Explore UAB

Welcome to the Arnold G. Diethelm Fellowship in Abdominal Transplant Surgery at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. This program is designed to provide comprehensive training in multi-organ transplantation at one of the nation's oldest and busiest transplant centers. The program is accredited by the American Society of Transplant Surgeons/Transplant Accreditation and Certification Council and offers fellows the opportunity to become proficient in kidney and liver transplantation and hepatobiliary surgery. Additional experience is provided in pancreas and uterus transplantation, pediatric transplantation, and dialysis access procedures.

About the Program

The University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital (UAB) now offers a fellowship in advanced aortic and endovascular surgery. This is a 12-month non-ACGME accredited fellowship that begins on July 1 and ends on June 30.

In 2021, UAB Hospital was again named the best hospital in Alabama by U.S. News & World Report. Eight adult specialties are ranked among the best in the nation. The magazine also notes UAB Hospital as “high-performing” in 14 of 17 assessed adult procedures/conditions in the 2021-2022 Best Hospital rankings. Ranked programs included cardiology/heart surgery at #29 in the nation.

Fellows will be supervised by faculty assigned to the aortic service including Drs. James Davies, Clifton Lewis, and Kyle Eudailey. The program provides comprehensive exposure to all aspects of management of thoracic aortic disease, focusing on advanced aortic, aortic valve, TAVR, and endovascular surgery.

The goal of the fellowship is to provide specialized training in aortic and complex adult cardiac surgery to an individual who has successfully completed an ACGME accredited cardiothoracic surgery residency program and is eligible for board certification by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery. The fellow can expect to gain exposure to transcatheter, endovascular, and open surgical cases.

Operative Experience

• Open Heart Surgeries >2100
• TAVR Operations >400
• TEVAR >150

The fellow will participate in the following educational conferences:

• Aortic Conference (Monthly)
• Morbidity and Mortality (Bi-monthly)
• Cardiac Case Conference (Weekly)

The UAB Advanced GI/Minimally Invasive Surgery/Hernia and Abdominal Wall Fellowship Program, established in 2003, is fully accredited by the Fellowship Council to offer advanced training in a broad range of surgical disciplines. Our goal is excellence in advanced operative techniques, clinical care, and education that targets each fellow’s specific clinical interests, from bariatric and foregut to hernia and advanced endoscopy.

About the Program

The Society of Surgical Oncology Breast Oncology Fellowship at UAB is a one-year multidisciplinary clinical program and is managed by the UAB Heersink School of Medicine Department of Surgery Division of Surgical Oncology. This fellowship will enable the fellow to acquire an advanced body of knowledge and level of skill in the management of all aspects of benign and malignant breast disease in order to become a leader in the field. This comprehensive approach includes screening, risk assessment, prevention strategies, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and research all in one location.

The UAB Breast Health Center has earned full accreditation by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC). In 2015, the UAB BHC received a Women's Choice Award, being named one of America's Best Breast Centers, acknowledging the UAB Breast Health Center's dedication to exceptional patient care and treatment.

Clinical Rotations

The one-year training program includes core rotations based on the Society of Surgical Oncology suggested curriculum. The rotation schedule includes: Breast Surgery, Medical Oncology, Breast Cancer Risk Assessment and Prevention/Cancer Genetics, Radiation Oncology, Breast Imaging, Pathology, Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, Community Outreach, Supportive Care and dedicated Research time.

Research

The fellowship includes dedicated time for clinical research and learning the principles of conducting research at the clinical investigation level. The fellow will have the benefit of the resources and collaborative opportunities afforded from the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCC). The UAB CCC is the only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in Alabama and the Deep South and was one of the first eight centers to receive this prestigious designation from the NCI nearly 40 years ago. In addition, the UAB CCC is member of the Translational Breast Cancer Research Consortium, a national group of 16 research centers that conducts innovative, high-impact clinical trials in breast cancer.

How to Apply

Eligible applicants should apply through the interview and match process of the Society of Surgical Oncology.

Contact Information

Program Director:

Catherine Parker, M.D.
Email: ccparker@uabmc.edu

Associate Program Director:

Rachael Lancaster, M.D.
Email: rlancaster@uabmc.edu

Program Coordinator:

Irene Davis
Phone: (205) 975-5477
Fax: (205) 975-5971
Email: irenedavis@uabmc.edu

Address:

University of Alabama at Birmingham
Division of Breast and Endocrine Surgery
512 Boshell Diabetes Building
1720 2nd Avenue South
Birmingham, AL 35294-0012

Current Fellow

Alumni

Why choose UAB for your colorectal fellowship?

