Members of the Division of Gastroenterology teach students, trainees, and learners in the MD undergraduate program, residency training programs, fellowship and advanced fellowship training programs, experimental medicine program, and continuing medical education programs and events.
MD Undergraduate
The UBC medical school encompasses 4 different sites (Island, Northern, Interior and Vancouver) and all students have GI exposure during teaching blocks dedicated to Gastroenterology. The Faculty of Gastroenterology provides teaching in these sessions as well as input into the core elements required. GI Faculty is also involved in physician examination training at various phases of undergraduate training. Additionally, there are GI rotations at various sites for students (typically fourth year medical students) to obtain further exposure to Gastroenterology typically during a 2 week elective. Foreign students also can do electives in Gastroenterology applying through the usual UBC channels. The present undergraduate block training leads for GI are Dr Chad Evaschesen and Dr Alan Yau.
Residency
The UBC internal Medicine Program is one of the largest in Canada, with province- wide enrolment including over 160 residents. As a key subspecialty elective, Gastroenterology is represented as rotations in tertiary care and community hospitals involved in education. Rotations include inpatient, consultative service in Gastroenterology / Hepatology, hands-on endoscopy teaching, outpatient ambulatory clinics, and didactic lectures and teaching sessions. Research opportunities are abundant and can be coordinated with interested mentors.
Objectives of a Gastroenterology rotation include acquisition of complete knowledge of the subspecialty to become comprehensively competent general internists, spark interest in a future in Gastroenterology, prepare UBC internal Medicine residents for the Royal College examinations, encourage research pursuits and interests, and incorporate non-medical expert Can MEDS topics. All of this is accomplished via experiential learning and small group teaching.
The gastroenterology rotation at UBC is a four-week block consisting of exposure to inpatient and outpatient gastroenterology and hepatology. The objective of the rotation is to learn how to assess and manage gastroenterology emergencies, inpatient workup of acute gastroenterology disease presentations and an exposure to common outpatient problems. Although residents do not typically learn to perform endoscopies, the resident is expected to have an appreciation of when endoscopy is needed.
The rotations in gastroenterology can be done at St. Paul’s Hospital, Vancouver General Hospital, or Royal Columbian Hospital. Information about the rotation evaluations can be obtained from the service chiefs at each training site.
GI Fellowship Program
UBC offers a twenty-four-month training program towards Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada certification in adult gastroenterology. Learn more
Hepatology Training Program
Trainees will develop clinical expertise, both in-patient and out-patient, in liver transplantation, cirrhosis & portal hypertension, acute liver failure, chronic viral hepatitis (ie. hepatitis B and hepatitis C), general hepatology (ie. autoimmune liver disease, metabolic liver disease) and hepatocellular carcinoma. Learn more
Inflammatory Bowel Disease Fellowship Training
The Advanced Fellowship in IBD provides both the clinical exposure and research foundation necessary for a trainee to prepare for a career with a focus on IBD. Learn more
Therapeutic Endoscopy Training Fellowship
The program includes EUS and also the type of NOTES procedures that are driven by a hybrid of EUS and ERCP techniques. Learn more
Experimental Medicine
Division members supervise graduate students registered in Experimental Medicine as well as summer students and post-doctoral fellows.
Continuing Medical Education
The Division of Gastroenterology organizes several CME conferences and events including:
- Annual Digestive Diseases Week Review
- Annual GI Forum
- Weekly Multi-disciplinary Rounds accredited for the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeon Maintenance of Competence Program
Many of the Division members have participated in national and international CME events including:
- Telerounds of the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology
- Canadian Digestive Diseases Week