American Foregut Society Education Committee: Development Of The Advanced Foregut Fellowship Program for...

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology and Foregut Health
• Medical Education and Training
• Advanced Endoscopic Procedures

Background:

• Foregut disorders like GERD, motility issues, and obesity pose significant clinical and economic challenges.
• Current training gaps exist in managing complex foregut conditions due to evolving diagnostics and therapeutics.
• There is a critical need for specialized expertise in advanced foregut disorder management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a core curriculum for a one-year advanced fellowship in foregut disorders.
• To establish a competency-based assessment framework using Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs).
• To address the training gap for gastroenterologists in managing complex foregut diseases.

Main Methods:

• The American Foregut Society (AFS) Education Committee designed a fellowship curriculum.
• A competency-based assessment framework integrating ACGME Core Competencies was defined.
• The program targets graduates of accredited gastroenterology fellowship programs.

Main Results:

• The curriculum covers esophageal motility, reflux/mucosal disease/cancer, and obesity/metabolic disorders.
• Fellows aim for Level 4 (practice-ready) entrustment in at least two domains.
• Training focuses on independent proficiency in patient evaluation, diagnostics, and therapeutics.

Conclusions:

• The AFS-sponsored fellowship pilot program aims to train gastroenterologists to lead interdisciplinary foregut centers.
• The curriculum, assessment framework, and implementation strategy are described.
• The pilot will determine training volume thresholds for achieving competence in foregut disorders.