St. Joseph's is located in Paterson, New Jersey, a city of 150,000 people, and serves a suburban population of over 800,000. Living in New Jersey is comfortable yet metropolitan. Readily accessible outdoor activities include skiing, cycling, camping and boating are available to adults and children alike. Multiple cultural and entertainment centers, including performing art centers, restaurants and museums are readily accessible throughout New Jersey. Twelve miles east is New York City also known as the "Big Apple", with an unending variety of entertainment venues, including professional sports teams, theater, arts, museums, and fine dining. With an apartment close to the hospital, you will be minutes away from anything you want, without paying the big price of living in Manhattan.

One of our Program’s premiere features is the opportunity for our fellows and faculty to pursue research activities which result in published case reports and articles in nationally and internationally acclaimed journals. In addition, our fellows and faculty participate in groundbreaking clinical research projects.  Interdisciplinary research projects enhance our fellows’ research experience.  Ample time is afforded our fellows to identify and research their chosen project(s).  Our fellows and faculty routinely participate in the annual Research Day at St. Joseph’s University Medical Center. Fellows and faculty alike present at regional, national and international conferences including the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) and Digestive Disease Week (DDW) and the New York Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (NYSGE). 

The mission of the Interventional Endoscopy Fellowship Program is to educate fellows in the comprehensive assessment and management of patients in need of surgery sparing gastroenterological care. The Interventional Endoscopy Fellowship Program is a multifaceted, multidisciplinary and comprehensive program providing training in all areas of Advanced Endoscopy.  The Program strives to provide exceptionally rich clinical and didactic training in interventional endoscopy and to provide a wide array of clinical and basic science research opportunities. Inpatient learning takes place predominantly in the Same Day Surgery Endoscopy Suites while outpatient learning occurs in the setting of weekly office hours.

In concentration with our sponsoring institution's mission, we serve a culturally and socioeconomically diverse patient population. Faculty and fellows provide an unwavering dedication to caring for the underserved, the poor, and the marginalized by emulating the Core Values of St. Joseph’s University Medical Center:

Dignity
Charity
Justice
Excellence
Stewardship

Training Location:

Joseph's University Medical Center (SJUMC), located in Paterson, New Jersey, serves as the primary teaching site for the Interventional Endoscopy Fellowship Program. The Medical Center is the site of an ACGME-accredited Internal Medicine Residency Program under the academic self-sponsorship of St. Joseph's University Medical Center. The Medical Center maintains a comprehensive Division of Gastroenterology that offers a full spectrum of gastroenterological and hepatobiliary pathology and services. The Medical Center serves as a Level-Two Trauma Center for the State of New Jersey.

Our endoscopy suites recently underwent a state of the art expansion. The suites were custom designed to deliver safe and innovative care by utilizing cutting-edge technologies and medical equipment. Our new Advanced Endoscopy suites allow us to perform highly specialized, novel procedures and endoscopic surgeries, including:

• Endoscopic Mucosal Resection (EMR), Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection (ESD) and Submucosal Tunnel Endoscopic Resection (STER) for removal of mucosal and submucosal lesions (ranging from large benign polyps to early cancers).
• “Third Space” endoscopy including esophageal and/or Gastric Per Oral Endoscopic Myotomy (POEM) as well as Zenker’s Diverticulectomy.
• Endoscopic Suturing including endoscopic bariatric procedures such as Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty (ESG) and Transoral Outlet Reduction (TORe).
• Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) in native and surgically altered anatomy including Endoscopic ultrasound Directed transGastric ERCP (EDGE) and Direct Cholangioscopy.
• Barrett’s Esophagus ablation and reflux management including Transoral incision less fundoplication (TIF) as well as AntiReflux Mucosal Ablation (ARMA).

The new endoscopy suites were unveiled during a ribbon cutting ceremony in April of 2023.

Population Served:

Training at St. Joseph’s University Medical Center affords our fellows the opportunity to serve a diverse population of pediatric, adult and geriatric patients of all gender backgrounds.  Our patient population includes those from a wide array of ethnic, cultural, racial, and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Volunteer/Community Outreach:

Our fellows have participated in volunteer efforts within the cities of Paterson and Wayne, New Jersey. Annual outreach programs serving our community provide our fellows an opportunity to give back to the community in which they train.  Outreaches in homeless shelters, rehabilitation programs, and annual walk-a-thons provide invaluable experience in character building and fostering compassion and camaraderie amongst our fellows, faculty, and the community-at-large.

