Pediatric Advanced Hepatology Fellowship

The Pediatric Advanced Hepatology Fellowship at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) is a one-year ACGME accredited specialized program aimed at training academic pediatric transplant Hepatologists since 2010. The program offers vast clinical experience in the evaluation, diagnosis, and management of primary and secondary liver diseases and focus in transplant hepatology along with opportunities to participate in innovative clinical, translational, and basic science research.

Liver disease in children includes a growing list of distinct disorders.  With advances in research, the ability to diagnose and manage pediatric patients with diverse liver disease has improved as have liver transplant outcomes.

At CHOP, trainees work directly with experts from our Hepatology Center within the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, adult Hepatology, and Transplant surgery as well as faculty from a wide range of collaborating subspecialties (critical care, anesthesia, infectious diseases, pathology, radiology/interventional radiology, pharmacy, social work services, psychology, and others).  

Training is designed to accomplish the following goals:

• Train pediatric hepatologists as master clinicians to deliver effective and comprehensive medical care to pediatric patients with both primary and secondary liver disease
• Train pediatric hepatologists to become experts in:
  • The epidemiology, pathophysiology, and natural history of pediatric liver disease
  • Performance and interpretation of diagnostics including physical exam, laboratory evaluation, imaging modalities, performing liver biopsies and paracentesis and management of esophageal varices with sclerotherapy and banding
  • Evaluation and management of primary and secondary pediatric liver disease
  • Evaluation for liver transplantation
  • Pre-, intra-, and post- operative care of liver transplant recipients
  • Evaluation and selection of deceased and living liver transplant donors
  • Administrative and policy issues in pediatric liver transplantation
  • Critical evaluation of hepatology literature
  • Psychosocial aspects of hepatology care
• Prepare pediatric hepatologists for collaboration with leadership roles within academic settings and advocacy organizations
• Prepare pediatric hepatologists to effectively collaborate with other members of the care team, referring physicians, primary care physicians, and other providers within the national pediatric hepatology community.

The curriculum is comprised of a variety of clinical and research experiences making up 13 blocks total and tailored to each trainee’s career goals. 

• Pediatric Hepatology inpatient service with built-in outpatient clinic time (6 blocks)
• Adult Hepatology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP) (1 block)
• Adult Transplant Surgery at HUP (1/2 block)
• Immunocompromised/transplant Infectious Disease at CHOP or HUP (1/2 block)
• Electives such as Radiology, Pathology, Metabolism available (1 block each)
• Research (up to 4-5 blocks)
• Vacation (1 block)

Fellows attend and participate in didactic and conference experiences, including weekly adult-pediatric clinical hepatology and pediatric pathology conferences, monthly transplant clinical case review, M&M discussions, multi-disciplinary hepatobiliary tumor conference, and Biesecker Liver Center Research conferences as well as CHOP transplant center quality improvement initiative meetings.   There are a variety of multi-disciplinary conferences with other teams attended on an ad hoc basis.  In addition, Fellows accompany faculty to UNOS region 2 meetings, SPLIT, AASLD, and ATC.

Applicants for the Advanced Hepatology Fellowship must have completed a pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology, and nutrition fellowship in the United States or Canada before entering the program. Candidates from outside the U.S. or Canada require equivalent training.  Application is through ERAS/NRMP.

Prospective fellows are encouraged to contact Elizabeth Rand, MD, at rand@email.chop.edu with any questions regarding the program or application process.

Elizabeth Rand, MD
Advanced Hepatology Fellowship Director
rand@email.chop.edu

Tiffany DiBruno
Program Coordinator
Dibruno@email.chop.edu
Phone: 215-590-3247
Fax: 215-590-5326