Bariatric Surgery Fellowship – Overview

The East Carolina University Bariatric Surgery Fellowship provides advanced training in all phases of bariatric surgery. For years our Department has been a leader in the field of bariatric surgery. Our surgeons have made significant contributions to the field of minimally invasive surgery over the past few years, particularly in the areas of Robotic Surgery. At the completion of this one year fellowship, the fellow will be prepared for a career in either private or academic practice.

Research, education, and administrative activities in Bariatric surgery are essential to the fellowship. The goals of the fellowship are as follows:

  • provide advanced laparoscopic, thorascopic, and endoscopic training
  • prepare the fellow to train others in these skills
  • involvement in research and development of the surgical treatment of obesity
  • to include the fellow in the administrative process of managing a minimally invasive and bariatric surgery department.

The clinical activities during the year will involve rotation on the gastrointestinal and bariatric surgical service. Here the fellow will be exposed to and trained in minimally invasive surgical technique for the surgical correction of obesity. The fellow will be involved in the evaluation of the bariatric surgical candidate, the surgery, and the follow up care of the patient. There will be opportunity to learn the fundamentals of setting up a bariatric program. At the completion of the year, the fellow should be able to independently perform bariatric surgery.

Both upper and lower endoscopy experience is obtained during the fellowship year as well. By the completion of the year, the fellow should feel comfortable performing both therapeutic and diagnostic endoscopic procedures. This will include, but not be limited to biopsy, dilation, marking and other endoscopic procedures within the upper and lower gastrointestinal tracts.

The Brody School of Medicine has several animate labs that the surgery department uses for both research and training. The fellow will first obtain experience through the lab. The fellow will then initiate and develop minimally invasive skills labs for the general surgery residents. The fellow is expected to participate in the education of the residents and medical students.

The East Carolina Diabetes and Obesity Institute at East Carolina University has been instrumental in developments in obesity research over the past thirty years. It is through work with this group that the fellow will be expected to complete a research project during his year.

The clinical experience will be obtained at ECU Health Medical Center, the 909 bed tertiary care center for the Brody School of Medicine of East Carolina University, and the hospital’s outpatient surgery center. Both are JCAHO accredited and the primary sites of practice for the program’s entire faculty.

Facilities and Staff

  1. ECU Health Medical Center, one of four academic medical centers in North Carolina, is the flagship hospital for University Health Systems of Eastern Carolina and serves as the teaching hospital for the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. ECU Health Medical Center is a regional resource for all levels of health services and information.

    The hospital is a tertiary referral center and provides acute, intermediate, rehabilitation and outpatient health services to more than 1.2 million people in 29 counties. In an average year, about 33,000 inpatients and more than 266,000 outpatients are treated in our facilities. Our clinical staff includes more than 500 physicians and 1,200 nurses.

    ECU Health Medical Center is fully accredited by the Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO). There are 26 operating rooms, 55 adult intensive care unit beds, and around nine hundred total beds.

  2. At the SurgiCenter, physicians perform a wide range of elective outpatient surgical procedures in eight modern and well-equipped operating suites. This is a 32,500-square foot, freestanding ambulatory care facility.

    The SurgiCenter serves patients who will recover and be ready to leave the center in fewer than 24 hours. For our patients’ convenience, all surgeries are scheduled in advance. A six-bed Recovery Care Center is a comfortable, relaxed and home-like atmosphere for patients who have undergone surgery.

    SurgiCenter Services of Pitt, Inc., is a not-for-profit subsidiary of Pitt County Memorial Hospital. It is a fully licensed facility accredited by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Health Care Facilities

  3. The Brody School of Medicine’s main building is physically connected to the hospital. The animate laboratory is located within this building as well as the school of medicine’s Library. The surgery clinic space is located on the first floor of this building. Our clinics are staffed by nurses, nurse practitioners, nurse assistants and patient access staff. Attendings usually have one and a half days of clinic time per week.

  4. There are 35 physicians with in the Department of Surgery at the Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University. These surgeons and research staff make up six divisions. Their offices are primarily in the medical school annex of the hospital. It is here that the fellow will have their own office with appropriate supplies, computer, etc.

Faculty

  • Eric DeMaria, MD (Fellowship Director)
  • Joyce Jhang, MD (Associated Fellowship Director)
  • Christian Mann, MD

Summary

  • One of the oldest bariatric surgery programs in the county
  • Large volume of minimally invasive surgery cases
  • Two da Vinci Robot systems
  • Established and funded research projects
  • Experienced faculty that are known world wide in their fields of expertise

Application Process

Interested applicants can apply through the Minimally Invasive Fellowship Council’s web page at fellowshipcouncil.org.