Fellowship Research

Second Year Subspecialty Residents
Second year subspecialty residents will be involved in a research project under the direction of a faculty preceptor. They can be trained to use modern tools of investigation to address questions in cell and molecular biology as well as clinical research. Subspecialty residents are encouraged to interact with investigators in the basic science departments of the university according to their specific research interests and career plans.

Current research activities include:

• investigation into the mechanisms of hepatic fibrogenesis
• gene regulation of hepatic collagen synthesis
• regulation of hepatic stellate cell activation
• effects of Kupffer cell products on hepatic stellate cells
• role of oxidative stress in hepatic injury
• transcriptional activation in Kupffer cells
• hepatic cytoplasmic transport of amphipathic molecules
• role of complement in liver injury
• ischemia-reperfusion injury in the pancreas
• mechanisms of inflammation and fibrosis in the pancreas
• pancreatic glutathione metabolism
• mechanisms of regulation of iron homeostasis
• intracellular signaling in stellate cells
• Kupffer cells.

Clinical Projects
A variety of clinical projects are also ongoing. These include evaluation of the efficacy of various types of interferon in chronic hepatitis C, multi-drug therapy for hepatitis C, new drug therapy in hepatitis B, new therapies for alcoholic hepatitis, evaluation of medical therapy in irritable bowel syndrome and sphincter of Oddi dysfunction, evaluation of new methods for endoscopic control of gastrointestinal hemorrhage, identifying the role of the hemochromatosis gene in liver disease, and management of medical problems in the post-transplant setting.

Presenting Results
Subspecialty residents are encouraged to present the results of their research experiences at an annual national meeting, such as the meetings sponcered by the American Gastroenterological Association, the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, or the American College of Gastroenterology.

The Goal of Training
The goal of training in the second and third years is for subspecialty residents to develop specific skills in keeping with their career goals. Thus, for someone interested in general gastroenterology practice, involvement in all clinical areas would be appropriate; whereas for someone interested in a research-oriented academic career, an emphasis on research would be appropriate. For someone interested in a career in academic clinical hepatology, extensive work in the Liver Clinic, with the Liver Transplant Service, and with several clinical research projects would be reasonable. The flexibility of the curriculum in the second and third years allows the subspecialty residents to tailor their training according to their career choices.

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