​​Pediatric Transplant Hepatology Fellowship

Research Training

First Year

During the first year fellow four-week elective rotation, the fellows participate in the Exploring Research Opportunities Rotation during the afternoon. Working with the Program Director and Section Chief, a research plan for the fellow’s second and third years will be developed. By the end of their first year, the fellow presents his or her research plans to the Scholarship Oversight Committee for advice and approval. This Oversight Committee will systematically monitor the fellow's progress during the next two years, assuring appropriate progress and success of the fellow.

Second and Third Year

The second and third years of training are primarily devoted to research training (clinical, translational, or basic research) which will be carried out in the laboratories and facilities of the CU SOM and Children's Colorado. Responsibilities on the inpatient services are minimized during years 2 and 3 in order to provide 80% protected time for research training. During the second and third years of training, the fellow continues to attend one half-day continuity clinic per week, the teaching conferences of the Section, and rotate on the inpatient service for 2-4 weeks per year.
During the first year of fellowship, the fellow will meet with each of the Pediatric Gastroenterology/Hepatology/Nutrition faculty and other appropriate researchers at University of Colorado School of Medicine (CU SOM), and, in conjunction with the Director of Fellowship Training and the Section Chief, will choose a mentor and a field of study. The Department of Pediatrics at CU SOM has a formal core educational program in Ethics, Professionalism, Statistics, Evidence-Based Medicine and Quality Improvement for all fellows that begins in the first year of fellowship. For fellows who elect to pursue Clinical and Translational Research, we encourage completion of a Masters in Clinical Sciences through the Clinical Sciences Program. There is a core curriculum on research ethics for fellows led by the Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CCTSI). Basic science research trainees are encouraged to participate in appropriate didactic coursework, as well as mentored laboratory research. Research opportunities are numerous, under the mentorship of one of the Pediatric GI/ Hepatology/ Nutrition faculty or another mentor of the School of Medicine.

Researching Training Funding

The GI/Hepatology/Nutrition Fellowship is an NIH-funded training program in pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition, and works closely with the NIH-supported Mucosal Inflammation Program and Clinical Nutrition Research Unit at CU SOM. In these Centers, there is a large number of NIH-supported investigators studying basic and clinical areas. In addition, the CCTSI at CU SOM, in conjunction with the Clinical Translational Research Center at Children's Colorado, provides training in clinical and translational research, and provides assistance with study design, biostatistics, bioinformatics, research nursing, and financial and scientific support for clinical investigation.

Our NIDDK-Funded T32 Pediatric GI Fellowship Training Program is co-directed by Drs. Ronald J. Sokol, MD, Chief of the Section of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, and Edwin DeZoeten, MD, PhD, IBD Program Director.

The GI/Hepatology/Nutrition Section is also an active Clinical Center in 7 national research consortia studying childhood liver and gastrointestinal diseases, bringing many clinical research opportunities for fellows. The GI/Hepatology/Nutrition Section research is funded by more than 3.5 million dollars per year in grant support.

  

Didactic Learning

The following teaching conferences play an important role in the training of fellows and housestaff:

• On Wednesday Mornings, the conference alternates weekly (Radiology, Pathology, Fellow Topic, Case Reviews). Emphasis is placed on the fellow’s acquisition of skills needed to deliver effective lectures and improve their teaching ability for their future careers.
• Radiology and Pathology: Fellows are asked to interpret x-rays and pathology slides in the Radiology and Pathology Conferences.
  
• For Topic Conference, fellows present 1 time per year, an organized talk focusing on a specific clinical topic of interest to them. We ask the fellows to choose a topic that they know little about and will therefore gain a high degree of knowledge on the subject by preparing for the talk.
  
• For case reviews, faculty present interesting patients to the entire group for discussion (once every other month, the conference is dedicated to collaborative case review). Discussion includes review of pertinent labs and imaging, examination of the patient, and discussion of pathophysiology, differential diagnosis and treatment options. .
• A combined pediatric GI/Hepatology/Nutrition and Pediatric Surgery conference is held at CHCO on the first Friday morning of the month. At the Peds GI/Surgery Conference, Fellows alternate with surgical Fellows in presenting interesting cases followed by an organized and detailed talk and handout on the specific topic of interest. Every fellow present at this conference once or twice during their fellowship training. This conference provides the fellows a unique view of how surgeons may manage GI/Hepatology patients. 
• A combined Adult GI and Pediatric GI conference is held at the University Hospital Admin. Pavilion on the fourth Friday every 3 months. Every fellow present at this conference once or twice during their fellowship training. This conference provides the fellows a unique view of how adult gastroenterologists and Hepatologists may manage GI/Hepatology patients.
• A combined DHI and Nutrition conference is held biannually and gives fellows the unique opportunity to review interesting cases with nutrition colleagues.

Disease-specific multidisciplinary weekly meetings that fellows are welcome to attend include Liver Center meeting, Intestinal Failure and Home Nutritional Support meeting, Inflammatory Bowel Disease meeting, Celiac disease meeting, Gastrointestinal Eosinophilic Diseases Program and Cystic Fibrosis meeting. These sessions provide the fellow with a unique opportunity to observe the many aspects of multidisciplinary management of GI and Liver disease patients with complex diseases.

Focused inpatient and outpatient care conferences are attended by fellows’ quarterly.

Additional Learning Opportunities:

Subspecialty Excellence in Educational Leadership & Scholarship (SEELS) Program :

The University of Colorado Department of Pediatrics is proud to offer the Subspecialty Excellence in Educational Leadership & Scholarship (SEELS) Program for subspecialty pediatric fellows committed to an academic career in medical education.

