Frequently asked questions

How many fellows do you take per year?

We take three general GI fellows per year. We also take two advanced endoscopy fellows per year.

How many endoscopies do your fellows do?

By time of graduation our fellows have done around 1,500 endoscopies.

At what hospitals do your fellows rotate?

Our fellows spend most of their time at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, which is a tertiary care center. They do two months per year at Geisinger Shamokin Hospital, a community hospital about 20 minutes away. They can also do endoscopies at our outpatient surgery center at Geisinger Woodbine Clinic. Since we have several satellite hospitals, fellows can gain experience at one of these locations. For an elective, fellows can rotate at Allegheny Health Network in Pittsburgh for up to a month a time and at multiple hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for up to one month at a time. 

How much experience do fellows gain in clinic lab procedures?

Our fellows complete four months of lab as part of their rotation and have another of month of manometry (combined with procedures) in their third year. Fellows can increase exposure to any of these during elective or procedures months. Learn more about our rotations.

Do you have residents and medical students who rotate with you?

Yes. Geisinger is known for its robust residency programs. Several internal medicine and med/peds residents will rotate through GI and hepatology separately. Geisinger also has its own medical school, Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, and students rotate through GI as part of their elective. We also host students from all over the United States who have an interest in GI or rotating at Geisinger. Our fellows have ample teaching opportunities.

Is there protected didactics time?

Wednesdays are didactic days, so generally all fellows are expected to be at Geisinger Medical Center on Wednesdays. Lectures are held from 7 to 8 a.m.,12:30 to 1:30 p.m. and 4 to 5 p.m. See program overview for additional information on lectures.

What is call like?

On the weekend, there is a long call fellow who is on call for all GI emergencies, procedures and patient calls from Friday at 5 p.m. to Monday at 7 a.m.

There’s also a short call fellow who helps with new consults and rounds on the hepatology service. The short call fellow helps the long call fellow on Saturday and Sunday until about midday.

During the week, one fellow is on night call starting at 5 p.m. until 7 a.m. They’re available for patient calls and emergencies for the inpatient and ER team. There is always an attending on call with the fellows for transfer center calls and to support the fellow. First years don’t take call until September. Call is distributed amongst all the fellows with third-year fellows having the least amount of call and equal amount of call amongst first- and second-years. 

How much time do fellows have in clinic?

All fellows have continuity clinic for both hepatology and GI varying from one half day per week to three half days per week. Fellows also do PEG tube and malnutrition clinic when on nutrition and have the opportunity to spend time in bariatric clinic, transplant clinic, lynch clinic and high risk pancreas clinic.

Are there opportunities for research?

We’re an academic center with all the resources for cutting-edge research. The Obesity Institute is known for its ongoing clinical trials, which are open to any interested fellow. As one of the oldest Epic users in the country, Geisinger has a robust database for pulling cases and a data retrieval department that can help with pulling data from Epic as well as a biostatistics department to assist with research. We also have one of the largest Mycode® genomics databases in the world with several ongoing research projects that fellows can get involved in. We also have a clinical informatics fellowship at Geisinger with whom we sometimes team up to work on quality improvement projects to implement change within Epic. Browse our publications and presentations over the last three years.

What is Danville like?

Danville is a small, charming town along the Susquehanna River with several great outdoor hiking and bike trails, kayaking opportunities and more. The cost of living in Danville is low. Danville has a quaint main street with eateries, including a bagel shop, a vegan spot, a microbrewery, a pub and an oyster bar as well as fitness shops, including a personalized gym and a yoga studio. There are three college towns within 20 mins of Danville, including Bloomsburg (Bloomsburg University), Lewisburg (Bucknell University) and Sellinsgrove (Susquehanna University). These towns offer even more options for eateries, local breweries and events. Danville is conveniently located about two hours from Philadelphia, three hours to New York City and Baltimore, and 3.5 hours to Washington, D.C., and Pittsburgh, making it easy to do a day or weekend trip to any of these cities. The best part? No traffic.

Do fellows gather outside of work?

We hold happy hours for fellows and attendings at least once a month. Our APD, Dr. Addissie, holds a welcome party every year for the department. The fellows take turns holding parties at their homes at least once a season. To stay healthy with a little healthy competition, fellows participate in a biannual fitness challenge. And our staff gathers every year at the department holiday party.