The Colon & Rectal Surgery Fellowship Program at AdventHealth was founded in 2009 and has since grown to thirteen faculty members and is continuing to expand. It is only one of five ACGME-accredited fellowships in the subspecialty of colorectal surgery in the State of Florida, training three fellows per year in a one-year fellowship. Our aim is to prepare well-rounded, board-certified colorectal surgeons who will be able to pursue academic or private practice positions. Teaching within our program takes place at various locations of AdventHealth throughout Central Florida, exposing our fellows to a broad and diverse patient base. AdventHealth Medical Center is an acute care medical facility with 2,247 beds, serving as a community hospital for Greater Orlando and a major tertiary referral hospital for Central Florida, the Southeast United States, the Caribbean, and Latin America. AdventHealth is home to many nationally recognized Centers for Excellence. With successful surgery and sub-specialty surgical training programs, patients come to AdventHealth from across the globe.
One of the hallmarks of the colorectal training program at AdventHealth Orlando is our emphasis on new technology with opportunities for the fellows to have hands-on training in these methods. Giving our fellows the chance to perform advanced techniques in colorectal surgery including TAMIS, transanal TME, and robotic-assisted colorectal surgery provides them with the skill set necessary to perform these types of advanced operations upon completion of the program. These and other evolving techniques have become a standard practice in our teaching program.
Program Faculty
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Katherine Specht, DO
Program: ACGME Fellow
Residency: Sunrise Health
Andrew-Paul Deeb, MD
Program: ACGME Fellow
Residency: University of Pittsburgh
Ashley Althoff, DO
Program: ACGME Fellow
Residency: University of Connecticut
Lindsey Bridges, DO
Program: Fellowship Council Fellow
Residency: Atrium Health Navicent
Yaniv Zager, MD
Program: Clinical & International Fellow
Residency: Sheba Medical Center - Israel
Meagan Derbyshire, MD
Program: Advanced MIS Fellow
Residency: University of Massachusetts - Baystate Medical Center
Alumni
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2022 - 2023
Name
Current Practice Location
Matthew Fuglestad, MD
Bryan Kline, MD
Lindsey Sceats, MD
Stacy Ranson, MD
2021 - 2022
Name
Current Practice Location
Christopher Aquina, MD
Monisha Banerjee, MD
Liam Devane, MD
Jesse Wright, MD
David Yu, MD
2020 - 2021
Name
Current Practice Location
Justin Brady, MD
Meghan Daly, MD
Alexandra Elias, MD
Whitney Guerrero, MD
Nkem Nweze, MD
2019 - 2020
Name
Current Practice Location
Elia Abboud, MD
ACGME Fellowship, Rutgers, NJ
Allison Aka, MD
Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA
Paul Johnson, MD
Methodist Le Bonheur Hospital, Memphis, TN
Victor Rodriguez Rapale, MD
University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, PR
Jesse Wright, MD
ACGME Fellowship AdventHealth Orlando
2018 – 2019
Name
Current Practice Location
Sudhir Kalaskar, MD
AdventHealth Zephyr Hills, FL
Paul Kaminsky, MD
Legacy System, Portland, OR
Shruti Sevak, MD
Traverse City, MI
Mercy Wagner, MD
Portsmouth Naval MC, VA
Raymond Yap, MD
U of Melbourne, Australia
2017 – 2018
Name
Current Practice Location
Jill Motl, MD
Barrington, IL
Grace Hwang, MD
Orange, CA
Marc Dakermandji, MD
Montreal, ONT, CA
Arman Erkan, MD
NYU IBD fellowship; NYU faculty
2016 – 2017
Name
Current Practice Location
Justin Kelly, MD
AH CCRS, Orlando, FL
Lawrence Lee, MD
McGill University, Montreal, ONT, CA
Allan Mabardy, MD
Southcoast Physicians, Dartmouth, NH
2015 – 2016
Name
Current Practice Location
John Burke, MB BCh, PhD
Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
Arielle DuBose, MD
LSU HS Center, New Orleans, LA
Matthew Wilson, MD
Utica Park Clinic, Tulsa, OK
2014 – 2015
Name
Current Practice Location
Shohrat Annaberdyev, MD
Baptist Medical Group, Pensacola, FL
Celeste Kang, MD
Kaiser Permanente, Panorama City, CA
Beatriz Martin, MD
UZ Leuven, Belgium
2013 – 2014
Name
Current Practice Location
Francisco Quinteros, MD
Chicago Institute for Advanced Surgery, IL
Henry Schoonyoung, MD
Marks CRS Assocs, Wynnewood, PA
2012 – 2013
Name
Current Practice Location
George Nassif, DO
AH CCRS, Orlando, FL
Harsha Polavarapu, MD
Blessing Hospital, Quincy, Illinois
2011 – 2012
Name
Current Practice Location
Seema Izfar, MD
San Antonio Colon Rectal Clinic, TX
2010 – 2011
Name
Current Practice Location
Teresa H. deBeche-Adams, MD
AH CCRS, Orlando, FL
Curriculum
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Schedule
There are 5 rotations during the year, each for 10-11 weeks
Block 1
10 Weeks
Aug 1, 2022-Oct 8, 2022
Block 2
10 Weeks
Oct 9, 2020-Dec 17, 2022
Block 3
10 Weeks
Dec 18, 2022-Feb 25, 2023
Block 4
11 Weeks
Feb 26, 2022-May 13, 2023
Block 5
11 Weeks
May 14, 2022-Jul 31, 2023
ACGME Core Competencies
The curriculum is structured around the six ACGME Core Competencies: Patient Care, Medical Knowledge, Practice Based Learning, Interpersonal Communication Skills, Professionalism and System Based Practice.
