UGIRA FELLOWSHIP
The 1-year Fellowship for Robot-Assisted Minimally Invasive Esophagectomy (RAMIE) aims to connect a promising young surgeon to an expert in a high-volume center for this procedure (>50 year and >100 in total). As the Fellowship is meant to introduce surgeons to robotic surgery, UGIRA membership is not a prerequisite for application. The application round for the 2023 has recently been closed. Please keep an eye on this website and linkedin to stay updated on the next application round. General information on the application process is shown below (this might change for future application rounds).
Required documents for application:
– Curriculum vitae (including a photo)
– Motivational letter, including your preference for the host center
– Written endorsement from the Head of Surgery of your home institute
Candidate selection criteria:
– Licensed to practice as a consultant surgeon (at the time of starting the Fellowship)
– Experience with minimally invasive surgery and esophageal surgery
– Demonstrated experience with research
– Willingness to contribute to ongoing research projects and preferably write at least one scientific paper during the Fellowship
– Understanding of English language in speaking and scientific writing
CURRENT & PAST FELLOWS
2023 – FRANZISKA RENGER
Home institute: HELIOS Klinikum Berlin (Berlin, Germany)
Fellowship institute: to be determined
2021 – EVANGELOS TAGKALOS
Home institute: Universitätsmedizin der Johannes Gutenberg Universität Mainz (Mainz, Germany)
Fellowship institute: Chang Gung Memorial Hospital (Taoyuan City, Taiwan)
2019 – PIETER VAN DER SLUIS
Home institute: UMC Utrecht (Utrecht, The Netherlands)
Fellowship institute: Universitätsmedizin der Johannes Gutenberg Universität Mainz (Mainz, Germany)
Current institute: Erasmus MC (Rotterdam, The Netherlands)
The fellowship is endorsed by the UGIRA to enable training in RAMIE and to offer the opportunity of working with frontline leaders in the field.
- The focus of the fellowship is RAMIE. Dedicated RAMIE centers throughout the world are selected by UGIRA to offer this fellowship.
- By combining the clinical strengths of renowned RAMIE training centers, we expect the candidate to learn to work as a RAMIE esophageal surgeon in a professional and safe way.
- By offering a one-on-one teaching plan, the aim is to offer a hands on experience in RAMIE.
- By offering a broad clinical experience and a focused research project, the fellow will be able to continue RAMIE surgery and research throughout his/her career.
- The fellowship is organized in close collaboration with the home institute of the fellow.
- Financial support in the amount of $70.000 USD will be provided to the fellow who is selected by the UGIRA Educational Committee, in close collaboration with the home institution. The fellowship is hosted during 1 year.
Overall Objective
To train the fellow in RAMIE surgery and research.
Main Clinical Goal To offer a training program for minimally invasive esophagectomy surgical procedures. At the end of the fellowship the candidate should be able to participate in or start his/her own general RAMIE surgery program.
Main research Goal
To evaluate the clinical applications of RAMIE surgery. The fellow will evaluate the host center’s experience (institutional database). The fellow’s own learning curve will be analysed systematically.
Curriculum
A hands on training course, such as provided in Stockholm and Utrecht is the starting point for the fellowship as a first introduction to minimally invasive esophagectomy. Click here for information on the 2020 ESSO course on MIE and MIG as organized in Utrecht.
Setting
To work 1 year in a high volume Upper GI centre with expertise in RAMIE.
- To learn/assist and aim to perform surgical procedures and learn the clinical pathways on RAMIE. 1 day per week is reserved for will research activities.
- 3 full days per week in are spend in theatre.
- A typical week will offer the fellow 3-6 Upper GI procedures.
- The fellow will be trained to assist/aim to perform thoracolaparoscopic esophagectomies. Benign Upper GI surgery may be part of the start of the training program. The fellow will be scrubbed in over 60 surgical procedures in this fellowship.
- Pre and post fellowship tests. Simulator rides.
- Database to evaluate the learning curve.
- The fellowship aims to work towards UEMS OesophagoGastric certification in cooperation with the home institute of the fellow. The UEMS requirements can be found on the website https://www.uemssurg.org/divisions/ecs-surgery. It is clear that this should include the experience in upper GI obtained in the home institute. The one year fellowship is an addition to the previous experience.
Surgeons who have completed their general surgical training and are licensed to practice as a general surgeon can apply. Candidates should be endorsed by their home institute by means of a support letter from the head of department. More specific criteria:
- Experience with minimally invasive surgery and esophageal surgery
- Demonstrated experience with research
- Willingness to contribute to ongoing research projects and write at least one scientific paper during the Fellowship
- Understanding of English language in speaking and scientific writing
The application round for the UGIRA Fellowship has recently been closed. UGIRA strives to organize the Fellowship on a regular basis. Keep an eye on our website and LinkedIn page for information on the next UGIRA Fellowship round.