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Hepatology Fellowship Program

Photo of Hepatology fellows

NIDDK’s Hepatology Fellowship Program has made seminal contributions to basic, translational, and clinical research and has a long tradition of training fellows worldwide for a career in academic hepatology. The program is strongly committed to providing fellows with the necessary skills to become independent physician-scientists. Many graduates become leaders in academic centers and national organizations.

Eligibility

Each year 1-2 positions are offered to eligible applicants.

U.S. Applicants: must be board eligible in gastroenterology or internal medicine prior to starting the program. This usually requires that the applicant is either currently enrolled or will have completed a 3-year residency or fellowship in an approved internal medicine or gastroenterology training program within the United States.

International Applicants: most have completed their country’s required clinical training prior to entering the program.

How to Apply

Follow the instructions within the NIDDK Hepatology Fellowship Program Application Form (PDF, 138.7 KB) . A current ERAS application that includes all required documentation from NIDDK's Application Form may be substituted. A minimum of three original letters of recommendation are required.

Application Deadline: October 15th
Interview Season: September through November on a rolling basis
Notification of Acceptance: December 15th

Contact Us

Tanya Brown
(301) 496-1721
brownty2@niddk.nih.gov

Program Structure

The program is offered for a period of 2-5 years depending upon the applicant’s career goals and research projects.

Research Projects

Basic research projects may include

  • the molecular pathogenesis of viral hepatitis, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, autoimmune hepatitis, and noncirrhotic portal hypertension
  • mechanisms of action of antiviral therapy and interferons
  • immunological and virologic responses in viral hepatitis
  • antiviral drug development
  • HCV vaccine development
  • iron metabolism

Clinical research protocols are equally diverse, ranging from natural history to treatment trials, and include

  • HCV, HBV, HDV
  • nonalcoholic steatohepatitis
  • noncirrhotic portal hypertension
  • primary biliary cirrhosis
  • autoimmune hepatitis

NIH Clinical Center Hepatology Consultation Services

Under attending mentorship, fellows will perform inpatient and outpatient clinical consultations at the NIH Clinical Center on the Hepatology Consultation Service. Fellows will rotate on the consultation service approximately four months each year during their fellowship. Under the close supervision of a full-time faculty member, fellows participate in

  • daily bedside evaluation of patients during work rounds
  • daily didactic teaching by full-time faculty members
  • weekly hepatology clinical rounds
  • development of procedural competency including percutaneous liver biopsy and fibroscan
  • development of proficiency in real-time interpretation of hepatic venous pressure gradient measurements

Fellows may supervise medical residents or students doing a hepatology subspecialty rotation.

NIDDK Liver Diseases Branch Inpatient Hepatology Services

Under attending mentorship, fellows will learn to perform and manage clinical research protocols that require intensive patient/investigator participation on the Liver Diseases Branch Inpatient Hepatology Service. On this service, patients are primarily admitted for protocol-driven studies. Fellows will rotate on the inpatient service approximately 4 months each year during their fellowship. Under the close supervision of a full-time faculty member, fellows participate in

  • management of complex research protocols
  • development of research techniques including BreathID and microbiome studies
  • development of procedural competency including percutaneous liver biopsy, subcutaneous adipose tissue biopsy, and fibroscan
  • development of proficiency in real-time interpretation of hepatic venous pressure gradient measurements
  • management of patients and interpretation of metabolic data obtained in the NIH Clinical Center’s Metabolic Clinical Research Unit

Hepatology Outpatient Clinic

Under faculty supervision, fellows will develop skills in evaluating and managing patients with chronic liver diseases in the outpatient clinic setting. The Hepatology Clinic operates on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 8:30 am to 12:00 pm. This clinic evaluates and manages patients participating in ongoing clinical trials in the Liver Diseases Branch or patients that are referred for clinical care with complicated liver disease.

Rounds

The Liver Diseases Branch weekly rounds schedule includes

  • Work Rounds and Hepatology Didactic Session: Mondays, 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm
  • Clinical Hepatology Rounds: Thursdays, 8:30 am – 10:00 am
  • Liver Pathology Rounds: Thursdays, 3:45 pm – 4:45 pm
  • Liver Diseases Branch Lab Meeting: Fridays, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
  • Gastrointestinal/Hepatology Radiology Rounds: First Friday of every month, 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm

Master’s Degree in Clinical Research

Interested fellows have the opportunity to earn a Master’s of Health Sciences in Clinical Research (M.H.Sc.). The Master’s program is designed for part-time study, which allows fellows to integrate the program into their clinical training.

Courses include research design and management, medical genomics, statistical analysis, and bioethics. Courses are taught by the faculty of the School of Medicine at Duke University with participation of NIH investigators in dedicated video conference classrooms at the NIH Clinical Center.

Faculty and Fellows

Learn more about Current Faculty and Fellows, including