Fellow educational experience is at one of the Orlando-area AdventHealth Orlando campuses, with a two-month rotation and one faculty as primary mentor. Each rotation is monitored by the program director to ensure compliance with ACGME competency regulations and completion of goals and learning objectives.
The fellows will learn the comprehensive educational curriculum, covering the components of colon and rectal surgery through clinical exposure, operative experience, didactic teaching and conference. Regular conferences will include didactic review of colorectal curriculum, M&M (including pathology and radiology discussions and pelvic floor), and journal club.
Outpatient Experience
Outpatient experience is provided to each resident through the Center for Colon and Rectal Surgery. Each fellow spends a minimum of three one-half days in the office each week, rotating between the four offices of our full-time faculty throughout the year-long fellowship. This provides each fellow with first hand experience in an outpatient facility, so they may develop skills in patient evaluation, examination, office treatment, and care after surgery.
Residency Balance
The training program provides a good balance of cases in all areas (colonoscopy, anorectal and abdominal), but there is a strong emphasis on the minimally invasive approach, including robotic, laparoscopic, TAMIS (TransAnal Minimally Invasive Surgery), and transanal TME. Dr. Albert, and surgeons at AdventHealth pioneered these procedures in 2009. AdventHealth faculty continues to provide the only formalized training courses for taTME in North America with monthly courses including live surgery with fellow participation.
A strong focus is placed on the multidisciplinary treatment of rectal cancer, through our participation with the National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer, and Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
Case Work
The volume of cases our fellows experience should allow board certification with the participation in evaluation and treatment of anorectal and colon disorders. Great experience will be achieved in laparoscopic, robotic surgery and transanal minimally invasive surgery. Broad experience and proficiency across multiple minimally invasive surgical platforms including laparoscopic, robotic and transanal, will be achieved. Each fellow can expect to perform between 150-200 minimally invasive colorectal resections, 300 anorectal procedures and 200-300 colonoscopy procedures.
Conferences
Day
Conference
Monday
Indications Conference
Tuesday
GI Multidisciplinary Tumor Conference
Tuesday
Rectal Multidisciplinary Tumor Conference
Wednesday
CRS Didactics
Wednesday
Research conference
Wednesday
Interesting cases and images
Thursday
4th week of the month - IBD Conference
Friday
1st week of the month- Pelvic Floor Conference
Additional Educational Activities
Activity
Colorectal Fellows’ Career Course in Cleveland
ACGME fellows only
Robotic program and labs
APDCRS Advanced Robotic Colorectal Course
Jan, April, or July in Sunnyvale, Ca or Atlanta, GA
Advanced endoscopy program
TaTME courses
Cadaver labs – anatomy & procedures
Journal clubs
The annual Orlando Colorectal Congress
Educational resources
Resource
The ASCRS Textbook of Colon and Rectal Surgery
The ASCRS Manual of Colon and Rectal Surgery
• Chassin’s Operative Strategy in Colon and Rectal Surgery—
Neoplasms of the Colon, Rectum, and Anus—
Laparoscopic Colorectal Surgery
• Principles and Practice of Surgery for the Colon, Rectum, and Anus
Zollinger’s Atlas of Surgical Operations
CREST - ColoRectal Educational Systems Template
CARSEP - The Colon and Rectal Surgery Educational Program
Library & PubMed Access
Clinical Research
Clinical research facilitated by the GME research department and the colorectal Surgical Health Outcomes Research Enterprise is expected. Each fellow is expected to complete a clinical research project to be presented at national conferences and for publication. The department is currently participating in several national and international trials. Research submissions to be presented at national and international conferences and for publication will be facilitated by research faculty. Past fellows have had participation in many research projects with abstracts, video submissions, and papers submitted to national meetings including S.A.G.E.S. and A.S.C.R.S.