Teaching Opportunities:

Interventional Endoscopy Fellows precept at least 6 weeks of the general gastroenterology inpatient service, as teaching faculty.

Benefits:

Competitive salary, health benefits, malpractice, short-term and long-term disability, and retirement savings plans are available.  On-site parking is provided.  St. Joseph’s University Medical Center, provides daycare/childcare services to its employees.

Educational Resources:

The Internal Review Board extends guidance and support to fellows with their research activities.  A designated Research Director is available to guide and assist fellows. The Medical Center sponsors an annual Research Day that highlights presentations from faculty and fellows.  On-site librarians offer personalized assistance with literature searches, inter-library loan, and reference services.  Well-appointed computer terminals are available to faculty, fellows, and employees. Fellows receive a generous educational stipend for conference attendance and reimbursement for books, journals, dues, and technology.

Thank you for your interest in the Advanced & Interventional Gastroenterology Fellowship at St. Joseph's University Medical Center. The fellowship provides a dynamic year of multidisciplinary clinical training in advanced biliary/pancreatic disease as well as third space endoscopy. Our Program is a one-year program under the academic sponsorship of St. Joseph’s University Medical Center. Upon successful completion of a three-year ACGME-accredited Internal Medicine residency program, interested parties may apply to our Interventional Endoscopy Fellowship Program. As you will see from our Program Overview, we offer outstanding clinical and academic training. Our robust didactic lectures enhance the training of our fellows and provide a platform for ample research opportunities. Our faculty serve as active mentors to our fellows throughout their fellowship experience. Many of our faculty members are previous trainees in our Gastroenterology Fellowship Program as well as our Interventional Endoscopy Fellowship Program. Our faculty remain committed to develop leadership potential in our fellows and strive to impart their own passion and commitment to the principles of professionalism, integrity, compassion, and dedication to the patients they serve.

St. Joseph’s University Medical Center hosts six state-of-the-art Endoscopy Suites where fellows receive hands-on training in all aspects of interventional endoscopy. We look forward to meeting you in the near future and wish you success in you clinical and academic endeavours.

Sincerely,

Yana Cavanagh, MD, DABOM
Program Director, Advanced & Interventional Gastroenterology Fellowship

The Advanced & Interventional Gastroenterology Fellowship at St. Joseph's University Medical Center provides a dynamic year of multidisciplinary clinical training in advanced biliary/pancreatic disease as well as third space endoscopy. The Advanced Endoscopy Center integrates therapeutic treatments with minimally invasive surgery to provide the highest quality care for patients with complex digestive diseases. The St. Joseph’s physicians are trained in the most advanced techniques and procedural services available for the diagnosis and treatment of digestive disorders. The team also conducts collaborative research protocols to further the treatment and knowledge of new therapies in the treatment of digestive diseases.

The Advanced & Interventional Gastroenterology Fellowship is a one-year supervised clinical training program in both the outpatient and inpatient settings. The fellowship program is affiliated with the Division of Gastroenterology and the Department of Internal Medicine. Fellows will collaborate with surgical services lines such as Hepato-Pancreatico-Biliary Surgery, as well as Interventional Radiology, and Radiation Oncology for multidisciplinary conferencing and patient management. Advanced procedures are performed across the two campuses of the St. Josephs Health System, which are located in Paterson NJ and Wayne NJ. Our Paterson campus is an academic tertiary referral center, and hosts a wide spectrum of highly complex pathology for training of fellows.

Interventional fellows will have hands-on training in a breadth of Interventional procedures including but not limited to: Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), endoscopic retrograde pancreatography (ERCP), Endoscopic Ultrasound-Directed transGastric ERCP (EDGE), Endoscopic Mucosal Resection (EMR), Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection (ESD), Barrett’s esophagus ablation, enteric stent placement, EUS-guided lumen apposing metal stents (LAMS) and pseudocyst management including necrosectomy, endoscopic surgical techniques including Per Oral Endoscopic Myotomy (POEM), Transoral Incisionless Fundoplication (TIF), endoscopic suturing including bariatric revision, fistula repair, and Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty (ESG). 

Our goal is to provide world-class clinical care and cutting-edge research as a Center of Excellence for our community.