Moffitt Cancer Center/University of South Florida combined fellowship
Moffitt Cancer Center
12902 Magnolia Drive
Tampa , Florida 33612
813-745-0589 (V)
Website
1 Position Available
Program Type: Both ERCP & EUS
Authorized Administrative Official: Jamie Harrington (email)
Program Director: Shaffer Mok MD (email)
Program Director Phone: 8137450112
Program Director Fax: 813-449-6747
Duration: 1 Year
Inclusive Dates of the Program: 7/1/2026 to 6/30/2027
Program Website: moffitt.org/for-physicians-healthcare-professionals/graduate-medical-education/endoscopic-oncology
Accepts applicants from outside of North America? Yes
Accepts applicants with J1 visas? No
Accepts applicants with H1B visas? No
Accepts applicants with E3 visas? No
Supervised ProceduresProcedure |
Faculty Involved in AEF Training | Total Annual Volume | Annual Volume with hands-on AEF Involvement |
|---|---|---|---|
| ERCP | 6 | 1075 | 462 |
| Diagnostic EUS | 6 | 1404 | 463 |
| Interventional EUS | 6 | 93 | 32 |
| Deep enteroscopy | 4 | 174 | 37 |
| Luminal stenting | 6 | 71 | 18 |
| ESD | 4 | 91 | 25 |
| Bariatric endoscopy | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POEM | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Endoscopic management of GERD and Barrett’s | 6 | 212 | 53 |
| Other (specify)
Enteral stenting |
5 | 40 | 26 |
Unsupervised Trainee ActivitiesProcedure |
Value |
|---|---|
| General GI procedures (per year) | 0 |
| Inpatient general GI service (weeks/year) | 0 |
| Inpatient advanced endoscopy service (weeks/year) | 0 |
| Ambulatory clinics (per year) | 0 |
| Committed time for research (days/month) | 2 |
Requirements for Application
- Standard ASGE Application Packet
- ASGE Application
- Post-Undergraduate Education
- USMLE Scores
- Certification of Completion of Residency
- Prior to appointment in the advanced endoscopy fellowship, fellows should have completed a three-year ACGME-accredited gastroenterology fellowship
- Fellows from non-ACGME-accredited programs must have completed at least three years of gastroenterology education prior to starting the fellowship
- Personal Statement
- Curriculum Vitae
- 3 Letters of Reference
Additional Information about Program
H. LEE MOFFITT CANCER CENTER AND RESEARCH INSTITUTE
ADVANCED ENDOSCOPY FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM 2025-26
Combined Fellowship in Association with the University of South Florida
Fellowship Program Director: Shaffer Mok, MD
USF Site Director: Pushpak Taunk, MD
A. PROGRAM DEMOGRAPHICS
1. Name of Host Institution: Moffitt Cancer Center
2. Program Specialty/Subspecialty: Advanced Gastroenterology
3. Program Address (Mailing): 12902 Magnolia Drive, Tampa, FL 33612
4. Program Address (Physical location): 12902 Magnolia Drive
Tampa, FL 33612
5. Program Phone Number: 813-745-0589
6. Program Fax Number: 813-449-6943
7. Program Email: [email protected]
8. Program Director: Shaffer Mok, MD
9. Alternate Program Contact: Jamie Harrington
B. INTRODUCTION
1. History: Under the leadership efforts of Dr. James S. Barthel (Gastroenterologist) and Dr. Jason Klapman, MD , the Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology at the Moffitt Cancer Center established the first Section of Endoscopic Oncology in the United States in 2004 to better integrate gastroenterology specialists into the multidisciplinary oncology environment of the Cancer Center. It was recognized that the unique contribution of gastroenterology specialists to the oncology effort was their mastery of gastrointestinal endoscopy. It rapidly became clear that advanced gastrointestinal endoscopic procedures to include endoscopic ultrasonography, therapeutic ERCP, enteral stenting, endoscopic ablation of tumor and precancerous epithelia, and endoscopic mucosal resection techniques were extremely useful in the diagnosis and management of cancer. Therefore, expansion of the Endoscopic Oncology Section focused on recruiting faculty with skills in advanced gastrointestinal endoscopy and creation of an Advanced Endoscopy training program. The fellowship program was established as a one year, third tier, non-ACGME accredited program in 2006 and was the first such program in the United States. Generous support from Cook Medical, Inc. was crucial in the successful launch of the program. Although not accredited by the ACGME, the program does adhere to all ACGME fellowship training regulations. Our first fellow began the program on July 1, 2007. We have had 10 fellows complete the program. To strengthen the training of the advanced fellow, recently the fellowship was combined with USF to increase exposure to both benign and malignant advanced endoscopy procedures. This is now one of the most comprehensive training programs in the country.