Research
One of the aims of the Department and the fellowship is to train the leaders of tomorrow. One of the main ways to accomplish this is to educate the fellows in research techniques and to encourage various forms of investigation.
There are many projects in process at all times in the department. They include:
examination of national databases
participation in national randomized trials
industry-sponsored studies
reports of our experience
video demonstrations of techniques or challenging problems,
books, chapters and state-of-the-art articles
and many others.
The weekly research meeting is held on Wednesday mornings immediately following the didactic program. We will review current and planned projects, progress and opportunities. Each fellow will discuss their projects.
Residents, fellows, and faculty involved in required GME scholarly activities receive guidance from the Center for Academic Research Excellence (CARE) through the Clinical Academic Research team, comprised of an Academic Research Mentor, a Project Coordinator, and a Regulatory Coordinator. In addition, the center includes a group of biostatisticians, a health economist, and a medical editor.
CARE assists residents and faculty with all types of scholarly activities (case studies, QI projects and research studies)
Fellows are expected to complete the following:
At least one research project leading to a national presentation and a publication
An educational video demonstrating a technique or discussion of a problem in CRS
A book chapter or review article on a colorectal or related subject. You will have ample help to accomplish this.
ProgramInformation
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Eligibility
Applications for the Colon and Rectal Surgery Fellowship Program are accepted through the Electronic Residency Application Service. Applications must be completed by July 26, 2024 to be considered for the 2025-2026 academic year.
Applicants should have successfully completed an ACGME or AOA-accredited General Surgery Residency Program and be board eligible in general surgery. Applicants should be in their final year of training OR have completed training within the past two years OR currently be in practice.
Certificate or letter of completion with dates of training
ABSITE transcript
Medical school transcript
Letter of recommendation from Program Director
Minimum of two other letters of recommendation from program faculty or from surgical colleagues (if currently in practice)
Curriculum Vitae describing education, research, and other life experiences
A personal statement reflecting on career goals and reasons for applying to the fellowship program
LCME graduates:
Doctor of Medicine diploma (or equivalent) without reservation
Dean's letter
Successful passed USMLE I, USMLE II, and USMLE III (United States Medical Licensing Examination) on first attempts with a minimum score of 200 (80)
Transcript directly from the FSMB (Federation of State Medical Boards)
Acceptable explanation of any break in education (if applicable)
Demonstrated written and spoken fluency in English language
Proof of US citizenship or appropriate visa status (AdventHealth Orlando HR requirement)
International Medical Graduates (IMGs):
Doctor of Medicine diploma (or its equivalent) without reservations
Successfully passed USMLE at first attempt
Current and valid ECFMG (Education Council of Foreign Medical Graduates) certificate
Letter from residency program director (if applicable)
Acceptable explanation of any break in education (if applicable)
Demonstrated written and spoken fluency in English language
Proof of citizenship or resident alien status as required by AdventHealth Orlando Human Resources
The Colon and Rectal Surgery Fellowship Program is ACGME accredited.
PGY-6 residents receive a five-day leave to attend conferences and expenses reimbursed up to $1,500.
Physician Wellbeing
For more information on the many benefits offered across all programs, click here.
Professional Fees
Florida State Medical License and DEA license fees. The cost of certification classes, such as ACLS, are covered as necessary for meeting program requirements. For more information on the many benefits offered across all programs, click here.
Application Process
Applications for the Colon and Rectal Residency Program are coordinated through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS).
Applications must be completed by July 26, 2024 to be considered for the 2025-2026 academic year. Applicants should have successfully completed an ACGME or AOA-accredited General Surgery Residency Program and be board eligible in general surgery. Applicants should be in their final year of training OR have completed training within the past two years OR currently be in practice.
The Colon and Rectal Surgery Fellowship Program is ACGME accredited.
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