Bariatric Surgery Fellowship
Atrium Health’s Bariatric Surgery Fellowship is a 1-year program designed to train competent, well-rounded bariatric surgeons in a wide range of bariatric procedures, including gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy, biliopancreatic diversion duodenal switch, robotic bariatric surgery revisional and re-operative surgery. Upon graduating, fellows will be able to qualify for the ASMBS Fellowship Certificate and will be prepared to practice in a variety of settings and bariatric programs.
Atrium Health: Training the future of metabolic surgery
Where You Will Train
Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center
Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center (CMC) is a national leader in specialized care for a broad range of medical conditions. CMC is the largest research hospital in the region and 1 of 5 teaching hospitals in North Carolina.
What Fellows are Saying
I am a current bariatric surgery fellow, and the experience has been great so far! We do a wide breadth of cases including sleeve gastrectomy, gastric bypass, biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch and a variety of revision cases. There is also a lot of organized didactics and research opportunities for us, so we graduate as very well-rounded fellows. I am most looking forward to learning different techniques from each of the attendings, so I have multiple tools in my surgical armamentarium.
Alice Wang, MD (Current Fellow: 2020-21)
My fellowship at Atrium Health provided me with superb training in all aspects of laparoscopic surgery. Not only did we get extensive experience in performing a gastric bypass through multiple techniques, but we also were able to develop laparoscopic skill sets that apply to all aspects of general surgery. I now feel very comfortable with laparoscopic free-hand suturing and performing intracorporeal anastomoses, both of which I have incorporated into my general surgery cases early on as a new attending. I was also able to spend an additional month focusing on colorectal surgery with world-class colorectal surgeons. Not only does this program train you to be an incredibly proficient bariatric surgeon, but it also trains you to feel very confident in handling all aspects of general surgery through an MIS approach. My training at Atrium certainly proved to be invaluable.
Naresh Sundaresan, MD (Alumni Fellow: 2019-20)
Completing Carolinas Medical Center’s Bariatric Surgery Fellowship was a great experience. The program is extremely comprehensive and has fully prepared me to create a bariatric surgery program and operate independently with confidence. One of the main advantages this program has over others is the diversity of surgical techniques utilized. You will leave the program knowing multiple ways to perform a gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy. Additionally, the office and administrative experience is robust, preparing you for starting a program, running an office efficiently, navigating the preoperative process, as well as working up and managing postoperative complications. Overall, it’s a very well-rounded program. I am very satisfied with the training I received.
Nicholas M. Dugan, MD (Alumni Fellow: 2018-19)
I was happy that I matched at CMC for my fellowship. It was one of my top choices. One of the many benefits of the program is the high percentage of gastric bypasses performed and the multiple techniques the fellows are taught. There is excellent training by the faculty, whichprepared me well for starting my career as a bariatric surgeon.
Thomas “Calloway” Robertson, MD (Alumni Fellow: 2017-18)
Meet the Faculty
Our goal in the Bariatric Surgery Fellowship program is to educate fellows about obesity as a disease and how metabolic and bariatric surgery can influence this disease. Fellows are exposed to the latest techniques in metabolic and bariatric surgery and educated about the way these surgeries work within a comprehensive, multidisciplinary weight management program. We aim to graduate well-rounded fellows by exposure to a diverse clinical experience, including other members of the multidisciplinary team, fellow-led comprehensive didactic and research curriculum as well as how to set up and run a bariatric program.
Program Curriculum
This fellowship gives fellows the unique opportunity of training at a major tertiary and academic center where they will have the opportunity to participate in endoscopies and advanced minimally invasive surgical procedures in addition to bariatric procedures. Fellows will gain strong operative experience, with a heavy focus on the different techniques of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, learn all facets of multidisciplinary care and have many opportunities to participate in research.
Rotations
Fellows have the option of an elective month rotation with the Advanced Gastrointestinal & Minimally Invasive Surgery Fellowship program, which is ideal for fellows with an interest in colorectal surgery, abdominal wall reconstruction, foregut surgery and solid organ surgery. Fellows will also have some exposure to single-incision techniques.
Salary and Benefits
In addition to the many educational and career benefits of the Bariatric Surgery Fellowship program, fellows will receive financial benefits as well.
Application Criteria
Applications are accepted through the Fellowship Council.