2. Duration: The Advanced Gastroenterology fellowship program is one year in length. There are no optional additional years or tracks.
3. Prerequisite Training/Selection Criteria:
The Department of Gastrointestinal Tumor Program, Section of Endoscopic Oncology at Moffitt Cancer Center (MCC) in collaboration with the Department of Medicine/Division of Digestive Diseases & Nutrition at the University of South Florida (USF) offers a one year Advanced Endoscopy fellowship to physicians who have completed an accredited three-year gastroenterology fellowship-training program and are board eligible. The program is intended for physicians planning a career in investigative and consultative advanced endoscopy with equal emphasis in both malignant and benign disease. Participants will receive training in advanced gastrointestinal endoscopic procedures and their application. The fellow will develop skills in endoscopic ultrasonography, therapeutic endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), ablation therapies for dysplastic epithelium such as radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and liquid nitrogen cryoablation, endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR), and magnifying endoscopy. In addition to a endoscopic management of malignant disease, the fellow will gain skills pertaining to endoscopic cystgastrostomy, pancreatic necrosectomy, Sphincter of oddi manometry and endoscopic suturing. This will ensure comprehensive training in both malignant and benign GI disorders. Training will occur primarily through mentorship in a setting of interdisciplinary oncology at MCC and from a gastroenterology perspective at USF. Training will also include development and conduct of supervised short horizon research projects as well as didactic lectures including journal club, case conferences, and a faculty lecture series which includes the MCC multidisciplinary team and USF faculty members.
4. Goals and Objectives:
The goals of the program are to provide sub-specialized advanced endoscopic training and education to gastroenterologists who have completed a three year accredited Gastroenterology fellowship. The primary focus of this fellowship is mentored training in advanced endoscopic procedures that are essential to the diagnosis, staging, treatment and palliation of patients with gastrointestinal and other malignancies with gastrointestinal involvement. With the development of a combined fellowship with USF, the curriculum will now be expanded to include training in advanced procedures for diagnosis and management of benign diseases. It will also incorporate a comprehensive didactic component in the curriculum that includes monthly Journal Club, case conferences, and lectures on important endoscopic and GI oncology topics by the faculty. The fellow will present one lecture to the USF GI fellowship program at the discretion of the USF site director, not to interfere with the previously mentioned didactic requirements.
Fellows are required to complete at least one mentored clinical research project that is presented at a national meeting during the duration of the fellowship. The fellow will be encouraged to present at Digestive Disease Week (DDW) but will not be limited to this platform for the research presentation. The fellow will have a faculty or faculty members to mentor him or her throughout the entire course of the research project and will have access to research coordinators and other appropriate infrastructure necessary for the execution of the project.
Objectives:
• To understand the indications and patient selection for advanced endoscopy procedures, both malignant and benign.
• To understand the contraindications and complications of various advanced endoscopic procedures and interventions.
• To develop a systematic approach using advanced endoscopy techniques for the diagnostic evaluation and management of patients with GI cancers and benign GI disorders.
• To develop the clinical and technical skills of performing advanced endoscopic procedures.
• To learn how to communicate appropriately the clinical information regarding the endoscopic evaluation to their colleagues on the clinical service, the patient and their family, and with the endoscopy nursing staff.
5. Program Certifications: There are currently no program certifications to site as there is currently no ACGME accreditation that exists for advanced endoscopy fellowship.
C. RESOURCES
1. Teaching Staff: The following faculty are dedicated to the teaching of the fellow:
Moffitt Faculty
Shaffer Mok, MD
Luis Pena, MD, FACG
Anjuli Luthra, MD
USF Faculty
Pushpak Taunk, MD
Rene Gomez-Esquivel, MD
Patrick Brady, MD
Jonathan Hilal, MD
2. Facilities: Moffitt Cancer Center and Tampa General Hospital.
D. EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM – BASIC CURRICULUM
1. Clinical and Research Components:
The fellow will participate in the weekly Gastrointestinal Oncology Tumor Board and the monthly Endoscopic Oncology Division Fellow Journal Club. The fellow will also participate in the monthly Faculty Lecture Series Conference as well as GME’s Core Lecture Orientation Series held in August and September which is mandatory for all new incoming fellows. Core curriculum education will occur through attendance at the aforementioned courses and utilization of textbooks and journals for independent study.
