Department of Surgery Fellowships

SIU Residency Program in Colorectal Surgery

As additional postgraduate training in Colorectal Surgery is designed to lead to Board certification in Colon and Rectal Surgery, and as the American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgeons is a free-standing board separate from the American Board of Surgery, training programs in Colorectal Surgery are technically residencies. However, the terms “residency” and “fellowship”, and “resident” and “fellow”,  are often used interchangeably in this particular setting.

The Southern Illinois University Program in Colorectal Surgery is a collaborative educational program involving academic and private colorectal surgeons who joined together in a program designed to provide excellent postgraduate training in the current practice of colorectal surgery. The catchment area for the Southern Illinois University Program in Colorectal Surgery encompasses the southern two-thirds of Illinois and includes both urban and rural populations. The breadth of pathology seen by surgeons in the SIU Colorectal Program covers the entire spectrum of colorectal disease, from basic uncomplicated anorectal and colorectal problems in otherwise healthy people to complex and complicated anorectal and colorectal problems in people with multiple medical comorbidities. The surgical faculty enjoys a good working relationship with other subspecialties who often participate in management of complex cases, including but not limited to: urology, gynecology, plastic surgery, radiation and medical oncology, gastroenterology, orthopaedics, and enterostomal therapy/wound management. The Colorectal Surgery attending surgeons have trained at a number of different programs, allowing a breadth of experience for the trainee’s benefit.
The SIU Colorectal Surgery Program utilizes two inpatient facilities and two outpatient facilities. The inpatient facilities allow the Colorectal Surgery resident to gain experience with working within two distinct healthcare systems – a private nonprofit healthcare system as well as a church-owned healthcare system. Each inpatient facility is part of a larger regional healthcare system which incorporates inpatient and outpatient care elements.  The culture within each system is also distinctly different. Experience with both will equip the Colorectal Surgery resident with skills that will aid his/her transition into a practice setting. Similarly, the two outpatient settings are distinctly different – one is an academic clinic setting, and the other a private office setting, and experience with both will allow the Colorectal Surgery resident to feel more comfortable when settling into the type of practice s/he chooses after completion of training.
Of note: there is a hospital-provided shuttle between the two hospitals which runs every ten minutes from 6 AM until 6:30 PM, decreasing the burden of having two inpatient sites. The shuttle ride between hospitals takes approximately three minutes door-to-door. The two outpatient settings are two blocks apart, placed on either side of the major inpatient facility.

Visit the Colorectal webpage for more information

Vascular Program Information

The vascular surgery division offers a two-year peripheral vascular fellowship, which is approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).  Fellows must have completed an ACGME approved residency in general surgery and be board eligible or board certified.  The first year concentrates on research and endovascular therapy while the second year is devoted to conventional vascular surgery. 

Southern Illinois University School of Medicine utilizes two 600-bed private hospitals, St. John’s Hospital and Memorial Medical Center, which are separated by only three-quarters of a mile.  The peripheral vascular service includes five full-time university surgeons, Dr. Kim Hodgson, Dr. Don Ramsey, Dr. Robert McLafferty, Dr. Douglas Hood, and Dr. Colleen Moore.  In addition, we have a private surgeon on the training panel.  The peripheral vascular fellow covers essentially all of the patients who are admitted to these surgeons.  The fellow is primarily responsible for the pre- and post-operative care of the patients and will be the operating surgeon on over 95% of the cases.

The operative caseload is varied, covering virtually every aspect of peripheral vascular surgery, but is weighed toward carotid endarterectomies, aneurysm resections, femoral-popliteal and femoral-tibial grafts.  During the year, the fellow can expect to perform approximately 200 major vascular reconstructions.  In addition, the fellow can expect to perform 150 percutaneous diagnostic arteriograms, 75 percutaneous balloon angioplasty/stent procedures, and approximately 25 endoluminal aneurysm repairs.  The fellow is also responsible for interpreting non-invasive laboratory studies, for seeing consultations, for preparing a vascular case conference every week, and for assisting in the outpatient clinic.  Ample time is provided for the fellow to participate in clinical and non-invasive laboratory research.  Previous fellows have been able to publish several papers during the year.  The peripheral vascular service operates well-equipped and busy clinical non-invasive laboratories in each of the two hospitals.
Fellows completing the program are eligible to receive certification of added qualifications in Vascular Surgery. 

Contact Information:

Please feel free to contact our offices at the School of Medicine with any questions you may have concerning the Peripheral Vascular Surgery Fellowship Program:

Southern Illinois University School of Medicine            
Division of Vascular Surgery                                                    
Attn:  Rhonda Loyd, Fellowship Coordinator
Phone:  217-545-8856
E-Mail:  rloyd@siumed.edu
P.O. Box 19638
Springfield, IL  62794-9638

Application Information:

The SIU Vascular Fellowship Program will begin accepting applications via in the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) www.aamc.org/eras in December 2009.   The following documentation, along with your application, is required for your file to be considered complete:

1. Letter from Program Director
2. Two letters of recommendation from physicians on your staff
3. Dean’s Letter
4. Board Scores (USMLE and ABSITE)
5. Medical School Transcripts
6. Personal Statement
7. Curriculum Vitae
   
   
   

Link to SIU Residency Affairs  www.siumed.edu/resaffairs

Spine Surgery Fellowship

The orthopaedics and Rehabilitation Division offers a one-year fellowship in spine surgery. Applicants must have completed an approved orthpaedic residency. Fellows learn the care of spinal injuries, from acute care through rehabilitation; degenerative disorders, including cervical and lumbar disc disease, tumors, arthritis and deformities, including cerebral palsy and myelomeningocele. Treatment includes non-operative management, physical and occupational therapy, behavioral sciences, and operative management with anterior and posterior approaches and internal fixation devices.

• The program is grounded on the practices and experience of six full-time spine surgeons.
• There is ample clinical material from four state crippled children clinics, a level one trauma center, and large private practices.

Length of Program: 1 Year

Total positions: One

Contact Information

Please feel free to contact our offices at the School of Medicine with any questions you may have concerning the Spine Fellowship Program and the application process:

SIU School of Medicine
Division of orthopaedics and Rehabilitation
Attn: Anita Weinhoeft, C-TAGME, Fellowship Coordinator
P.O. Box 19679
Springfield, IL  62794-9679
Phone: 217-545-6155
E-mail: aweinhoeft@siumed.edu