About the fellowship

The OHSU AHPBA-certified hepato-pancreatico-biliary (HPB) surgery fellowship program is designed to draw from the multidisciplinary strengths of faculty members in abdominal organ transplant/hepato-pancreatico-biliary surgery, surgical oncology, and general surgery. The fellowship is aimed to complete the specialty training of well-trained general surgeons. The program is two years in duration with a focus on the evaluation and treatment of a broad spectrum of benign and malignant diseases of the liver, pancreas and biliary tract with an inclusion of clinical and translational research.

Graduates complete the program with substantial knowledge in the pathophysiology of liver, pancreas and biliary tract diseases, including metastatic cancer to the liver and pancreas. Expertise in  clinical decision making and technical aspects in liver resection, complex biliary reconstruction, pancreas resection, liver transplantation, and minimally invasive liver and pancreatic surgery and techniques of liver tumor ablation. In addition, experience in portal HTN surgery with portasystemic shunts are a part of the fellowship curriculum. While the program is not aimed to train liver transplant surgeons, the fellows benefit from broad exposure to organ retrieval, recipient hepatectomy and liver transplantation, and its inherent complications. HPB fellows are required to attend clinic according to faculty schedules and assume primary responsibility for diagnostic work-up and treatment plans.

The HPB fellows are a part of the surgical team and thus interact with general surgery residents and medical students. The fellows are expected to participate in teaching opportunities surrounding the daily care of surgical patients. Conferences include the biweekly periampullary and pancreatic oncology conference, weekly multi-disciplinary HCC tumor conference, GI/Oncology Conference, weekly surgical grand rounds, weekly Department of Surgery Morbidity & Mortality conference, monthly transplant M&M conference, monthly HPB fellow conference and case log review. Salary is based upon PGY level coming into the program. Fellows are expected to develop independent clinical and translational research skills, and under faculty guidance they are expected to design and complete a research project, with presentation at local, national and international HPB conferences, and publication of their work.

A core faculty of 8 surgeons are dedicated to providing a complete, well-rounded, and rewarding fellowship experience. There are opportunities to participate in a 6-week to 2-month exchange with other local and regional centers that harbor an AHPBA-certified HPB surgery fellowship. This participation is at the discretion of the HPB fellows at their respective centers and provides the mutual benefit of cross-fertilization in the educational and technical aspects of different HPB fellowship programs. Our approach is one centered on an apprenticeship model, and we support providing fellows the opportunity to be members of our clinical faculty. Our expectation is that over time the fellows lead resident teaching in the operating room as well as on the wards and in didactic sessions.

Ultimately the HPB surgery fellowship program is designed to produce superb technical surgeons with a thorough understanding of the clinical and translational aspects of HPB disease and who will be poised to provide leadership and mentoring in the advancement of HPB surgery in coming years in and outside the United States. For more information, visit our listing on the website of the Fellowship Council.