Additionally, the fellow will receive program support to attend Digestive Diseases Week (DDW) or other major annual scientific meeting for expected research presentation. The fellow is also welcome to attend any industry sponsored advanced endoscopic activity that provides CME or is deemed appropriate by the program director.
2. Research Opportunities:
One half day per week will be devoted to research and related scholarly activities. The fellow will either develop or be assigned participation in short horizon research projects that have high probability of producing results suitable for publication or presentation at a national specialty meeting. The program director will be responsible for approving or assigning fellow research projects. The fellow will be instructed in the standards of ethical conduct of research, design and interpretation of research studies, responsible use of informed consent, research methodology and data interpretation. The program will provide or organize support for the fellow to attend at least one national specialty meeting during the course of the fellowship for purposes of presenting research conducted during the course of the fellowship. The fellow may attend other national meetings as approved by the program director so long as the time away does not exceed allotted days off and it does not interfere with clinical or educational responsibilities.
The fellow will also participate in the yearly Fellows’ Research Symposium, in which all the fellows at the MCC will submit an abstract. The abstracts will be reviewed by a number of the teaching faculty and a certain number of abstracts will be selected for oral presentation. This is mandatory for all fellows at Moffitt.
3. Trainee’s supervisory and patient care responsibilities:
In keeping with ACGME and JCAHO guidelines, the faculty and program director are responsible for providing the fellow with direct experience in progressive responsibility for patient management. All patient care at MCC and USF provided by the fellow will be under direct or indirect faculty supervision. Supervision must be documented in the medical record in accordance with MCC and USF compliance guidelines. Activities performed without direct supervision require access to the supervisory physician for communication and physical access within 30 minutes. Activities performed with direct supervision require presence of the supervisory physician. The fellow is authorized to perform any activity assigned while under direct supervision. Final interpretation of all diagnostic and therapeutic studies requires direct supervision. This document may be modified by the program director based on additions to the training program.
4. Procedural requirements: Fellows complete a record of all procedures performed during fellowship. Procedure logs are updated every 6 months and are to be submitted to the program director and MCC GME at the completion of the program. The fellow is required to have demonstrated competency in advanced endoscopic procedures to be evaluated and approved by the program director and other faculty.
5. Didactic components: The fellows attend the MCC Multidisciplinary Fellows’ Conference which is held monthly. Each month different topics are discussed in a case discussion format. All fellows are required to attend this conference and are encouraged to participate. Journal club and a faculty presented lecture series are held monthly. A case conference is held every other month when feasible. The fellows also attend the weekly multidisciplinary tumor boards where patient medical histories and imaging studies are presented and a course of treatment is outlined.
6. If the program is more than 12 months in duration, describe the progression in responsibilities by PGY level: Not applicable.
E. SUPERVISION AND EVALUATION:
1. Describe how the trainee is mentored and supervised.
MCC Endoscopic Oncology Section and USF Division of Digestive Diseases and Nutrition faculty will provide mentoring in advanced endoscopic procedures. The fellow will alternate months between MCC and TGH, spending a total of 6 months at each facility. The fellow will work along side faculty in new patient evaluation and follow up clinics two half days per week. The clinic assignments will be designed to provide experience in applying the indications for advanced endoscopic procedures as they relate to the diagnosis and management of cancer and to observe procedure outcomes through follow up and continuity of patient care. The fellow may be required to perform routine endoscopic procedures at any time during the course of the fellowship depending on the faculty assignment any given day. The fellow will take call for the inpatient consult service and after hours emergencies in turn with the faculty an average of every 3rd week. Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) regulations concerning at-home call (pager call) will be adhered to.
2. Describe the formal evaluation process.
The advanced fellow will meet with the program director and USF site director once every 3 months to discuss questions and concerns raised by either party and in addition the program director will provide a summary of the evaluations provided by the faculty and appropriate feedback. This evaluation will include the clinical, procedural and research components of the fellowship. In addition, there will be a comprehensive evaluation at the midpoint (6 month) and end of the fellowship. The Program and site directors will review the fellow’s updated CV, procedure log, and scholarly activities. The discussion will also include any job search activities in order to assist the fellow to identify potential private practice or academic positions of employment.
Shaffer Mok, MD
Advanced Endoscopy Program Director
___________________________
Pushpak Taunk, MD
Advanced Endoscopy USF Site Director
Please Note: All data in this program description is entered on a voluntary basis