) and gastrointestinal transit measurements (Nuclear Medicine Division). Opportunities are available to learn other research-based techniques for patient-oriented research such as sensation tests, viscus compliance, MR imaging and SPECT imaging.

Research Training

You will have opportunities to pursue research projects with one or more mentors of the multidisciplinary staff in the GI Motility Interest Group. This group includes staff gastroenterologists, staff surgeons and basic scientists.

Optional Research Year

An opportunity to spend an optional year in basic or applied research in GI motility may be available, pending availability of salary support. Active laboratory interests include electrophysiology, patch clamp study of ion channels, physiology (in vivo, in vitro) and applied physiology in diseases.

Evaluation

To ensure you gain proficiency and develop the corresponding technical skills, your performance is monitored throughout this program. You are formally evaluated by your supervising faculty member following the completion of each clinical rotation; and then meet accordingly with the program director to review these evaluations. In addition, you regularly evaluate the faculty to ensure your educational goals are being met.