• Our fellowship program is focused on training the next generation of academic colorectal surgeons and leaders.
• Our faculty bring unique clinical expertise, experiences, and academic enrichment to the program.
  
  • Strong clinical expertise in all areas of colorectal surgery and techniques including advanced MIS (robotic, laparoscopic, hand-assist, transanal).
  • Strong research expertise and mentorship - our CRS faculty serve or have served as PI on 4 R01s, 1 U01, 2 K-awards, and national society grants including from the American College of Surgeons (ACS), the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons (ASCRS), the Association for Academic Surgery (AAS), and the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract (SSAT).
  • Strong training backgrounds and history at all major CRS programs.
  • High-level leadership roles at all major surgical societies where we love to sponsor trainees (current leadership in ACS, ASCRS, AAS, SUS, SSAT, SAAS).
  • Invested in mentorship and education with a long track-record of successful graduates
  • Passionate about providing the highest-level care for our community - our faculty travel to rural sites to bring colorectal expertise to patients rather than expect patients to come to Birmingham.
• The UAB colorectal surgery fellowship will expose fellows to a busy clinical practice:
  
  • Fellows see a high-volume of cases from bread-and-butter to complex referrals.
  • Faculty perform over 500 anorectal cases, 900 abdominal cases (including >15 pouches and >100 LARs), and 500 endoscopies per year.
  • Faculty provide colorectal surgery expertise at UAB Hospital, UAB Highlands, VA Birmingham, and affiliated community sites.
  • UAB Hospital alone is the 8th largest public hospital in the country (>1200 beds), the #1 hospital in Alabama, and the main tertiary-referral center for the entire state of Alabama and surrounding regions.
  • GI/GI Surgery (Digestive Health Program) ranked in top 50 of U.S. News and Reports.
  • Over 40 operating rooms at UAB Hospital, 10+ robots, and colorectal surgery operations daily.
• UAB CRS fellows will become experienced with the entire spectrum of colorectal diseases:
  • Weekly multidisciplinary conference that reviews all colorectal cancer cases.
  • Weekly clinics and endoscopy sessions with colorectal faculty.
  • Co-management of complex inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients with GI.
  • On-call experiences at UAB Hospital – the Emergency Department cares for over 140,000 patients per year with a wide variety of emergency colorectal cases.
• Broad exposure to advanced surgical techniques:
  
  • Advanced sphincter sparing techniques including intersphincteric proctectomies and coloanal anastomoses.
  • Advanced robotic surgical techniques including single-port transanal excisions.
  • Reoperative techniques in redo abdomens and abdominal catastrophes.
  • Advanced laparoscopy and hand-assist laparoscopy.
  • Complex joint cases with urology, gynecology oncology, surgical oncology, vascular surgery, cardiothoracic, spine, and many others specialists (these include sacrectomies, colon conduits for esophageal reconstructions, and exenterations).

Current Fellow and Alumni

Attendings

Contact

For more information, please contact:

Gregory Kennedy, MD, PhD
Program Director
gkennedy@uabmc.edu

This one-year clinical fellowship will provide extensive exposure to standard and advanced/minimally invasive techniques in endocrine surgery, medical endocrinology, pathology, ultrasonography and laryngoscopy.

Highlights of the Fellowship

The UAB Department of Surgery provides an American Association of Endocrine Surgeons (AAES)-accredited fellowship. AAES fellows are provided extensive exposure to cutting-edge and advanced/minimally invasive techniques in thyroid, parathyroid, and adrenal surgery, including radiofrequency ablation, ultrasonography, radio-guided parathyroidectomy, laryngoscopy, and all approaches to adrenalectomy. This one-year clinical fellowship will provide extensive exposure to standard and advanced/minimally invasive techniques in endocrine surgery, medical endocrinology, pathology, ultrasonography and laryngoscopy.

Fellows will participate in advanced thyroid cancer operations, care of patients with thyrotoxicosis, minimally invasive techniques of parathyroidectomy (including radio-guided surgery and rapid PTH assay), central and lateral neck dissections, open, retroperitoneoscopic, laparoscopic and robotic adrenalectomies, and management of primary and metastatic neuroendocrine tumors of the GI tract/pancreas. Fellows will have weekly outpatient clinics with the respective mentoring attendings, some in a multidisciplinary fashion.

The fellow also has the opportunity to lead monthly a multi-disciplinary conference and participate in tumor board with medical endocrinology, pathology, radiology, and nuclear medicine. Fellows will have the opportunity to perform surgeon-directed ultrasounds for patients with thyroid and parathyroid diseases and perform ultrasound-guided fine needle aspirations on patients with thyroid nodules.

