Case Requirements & Fellow Volumes

Fellowship Council Requirements

Our fellowship carries both an Advanced GI/MIS and Bariatrics designation. Minimum case requirements for the fellows are as follows:

Advanced GI/MIS Case Requirements

150 total complex MIS cases

65 Defined category MIS cases

  • 20 foregut cases
  • 25 bariatric cases
  • 10 inguinal hernia
  • 10 ventral hernia

85 Additional Complex MIS Cases

  • MIS cholecystectomy, appendectomy, and diagnostic laparoscopy are considered basic MIS cases and do not count towards the case requirements.

50 Flexible Endoscopy Procedures

  • Upper or lower
  • Can be diagnostic or therapeutic
  • Can be intraoperative or as a separate procedure

Bariatric Case Requirements

Minimum of 100 bariatric cases

  • 50 cases must include an anastomosis
  • 10 restrictive cases
  • 5 revisional procedures

Certifications

By completing the above case requirements, all fellows will complete the case volume requirements for an American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) Fellowship Certificate and the SAGES Advanced GI MIS and Endoscopy (Comprehensive Flexible Endoscopy or Area of Concentrated Training Seal in Advanced Flexible Endoscopy) Certificate. There are additional requirements that the fellow needs to complete, all of which are integrated into the fellowship year.

ASMBS Requirements (in brief)

  1. Completion of a Fellowship Council accredited program
  2. Completion and documentation of didactic educational sessions covering the ASMBS educational curriculum topics
  3. Participation in at least quarterly bariatric morbidity and mortality conferences
    Submission of an abstract to a national or regional society meeting during the fellowship
  4. Participation in bariatric multidisciplinary conferences
  5. Case volume requirements
    1. At least 100 bariatric procedures including 50 intestinal bypass operations, 10 restrictive operations, and 5 revisional procedures
  6. Patient evaluation requirements
    1. 50 preoperative evaluations, 100 postoperative inpatient management encounters, and 100 postoperative outpatient evaluations
  7. Program director fellow performance assessment interviews (at least twice during the fellowship year)

SAGES Requirements (in brief)

  1. SAGES membership
  2. Defined Category cases
    1. Foregut (20 cases)
    2. Bariatric (25 cases)
    3. Inguinal hernia (10 cases)
    4. Ventral hernia (10 cases)
    5. Additional complex MIS cases (85 cases)
    6. Fellows are encouraged to complete the requirements for comprehensive flexible endoscopy certification (minimum of 100 therapeutic endoscopy procedures) or area of concentrated training seal in advanced flexible endoscopy (minimum of 75 therapeutic endoscopic procedures). Details of the specific endoscopic case requirements are noted by following the links above.
  3. Program Director’s survey
  4. Submission of an abstract to a major meeting during fellowship
  5. Attendance of a major meeting during fellowship
  6. FLS, FES, and FUSE certification

Case Volumes for Past Fellows

Our program provides robust case volumes for the fellowship, as evidenced by the number of index cases performed by the fellows over the last 10 years. In addition to the index case volumes, fellows perform several hundred diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopies over the course of the year. All fellows have been able to meet the requirements for anastomotic cases set by the Fellowship Council and the ASMBS, in part, secondary to a large volume of revisional cases as well as multiple comprehensive bariatric surgery programs throughout the city for which UT faculty serve as medical directors.

Fellowship Year Index Case Volumes
Fellow 1/Fellow 2
2012-2013 541/468
2013-2014 782/607
2014-2015 540/638
2015-2016 629/703
2016-2017 268-179
2017-2018 397/432
2018-2019 564/438
2019-2020 376/466
2020-2021 448/493
2021-2022 403/388