Overview
Cleveland Clinic offers two one-year Fellowship for graduates from a residency seeking to gain additional knowledge and expertise in Abdominal Wall Reconstruction techniques. This Fellowship is accredited through the Fellowship Council website. Applicants interested in pursuing the Fellowship in Abdominal Wall Reconstruction at Cleveland Clinic main campus are encouraged to visit the Fellowship Council website to apply and learn more information pertaining to applicant eligibility criteria.
Our program aims to train fellows in understanding the anatomy, physiology, technical approaches, and biomaterials centered around caring for patients with diseases of the abdominal core, including foregut and revisional foregut surgery. This approach revolves around being able to take care of the full spectrum of hernia disease from approaching routine cases using laparoscopy and robotic techniques to dealing with complex abdominal wall reconstruction challenges around re-operative abdominal wall reconstruction. We seek fellows who have a strong desire to achieve technical excellence in their field while participating in clinical research and education. Ideally, we strive to train the next leaders in the field of abdominal wall reconstruction and abdominal core health.
Clinical Role: 85% of the fellowship is spent in a pure clinical setting comprising of operating 3-4 days per week. Fellows are expected to participate in outpatient patient evaluations in clinic 1 day per week. Our case mix ranges from simple primary hernias to re-do retromuscular repairs and revisional foregut operations. All cases are performed at a single hospital at Main Campus. There is no traveling between hospital sites.
Education: The fellow is expected to actively engage in education on a daily basis. The fellow participates in teaching rounds, directing journal clubs quarterly, and biweekly didactic sessions with residents and medical students. Additionally, the fellow will be expected to provide intra-operative teaching to junior residents when appropriate.
Research: Our fellows are expected to participate in a 2-hour weekly research meeting, which includes participation from all active clinical faculty. We strongly encourage at least one publication and one podium presentation per fellow per year. Research time will comprise approximately 10-15% of your fellowship.
In summary, the Fellowship in Abdominal Wall Reconstruction at Cleveland Clinic intends to cultivate, mentor, and develop the best hernia surgeons in the country who desire to be leaders in the field. Fellows coming out of our program will be technically proficient in open, robotic, and laparoscopic approaches to all patients suffering from hernia disease. We welcome all applicants who meet the eligibility criteria to apply.
Faculty
Program Leadership
Lucas Beffa, MD
Program Director
Ben Miller, MD
Associate Program Director
Faculty
Location
Training environment
Our fellows develop a rich clinical experience across the spectrum of surgical practice, a quaternary care research hospital, and high volume community hospitals. All of our locations have excellent nursing, case managers, ancillary staff levels (with physician assistant on each service and physician assistant and general surgery junior support on the high volume services) allowing fellows to concentrate on their role as surgeons.
Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland Clinic was founded in 1921 by George Crile Sr., a general and endocrine surgeon; Frank Bunts, a neurosurgeon; William Lower, an urologist; and John Phillips, an internist. It was a new kind of medical center: a physician-lead, not-for-profit, integrated hospital and group practice, equally dedicated to patient care, research, and education. Cleveland Clinic quickly became a world renowned training hospital, medical school and research institute, known for offering the most advanced medical care. Cleveland Clinic's main campus consists of 41 buildings and more than 85 operating rooms, with constant expansion and renovation. Cleveland Clinic’s subspecialty surgeons are at the forefront of surgical care and are behind its reputation as a top-ranked, quaternary care hospital with an international referral base, and high volume critical care transfer service that cares for the most complex patients.
Cleveland Clinic is immediately adjacent to the University Circle Neighborhood, home of the Case Western Reserve University, the Cleveland Orchestra, and the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland Clinic is centrally located and accessible from the downtown, east, and west side residential neighborhoods.
Contact Us
Advance Abdominal Wall Clinical Training Program (Fellowship)
Janine Keough
Program Manager
216.312.9206
keoughj@ccf.org
Graduate Medical Education
Main Office
1.800.323.9259
216.444.5690
Center for International Medical Education
(International Visiting Physician Programs)
216.445.1711