The SEELS program guides fellows through an 18-month program that   provides research mentorship, coaching, and instruction.

The overall  goal of SEELS is to equip these fellows with the necessary knowledge/skills/attitudes for success as future medical educators through educational scholarship and professional identity development, faculty and peer mentorship, and engaging in an educational community of practice.

Pediatric Fellowship Educational Series

This educational series has been developed by the Committee on Fellowship Education to address areas  of scholarly interest common to all pediatric fellows. Nearly 100 sub-specialized physicians in training will attend 5-6 half-day seminars spread across their 3 years of fellowship.

Attendance is mandatory and the trainee is excused from clinical responsibilities.

In addition to providing core educational material, these sessions allow trainees in different disciplines and throughout the department to meet and interact with one another in an informal and collegial environment.

Occurs several times per year throughout fellowship with fellows of different subspecialties

Pediatric Biostatistics for Clinicians Course:

This course is primarily intended for 2nd and 3rd year Department of Pediatrics fellows as part of the comprehensive fellowship educational program. Designed to help fellows to develop an ability to be a critical consumer of the literature and develop familiarity with many commonly used statistical methods.

This course comprises for six 2-hour sessions

Designed for second year fellows, but any fellow or resident can register for the course.

Advanced Degrees Available at CU:

Masters of Public Health

Masters of Science in Clinical Science

Katie Rose Conover, MD

• Medical School: University of Central Florida College of Medicine
• Residency: Vanderbilt University Medical Center
• Core Pediatric Fellowship: University of Colorado School of Medicine

Why did you decide to pursue pediatric gastroenterology?

I liked the variety of pathology -- from metabolic diseases affecting the liver, to disorders of gut brain interaction, to congenital anatomic issues manifesting with GI/liver symptoms like vomiting or jaundice. I also enjoy the combination of inpatient care, clinic, and procedures. 

What are your research interests?

I am interested in hepatology and am going to do a liver transplant year, so I am pursuing translational hepatology research during fellowship in biliary atresia and gestational alloimmune liver disease. 

Why did you choose to train at Children’s Hospital Colorado?

There are fantastic attendings to learn from, good volumes and variety of pathology, lots of hepatology exposure from renowned experts in the field, strong research infrastructure all in a beautiful city with lots to explore and enjoy on your time off. 

What are your hobbies and what do you like to do in your spare time?

My husband, sheepdog and I did a lot of hiking, skiing, and DIY house projects our first couple of years here. We just had our first baby, so enjoying this new chapter. I also like to read, check out new restaurants and breweries, and go for walks at the park down the street. 

Dear applicant,

The fellowship is available for interested individuals who are board eligible/certified in General Pediatrics and have completed an ACGME accredited 3-year fellowship in Pediatric Gastroenterology.

ERAS Application Timeline

Date	Activity
Monday, May 31, 2025	ERAS 2024 season ends at 5 p.m. ET.
Wednesday, June 4, 2025	ERAS 2025 season begins at 9 a.m. ET.
Thursday, June 5, 2025	EFDO will release tokens to fellowship applicants.
Wednesday, July 2, 2025	July cycle fellowship applicants may begin submitting applications to programs at 9 a.m. ET.
Wednesday July 16, 2025	July cycle fellowship programs may begin reviewing applications at 9 a.m. ET.
May 31, 2026	ERAS 2026 season ends at 5 p.m. ET.

NRMP Fall Match Timeline

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Dates	Activity
Wednesday, August 20, 2025	Match Opens
Wednesday, October 1, 2025	Ranking Opens
Wednesday, October 31, 2025	Quota Change Deadline
Wednesday, November 19, 2025	Rank Order List Certification Deadline
Wednesday, December 3, 2025	MATCH DAY

Required Application Materials

We are registered with ERAS (The Electronic Residency Application Service). Please login to ERAS, complete the Common Application Form, and attach the following supporting documentation:

• Current Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• Personal Statement of 1-2 pages outlining the reasons for choosing this specialty, and the applicant’s career plans
• At least two (2) but no more than four (4) Letters of Recommendation from physicians familiar with the applicant, one of which should be from the applicant’s residency program director
• USMLE/ECFMG scores
• A wallet-sized photo (this will not be distributed to interviewers or anyone participating in the selection process)

Interviews

Our pediatric fellowship will be conducting virtual interviews for this upcoming interview season.  We look forward to sharing our programs with you and getting to know more about you. 

 

Interviews are scheduled from August thru end of October and will be conducted virtually. We will send interview offers out end of July as well as a list of interview dates that will be held in August, September, and October. These will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis. Applicants selected for a personal interview will be contacted by the fellowship program coordinator.

If you have questions about the application and interview process, please reach out to our program coordinator, Meg Book-Smith by email at Meggan.Book-Smith or by phone at 720-777-2738.

Here are our interview dates:

• 1st interviews – Monday, October 6th
• 2nd interviews – Monday, October 20th
• 3rd interviews – Monday, October 27th

Salary and Benefits

Salaries are guaranteed by CU SOM and paid at the relevant PGY level with standard dental and medical insurance benefits for the fellow and family, and disability and life insurance. Funds are available for travel to one or two medical conferences per year and for books/journals.

For more information regarding our program, please contact:

Amy Feldman, MD
Transplant Hepatology Fellowship Program Director
Email: [email protected]

or

Meg Book-Smith

Transplant Hepatology Fellowship Coordinator

Email: Meggan.Book-Smith

Phone: 720-777-2738