Fellowship in Research
Fellowship in Clinical Research (C-STEP)
Clinical Call Required: Yes
Clinical Call Requirements: 2-4 times per month
Program Length: 2 years
Program Director: KuoJen Tsao, MD
Source of Support: Institutional Grants
The Center for Surgical Trials and Evidence-based Practice (C-STEP) at UTHealth Houston is accepting applications for a 2-year Clinical Research Fellowship designed for surgical residents interested in academic careers in pediatric surgery and clinical health services research. Fellows will earn a Master’s Degree in Clinical Research through the UTHealth Center for Evidence-Based Medicine and Clinical Research—an innovative curriculum focused on mastering the design, implementation, and analysis of high-quality clinical investigations. Fellows will engage directly in pediatric surgical research under the mentorship of nationally recognized faculty with a multidisciplinary research team. Led by Dr. KuoJen Tsao, the program’s portfolio spans patient safety, quality improvement, clinical trials, observational studies, and large-scale database research. Additional leadership opportunities include guiding the medical student research curriculum and contributing to institutional quality improvement initiatives, providing exceptional experience in research education and health systems advancement. Applicants must have completed at least PGY-2 categorical training in an ACGME-accredited general surgery residency by the start date, and compensation is commensurate with PGY level per NIH postdoctoral guidelines. Application materials include a current CV and letters of recommendation from the program director and department chair.
For more information regarding C-STEP and its fellowship programs, please contact:
KuoJen Tsao, MD
[email protected]
Fellowship in Translational Research
Clinical Call Required: Yes
Clinical Call Requirements: 2-4 times per month
Program Length: 2 years
Program Director: Allison Speer, MD
Source of Support: NIH, Professional Society, Private, and Institutional Funding
The Speer laboratory has positions available for surgical research fellows. Dr. Speer’s laboratory is part of the Program in Children’s Regenerative Medicine, a dynamic and stimulating research community within the Department of Pediatric Surgery at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth). Dr. Speer is a pediatric surgeon and basic-translational scientist with clinical and research interests in pediatric intestinal failure and rehabilitation. She is the Surgical Director of the Short bowel syndrome Therapy And Rehabilitation (STAR) team at UTHealth and Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital. Her long-term goals are to improve existing treatments and develop novel regenerative medicine strategies for intestinal failure such as tissue-engineered intestine and cell-based therapies. The Speer lab’s short-term goals are aimed at investigating enteric nervous system (ENS) development and function within human intestinal organoid (HIO)-derived tissue-engineered intestine.
The Speer laboratory provides an outstanding research experience for residents interested in regenerative medicine, intestinal development, tissue-engineering, stem cell biology, the enteric nervous system and translational research. Projects undertaken during the fellowship will depend on interest and experience of the fellow and may range from basic to translational to clinical research. Previous research experience is helpful but not required. The candidate will generate hypotheses, conduct independent research projects, write manuscripts, learn grantsmanship, and present their research at national meetings. Travel to meetings to present trainee research is fully supported. This is an exciting opportunity to be a part of an exceptional team that is working to translate our research findings from bench to bedside.
Applicants should have an MD or MD/PhD degree and have completed the PGY-2 year minimum as a categorical resident in an ACGME-accredited general surgery residency program by the start of the fellowship. Pay and benefits are commensurate to PGY year and in accordance with NIH guidelines for post-doctoral fellows. We encourage a 2-year commitment to maximize productivity.
To apply, please send a current curriculum vitae to Dr. Allison Speer at [email protected].