Rehab

 

Education & Training

Medical Students

Third and fourth year medical students may chose an elective in Gastroenterology at either the Erie County Medical Center or the Western New York Veterans Administration Hospital. Students will participate in in-patient consultations, outpatient clinics, and have the opportunity to observe endoscopy and other gastroenterological procedures.

Students will attend the weekly divisional teaching conferences, Gastroenterology grand rounds, research seminars, and journal clubs. Priority is given to SUNY-Buffalo students, but visiting students from other medical schools are welcome. The Department of Medicine student office will schedule these rotations.

Residents

Internal Medicine residents may chose an elective in Gastroenterology at either the Erie County Medical Center or the Western New York Veterans Administration Hospital. Residents will participate in in-patient consultations, outpatient clinics, and have the opportunity to observe endoscopy and other gastroenterological procedures. Residents may receive training in paracentesis. Residents will attend the weekly divisional teaching conferences, Gastroenterology grand rounds, research seminars, and journal clubs.

Priority is given to SUNY-Buffalo residents, but visiting residents from other training programs are welcome. Residency programs for all divisions are administered through the Department of Medicine. For details, visit the department's Residency pages.

Fellowship Program

The fellowship program in Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition utilizes multiple hospitals, outpatient clinics, and research facilities affiliated with the State University of New York at Buffalo. This is the only medical school in the greater Buffalo area, serving a population of 1.5 million. The 3-year fellowship program is comprised of the following experiences:

  • Core clinical experiences [18 months] These include rotations on the GI inpatient, outpatient, and procedure consult services and outpatient clinics at the Western New York VA Healthcare System, the Erie County Medical Center, and the comprehensive Weight Management Program at Buffalo General Hospital. Additional ambulatory care experience is obtained at the UB/MD Dent Tower.
  • Elective rotations [3months] include experiences at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Children's Hospital of Buffalo, and other facilities, as well as training in GI Pathology and Radiology
  • Research experience [6-15 months] Fellows chose from a wide variety of basic and clinical research programs at the affiliated hospitals and basic science departments of SUNY-Buffalo.
  • Advanced training in Gastroenterology [up to 9 months]. Advanced training experiences in subspecialty areas of Gastroenterology, including Hepatology, GI motility, advanced endoscopic procedures, Clinical Nutrition, Bariatric Medicine, and GI Oncology, are offered.
  • Continuity clinic [3 years] Trainees spend one year at each of three sites: Erie County Medical Center, Western New York Veterans Administration, and the UB/MD offices in the Dent Tower. This assures that the fellow has training with dealing with diverse patient populations and health systems.

Conferences, Seminars, and Journal Club

All GI Division conferences are open to all UB students, residents, fellows, physicians, and other healthcare professionals. A monthly schedule of all conferences is available online and by email.

We welcome additions to the mailing list. Individuals who would like to be added to the mailing list should call Donna Donahue at 716-862-8634 or email donahue5@buffalo.edu.

Our conferences are conducted from September through June of each academic year at either the Erie County Medical Center or Western New York Veterans Administration Hospital.

Regular conferences include the following:

Weekly Teaching Conferences are held in Conference Room 803C from 4:00 - 5:00 p.m. at the Veterans Administration Hospital, Western New York facility, 3495 Bailey Ave., Buffalo, NY.

  • Endoscopy Conference is held the first Tuesday of each month. Interesting endoscopy cases are presented by GI fellows and attending physicians. Attendees bring endoscopic photographs that are projected. Quarterly endoscopic complications and new therapies are reviewed.
  • Pathology Conference is held the second Tuesday of each month. An experienced GI pathologist mixes didactic presentations with a review of interesting cases (slides) from the previous month. Those interested are encouraged to bring microscope slides, which need not have been discussed with the pathologist beforehand to the conference.
  • Radiology/Surgery Conference is held the third Tuesday of each month. An experienced radiologist reviews interesting films from the previous month. Those interested are encouraged to bring films (barium studies, ultrasound, EUS, CT, MRI, ERCP, etc.) which need not have been discussed with the radiologist beforehand to the conference.
  • Pathophysiology Seminars are held the fourth Tuesday of each month. This series consists of monthly conferences in a syllabus extending over three years. The syllabus is designed as a broad survey of the field of gastroenterology, including diseases of the liver. The focus is on disease mechanisms and the underlying science of the discipline.

Weekly Grand Rounds are held in Conference Room 803C from 5:00 - 6:00 p.m. at the VA, Western New York Hospital, 3495 Bailey Ave., Buffalo, NY. This is a case-based discussion that is run by the GI fellows and attending physicians. Relevant experts (surgeons, pathologists, radiologists and other specialists) are often asked to attend, depending on the case(s) for discussion.

Research Seminars and Journal Club are held every Thursday from 5:00 -6:00 p.m. at the Erie County Medical Center, 3rd floor, Conference Room D.

  • Research Seminars are held twice monthly. Investigators from within and outside the GI Division present at research seminars. Members of the GI Division, including fellows, give "research-in-progress" conferences. Speakers from outside the division are asked to describe their concepts and experimental approaches in a way that is approachable for the non-expert.
  • Journal Club is held twice monthly. Fellows and faculty are all assigned several journals and the group as a whole thus covers the major basic science and clinical literature relevant to gastroenterology.

Continuing Medical Education

The UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for CME (ACCME) to provide CME for physicians.

Our CME programs provide continuous improvement opportunties in patient health care to physicians and allied health care professionals via evidence-based educational activities focusing on advances in medicine, new medical technology, biomedical research, and changes in the health care environment.

Learn more about our Continuing Medical Education programs

Fellows

Third Year Fellows (Academic Year 2009-2012)

Eiad Nasser, M.D. enasser@buffalo.edu
Simona Meca, M.D. simoname@buffalo.edu
Jason Hallman, M.D. jasonhal@buffalo.edu

Second Year Fellows (Academic Year 2010-2013)

Paresh Kamat, M.D. ppkamat@buffalo.edu
Swapnil (Neil) Munsaf, M.D. sdmunsaf@buffalo.edu
Kaunteya Reddy, M.D. kreddy2@buffalo.edu

First Year Fellows (Academic Year 2011-2014)

Ali Abbas, M.D. aliabbas@buffalo.edu
Madhusudhan Sunkavalli, M.D. ms348@buffalo.edu
Hoan Tran, M.D.

Contact Us

Fellowship Program General Inquiries

Sandra V Gilliam
Program Coordinator
Office of Graduate Medical Education
ECMC Room G-1
462 Grider St
Buffalo, NY 14215
(716) 961-6955
(716) 961-6960 fax
gilliam3@buffalo.edu

Academic/Administrative General Inquiries

Donna M. Donahue
Division Administrative Assistant
VA Western New York
Medical Research Building- 151
Room 146
3495 Bailey Ave.
Buffalo, NY 14215
(716) 862-8634
(716) 862-6526