Overview
Our one-year Colorectal Surgery Fellowship is a comprehensive clinical and research program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).
During the fellowship, surgeons who have completed their general surgery residencies will attain specialty status in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the colon, rectum, and anus. Program Director Virginia Shaffer, MD, and additional Emory colorectal surgeons are actively involved in the fellowship.
After successful completion of the program, fellows will be eligible to obtain certification from the American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery.
Our Fellowship Leader
Dr. Shaffer earned her MD from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, did her general surgery internship and residency at the Emory University School of Medicine, and completed her colorectal surgery fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic Florida.
Her clinical specialties are laparoscopy, colon and rectal cancer, anal cancer, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, inflammatory bowel disease, pouchitis, anorectal pathology, hereditary polyposis syndromes, rectal prolapse, pelvic floor disorders, and anal fistula.
She is active in surgical education and serves as the colorectal surgery program director.
Training Facilities
Fellows receive a wide breadth of training experiences at two primary sites that serve vast and diverse patient populations:
Emory University Hospital (EUH) is an adult, tertiary/quaternary academic center that has one of the highest case-mix indexes of any hospital in the country. For the 11th year in a row, U.S. News & World Report ranked EUH the No. 1 hospital in Georgia and metro Atlanta in its 2022-2023 Best Hospitals Guide. EUH is staffed exclusively by Emory University School of Medicine faculty.
Emory Johns Creek Hospital (EJCH), a smaller private room community hospital staffed by community and Emory physicians, is a Magnet hospital. This designation is earned by only 6% of the nation's hospitals for nursing excellence from the American Nurses Credentialing Center.
Application
Qualified applicants are asked to apply through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). The Emory Colorectal Surgery Fellowship begins on August 1st of each year.