Why Pursue a Fourth Year in Advanced/Transplant Hepatology?

Excerpt

The traditional pathway for advanced/transplant hepatology training consists of a 1-year fellowship program, accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), and is usually completed after finishing a 3-year gastroenterology fellowship—thus referred to as a “fourth year.” However, in hopes to increase the number of trained transplant hepatologists given the growing job demand, the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) and American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) have developed a collaborative pilot program, which combines training in gastroenterology and advanced/transplant hepatology within a 3-year timeline at selected institutions [1]. So far, 31 fellows (14 fellows for the current academic year 2015–2016) have enrolled in the program. Interval data evaluating the early metrics of the pilot program are not yet available. This article will focus on the potential strengths in pursuing a fourth year of training in advanced/transplant hepatology as well as the potential pitfalls of the combined pilot program. …