The liver and gastrointestinal pathology fellowship focuses on training individuals for academic practice. This is a heavily clinically oriented program with three months of electives, including two weeks of clinical rotations and research time. The fellowship is designed to take advantage of the opportunities afforded by the presence of strong clinical programs in hepatology, GI, liver surgery and transplant, colorectal and hepatobiliary/pancreatic surgery sections at Washington University.

History

The liver/GI fellowship program was started at Washington University School of Medicine in July 2010 by Elizabeth Brunt, MD. Dr. Brunt was the program director until she retired in 2015. Xiuli Liu, MD, PhD is the current program director. 

Curriculum

Fellows will also be allowed to participate in the monthly to weekly interdisciplinary conferences shared amongst our departments. Fellows may attend additional GI research conferences to further expand their knowledge base in their field. By the end of this year, the fellow should be comfortable with conducting evaluations, making clinical correlations and formulating future research questions pertaining to a wide variety of specimens related to liver and gastrointestinal diseases.

The clinical material for the program includes all liver/pancreas/luminal GI biopsy material at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, as well as all cases from Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital and consult cases. The material from St. Louis Children’s Hospital is separate, but the liver/GI fellow has an opportunity to avail themselves of pertinent material. There are over 7,500 specimens and 1,000 FS specimens for the adult and pediatric liver/GI services.

The liver/GI fellow will gain experience by managing oversight and specimen handling for the GI/pancreatobiliary/liver specimens. The liver/GI fellow will participate in the in-house liver/GI sign-outs, in liver transplant coverage (one or two weekends during the second half of the year with available backup) and in the weekly and monthly clinicopathologic conferences involving hepatology, GI, hepatobiliary surgery, colorectal surgery and hepatic imaging. Consensus conferences for challenging liver/GI cases are held every day, although faculty members are available at any time for questions/consults. 

Fellows also present at a monthly GI journal club. Participation in one or more research projects during the year is also strongly encouraged. 

Facilities

Training for the fellowship occurs in state-of-the-art facilities at Washington University School of Medicine/Barnes-Jewish Hospital/St. Louis Children’s Hospital. The liver/GI section is located in the 680,000-square-foot BJC Institute of Health (BJCIH) at Washington University School of Medicine, which is an 11-story research building housing laboratories and support facilities and is Washington University’s largest building.

Requirements

Applicants must have a MD or DO degree (or foreign equivalent with ECFMG certification) and 3 to 4 years of training in anatomic or anatomic and clinical pathology in an ACGME accredited program. Fellows must be board-certified or board-eligible in anatomic or anatomic and clinical pathology. Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States.

Application

Applicants must complete the online application and provide their CV, personal statement, photograph, USMLE scores (step 3 optional), and ECFMG certificate if applicable. The application portal will collect contact information for three individuals who will be asked to write letters of recommendation.

Applications for the 2026-2027 position are open. Please apply at fellowships.path.wustl.edu.

Application Timeline:

  • Online Applications available: June 1, 2024
  • Application review window: July 1st – September 2024
  • Interview window: August – October 2024
  • Interviews and offers will take place on a rolling basis until the positions are filled.

Letters of Recommendation will be solicited via our application portal, but can also be directed to:

Kathleen Byrnes, MD
Program Director, Liver/GI Pathology Fellowship
Washington University School of Medicine
660 South Euclid Avenue, Campus Box 8118
St. Louis, MO 63110
kbyrnes@wustl.edu

For general questions, contact Lana Womack at lanaktorry@wustl.edu.

Faculty and trainees

Faculty

Samuel J. Ballentine, MD

Samuel J. Ballentine, MD

Assistant Professor, Pathology & Immunology
Residency Program Director

Division: Anatomic & Molecular Pathology

Adam L. Booth, MD

Adam L. Booth, MD

Assistant Professor, Pathology and Immunology

Division: Anatomic and Molecular Pathology

Kathleen Byrnes, MD

Kathleen Byrnes, MD

Associate Professor, Pathology & Immunology
Director, MS3-4 AP Clinical Clerkship
Director, Liver/GI Fellowship
Associate Director, AMP Core Lab

Division: Anatomic & Molecular Pathology

Louis P. Dehner, MD

Louis P. Dehner, MD

Professor, Pathology & Immunology

Division: Anatomic & Molecular Pathology

Liang-I Kang, MD, PhD

Liang-I Kang, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor, Anatomic and Molecular Pathology

Division: Anatomic & Molecular Pathology

Ta-Chiang Liu, MD, PhD

Ta-Chiang Liu, MD, PhD

Associate Professor, Pathology & Immunology

Division: Anatomic & Molecular Pathology

Xiuli Liu, MD, PhD

Xiuli Liu, MD, PhD

Professor, Pathology & Immunology
Section Head, Liver/GI
Director, Liver/GI Fellowship

Division: Anatomic & Molecular Pathology

Changqing (Cathy) Ma, MD, PhD

Changqing (Cathy) Ma, MD, PhD

Associate Professor, Pathology & Immunology

Division: Anatomic & Molecular Pathology

Mena  Mansour, MD

Mena Mansour, MD

Associate Professor, Pathology & Immunology
Section Head, Intraoperative Consultation

Division: Anatomic & Molecular Pathology

Trainees

Larry Ha, MD

Larry Ha, MD

Fellowship, Liver/Gastrointestinal Pathology

Maria Kamal, MD

Maria Kamal, MD

Fellowship, Liver/Gastrointestinal Pathology


Contact information

Lana Womack
Senior Fellowship Program Coordinator
Phone: 314-273-5476
lanaktorry@wustl.edu