Visiting IBD Fellow Program: Clinical Observership

*Applications for our 2023-2024 program have closed*

The 2023-2024 Visiting IBD Fellow application cycle has closed. We will open applications again for the 2024-2025 application cycle on January 1, 2024. More information on the upcoming fellow cycles will be made available on this webpage.

Individuals who submitted their applications for the 2023-2024 program cycle, will be notified of their application status by the end of April 2023. Accepted candidates for the 2023-2024 program will be confirmed by mid-May 2023. The 2023-2024 Crohn's & Colitis Foundation Visiting IBD Fellowship Program will run from Sept 1, 2023 to July 1, 2024.

If you have any questions, please email our Visiting IBD Fellowship coordinator, Bronwen Kearse at [email protected].

The 2022-2023 program is supported by educational grants from AbbVie Inc, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Janssen, Pfizer, and Takeda.

We are excited to announce Dr. Elie Al Kazzi from University Hospital, Cleveland Medical Center, is our 2022-2023 Bristol-Myers Squibb Inflammatory Bowel Disease Fellowship Award winner!

Visiting IBD Fellow Overview

Our Visiting IBD Fellow Program accepts qualified gastroenterology 2nd & 3rd year* fellows for a one-month, (most) expenses-paid observation at a leading IBD center. This highly competitive fellow program offers you exposure in treating and managing IBD patients.

By participating, you will:

Improve your IBD skills by following a standard curriculum designed by expert faculty with real-world experience
Be exposed to clinical practices employed at leading IBD Centers
Share evidence-based and expert opinion-based approaches to the diagnosis, treatment, and management of IBD

Program Locations

Foundation Visiting Fellow Host IBD Centers**:

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Adult
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Adult or Pediatric
Cleveland Clinic Foundation Adult
Massachusetts General Crohn's & Colitis Center Adult
Mayo Clinic Minnesota College of Medicine Adult
Mt. Sinai Medical Center Adult or Pediatric
Nationwide Children's Hospital Pediatric
Northwestern University Adult
NYU Grossman School of Medicine Adult
University of California at San Francisco Adult
University of Chicago Medical Center Adult or Pediatric
University of Michigan Adult
University of North Carolina Adult
University of Pittsburgh Adult
Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis Adult

**Crohn's & Colitis Foundation Visiting IBD Fellow Centers are subject to change. If you are interested in becoming a Visiting IBD Fellow Center for the 2024-2025 year, applications will be made available Summer 2023.

Program Details

The Visiting IBD Fellow program is designed for 2nd and 3rd year gastrointestinal (GI) fellows who express an interest in learning more about IBD—regardless of their plans to be in private practice or stay in academics. Ideally, the program targets GI fellows who are at centers that do not have IBD-specific curricula or a sufficient volume of patients for training.

This highly-competitive program has limited space and is open to GI Fellows interested in either adult or pediatric IBD. The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation will pay some of your program-related expenses, including travel and accommodations.

Participant selection criteria include the following:

Candidates must be enrolled in an accredited fellowship training program within the U.S. at the time of application and at the time of scheduled rotation
Candidates employed by a participating host institution may apply and will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, but candidates from other programs will receive priority
Candidates should express a specific interest in IBD education for a future career (not necessarily IBD specialty or academics)
Candidates should have the full support of their program director for time away from the candidate's home institution for the duration of the program

Program Testimonials

Read what past fellows said about their experience with our Visiting IBD Fellowship:

“Prior to this experience, I had very little exposure to complex IBD patients and even less experience in management of these patients. IBD is such a large part of GI that I am grateful for the incredible learning experience.”- Visiting IBD Fellow

“This has been an invaluable experience for me. I will highly recommend it to fellows at my center. I can't say enough good things about my time at my [host] IBD Center.”- Visiting IBD Fellow

Lead Faculty

Our Visiting IBD Fellows Workgroup consists of members of our National Scientific Advisory Committee - Professional Education Subcomittee. They play a vital role in selecting the curriculum for this program, creating content, selecting criteria for applicants, reviewing applications and training fellows.

Lisa B. Malter, MD

Professor of Medicine

NYU Grossman School of Medicine, Director of Education

Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center, NYU Langone Health

Animesh Jain, MD

Director, Advanced IBD Fellowship

UNC School of Medicine

Ashwin Ananthakrishnan, MD/MBBS/MPH

Associate Professor

Massachusetts General Hospital

Harvard School of Medicine

Visiting IBD Fellows Class of 2022-2023

Visiting IBD Fellow	Home Institution	Host Institution
Ahmed Alemam, MD	BronxCare Health System	Mount Sinai Medical Center
Alexander Miller, MD	The Guthrie Clinic – Robert Packer Hospital	University of Pittsburgh
Ami Patel, DO	Arnot Ogden	University of Chicago Medical Center
Anita Bhagavathula, MD	Larkin Community Hospital	Mayo Clinic: Medical College of Minnesota
Elie Al Kazzi, MD	University Hospitals, Cleveland Medical Center	NYU Grossman School of Medicine
Elona Shehi, MD	BronxCare Health System	NYU Grossman School of Medicine
Erick Argueta, MD	Brown University	University of North Carolina
Iana Gueorguieva, MD	Ascension Providence Hospital	Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis
Kajali Mishra, MD	Loyola University Medical Center	University of Chicago Medical Center
Kevin Zheng, MD	New York Presbyterian Queens	Mount Sinai Medical Center
Leen Al-Sayyed, MD	Saint Louis University	Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Mohammad Alomari, MD	Cleveland Clinic Florida	University of Pittsburgh
Reema Vaze, MD	Lehigh Valley Health Network	Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Sakshi Sahni, MD	University of New Mexico School of Medicine	University of Chicago Medical Center
Saritza Mendoza, MD	University of South Florida	Cleveland Clinic Foundation
Victor Arce Gutierrez, MD	University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix	University of Chicago Medical Center
Vimal Bodiwala, MD	SUNY Downstate Medical Center	Mount Sinai Medical Center
Zaid Imam, MD	William Beaumont Hospital	Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Zorisadday Gonzalez, MD	University of New Mexico School of Medicine	University of Chicago Medical Center