Fellows will have approximately one half-day per week reserved for non-operative endeavors, including research opportunities. Our endocrine surgery research program provides outstanding research opportunities for fellows to establish their academic careers. Opportunities in clinical research, education research, translational research, basic research and health services research are available. Learn more about endocrine surgery clinical research. 

In order to foster their educational experience in teaching and leadership, fellows will participate in all UAB Surgery departmental rounds and conferences. Fellows will organize and lead the weekly Endocrine Surgery Conference, and they will present cases at the weekly Endocrine Interesting Case Conference and the monthly Multidisciplinary Thyroid/Parathyroid Conference. In addition, fellows will present topics of their interest in endocrine disease/surgery to our residents and medical students at their Surgical Education Conference.

Objectives of the Program

Fellows will acquire knowledge of normal and abnormal endocrine gland anatomy and physiology while developing excellence in clinical acumen for endocrinopathies. They will develop a better understanding for the appropriate application of genetic counseling and testing, obtain an appreciation for the molecular developments in endocrine malignancy and become aware of current controversies and areas of future exploration in endocrine surgery. By the end of the fellowship, fellows will be able to perform routine and complex endocrine operations appropriately and safely while understanding their own limitations and being willing to ask for help when necessary.

International Medical Graduates

The funding for our fellowship depends upon the ability of our fellow to obtain full practice privileges at our institution. Therefore, it is a requirement for our fellow to be US board eligible for funding purposes (This includes most Canadian residencies). The applicants must also hold an H-1B visa.

We will consider applicants that are not US board eligible or who do not have an H-1B visa if they do not require salary support during their training. If you are a foreign medical graduate that is not US board eligible then please notify us that you are aware of this policy and will not require salary support.

Program Director

Brenessa Lindeman, M.D., MEHP, FACS
blindeman@uabmc.edu

Program Coordinator

Tamica Shipman
tshipman@uabmc.edu

Address and Phone Number

506 Boshell Diabetes Building
1720 2nd Avenue South
Birmingham, AL 35294-0012
(205)-975-5000

Our Current Fellows

Our Alumni

The Pediatric Surgery Services at The Children's Hospital of Alabama sponsors an ACGME-accredited Pediatric Surgery Fellowship with one resident admitted yearly for the two-year program. UAB General Surgery residents and medical students rotate with the Pediatric Surgery fellows on one of the busiest clinical services in the UAB system.

The Children's Hospital of Alabama is the tertiary care referral center for the state of Alabama and much of the southeast region of the United States. Hospital facilities include an NICU, PICU, Special Care Unit, and a Burn Center. Additionally, Children's Hospital supports the only ECMO Program and pediatric Level I Trauma System in the state.  Patients are received from all over the state with many brought to Children's via air transport facilitated by The Children's Hospital heliport. There are 12 operating rooms with over 10,000 procedures performed annually.  Approximately one-third of the cases are performed by the pediatric surgery service.

The clinical teaching program is complemented by a wide range of didactic teaching sessions including Grand Rounds, Research Conference, Journal Club, Clinical/Basic Science Conference, a combined Pediatric Surgery/Radiology/Pathology Conference, a Multidisciplinary Tumor Board, Morbidity and Mortality Conference, and a Trauma Conference.

The Division of Pediatric Surgery, UAB, and the Children's Health System have partnered to provide an outstanding training environment for the Pediatric Surgery Fellowship.  All facets of pediatric surgery are available for the trainees.  Special areas of interest and expertise include minimal invasive techniques, oncology, intestinal rehab, bariatric surgery, chest wall deformities, Hirschsprung's disease, anorectal malformation, congenital diaphragmatic hernia and ECMO, and trauma and burn care.

Each of the pediatric surgical trainees will have completed formal training in an ACGME-accredited general surgery residency.  Upon completion of the fellowship, trainees are eligible for board certification by the American Board of Surgery.

Inquiries regarding the Pediatric Surgery Fellowship Program should be submitted to:

Scott A. Anderson, M.D.
Program Director, Pediatric Surgery Fellowship
Associate Professor of Surgery
UAB Department of Surgery
Director, ECMO Program at Children's of Alabama

Address:
The Children's Hospital of Alabama
Lowder Building, Room 300
1600 7th Ave S
Birmingham, AL 35233

Phone:
205-638-9688

Email:
scott.anderson@childrensal.org

The Department of Surgery and the Division of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy are dedicated to advancing surgical science and to educating our trainees in both performing and understanding health services and outcomes research, so they are able to apply that knowledge to their future practices.

The Division offers one-month visiting sub-internships on the Vascular Service at UAB Hospital. Many of our current trainees have started their relationships with us through an elective away rotation. The Division is also involved in a scholarship program for visiting students. 

Vascular Fellowship and Integrated Residency