Colon and Rectal Surgery Fellowship

Welcome

The goal of the University of Washington (UW) Colon and Rectal Surgery Fellowship Program is to provide high quality education and training in the field of colon and rectal surgery. UW Medical Center, the primary teaching site for the fellowship, is one of the nation’s foremost tertiary care referral centers and academic healthcare systems. We deliver exceptional, multidisciplinary care to a vast array of patients who come to us from across the WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho) region as well as the globe.

The UW Colorectal Faculty complement consists of six fellowship trained and board-certified colorectal surgeons and extends to cover three sites of practice, UW Medical Center-Montlake, UW Medical Center-Northwest and Valley Medical Center. Fellows rotate with all six surgeons across each site. As a result, the fellow will experience the breadth and variety of colorectal surgery in diagnosis and treatment, complexity, patient diversity, and practice type across all three sites.

Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The UW Department of Surgery is committed to building and sustaining a diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture. The Colon and Rectal Surgery Fellowship Program is committed to avoiding bias in the selection of trainees. We will ensure a diverse applicant pool by reviewing all applications without exception and by adopting a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) component that was instituted by our general surgery residency program in their holistic application review and interview process. Our recruitment process will include blinded applications for interviewers, interviewer training on diversity, equity, and use of standardized interview questions, ensuring gender-neutral language in advertisements, and consideration for matriculation will be solely based off qualifications. We strongly encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply as we believe that our faculty and fellows should reflect the incredible diversity of the patients we care for.

Fellows are invited to serve on the Department of Surgery Diversity Council and the Network of Underrepresented Residents & Fellows.

Program Leadership

Mukta Krane, MD

Program Director

China Hardison

Program Administrator

Core Faculty

Sarah Atkinson, MD

Greta Bernier, MD

Joy Chen, MD

Phillip Dean, MD

Nancy Unger, ARNP

Meet the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center Colorectal Surgery Team

MISSION STATEMENT

To create a well-rounded, exceptional surgeon with clinical and technical competence and expertise who will serve as a surgical leader in education, research, and treatment of all aspects of colon and rectal surgery.

AIMS/PROGRAM GOALS

Develop appropriate skills in colon and rectal surgery to perform independently across multiple practice settings. Fellows will rotate across three distinct sites of practice exposing them to a variety of surgical-based practice environments, including community-based, academic tertiary care referral center, and private practice with an academic affiliation.
Each site at UW is part of the WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Idaho) catchment area thus offering an unmatched range of pathology and exposure to basic and complex cases across the spectrum of colon and rectal surgery.
In addition to participation as a WWAMI referral center, each rotation site has distinct community and patient population allowing fellows to develop appropriate skills to care for patients across diverse ethnic, socioeconomic and racial backgrounds as well as addressing healthcare disparities.
Fellows will participate in ongoing, and/or create their own, research projects, clinical trials, and publications under the direction of the colorectal faculty and with the support of the Department of Surgery.

CLINICAL ROTATION

UW Medical Center-Montlake

The UW Medical Center-Montlake campus is a large, traditional tertiary care, academic medical center environment. In this rotation the fellow will see complex and multidisciplinary pathology and surgical cases in a standard teaching model alongside junior general surgery fellows. Given its status as only one of two major tertiary referral hospitals in the WWAMI region, the fellow will have exposure to a diverse patient population alongside complicated and varied pathology.
Beds: 570

UW Medical Center-Montlake

UW Medical Center-Northwest

The UW Medical Center-Northwest campus will provide the fellow with an academic affiliated community model of surgery experience. In addition to caring for patients with varied colorectal pathology, the Northwest rotation with expose the fellow to the pelvic floor testing including anorectal manometry and endoscopy. Northwest is unique in that fellows will see 'bread and butter' as well as complex multidisciplinary surgical cases.
Beds: 281

UW Medical Center-Northwest

Valley Medical Center

The Valley Medical Center rotation is unique in that it provides the fellow with exposure to a private practice model of surgery, not often seen in an academic training program. This will give the fellows an opportunity to learn and practice in an environment which is different from major urban teaching hospitals. and grant exposure to a more geographically diverse region.
Beds: 341

Valley Medical Center

FELLOWSHIP APPLICATION PROCESS

Program Eligibility

Applicants to the Colon and Rectal Surgery fellowship must:

Have completed a General Surgery residency that is accredited by the ACGME, RCPSC, is AOA approved, or has ACGME-I Advanced Specialty Accreditation
Be certified by the American Board of Surgery (ABS) or American Osteopathic Board of Surgery in Surgery or have completed the educational requirements to sit for the ABS or AOBS surgery qualifying examinations.

Visa Sponsorship

The program follows the University of Washington GME visa poly and will consider applicants requiring J-1 or H1B sponsorship.

Application

Program applications are accepted through the Electronic Residency Application Service. We do not accept paper applications. For the application:

3 letters of recommendation including one from your Residency Program Director. (If you completed residency training over one year ago, please include one from your medical director and two from colleagues familiar with your clinical work.)
USMLE or COMLEX transcripts
ECFMG Status Report

Applicants may begin applying for the fellowship program for the 2025-2026 academic year in July 2024 when the July ERA application cycle opens. Please check back for the match code and application deadlines.

The Match

Our program participates in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) in Colon and Rectal Surgery Match. The Match for 2025-2026 opens August 7, 2024.

We will offer two virtual interview dates (TBD) for the 2025-2026 appointment year consideration.

LIVING IN SEATTLE

Salary and Benefits

University of Washington (UW) offers a wide range of benefits as part of your total compensation package. Please review the Total Compensation Statements for UW trainees on the Prospective Residents and Fellows page on the GME website. Benefits include:

Choose from top medical and dental insurance programs
Plan for your future with tax deferred investing through the UW retirement options
One month of vacation
Life and long-term disability insurance

More information can be found on the UW Benefits website.

The fellowship program also provides fellows: a shared office and $2,000 to spend on conferences and professional development.

Where do fellows live?

Most trainees live in one of the many neighborhoods that are walking or biking distance from one of our three main training hospitals. Whether you are looking for an apartment in the center of Seattle’s night life, a single-family home with a yard on a quiet street, or quick access to one of our parks, biking/running trails, or waterfronts, Seattle offers vibrant neighborhoods that make life outside the hospital even more enjoyable. Please explore the map below to learn more about these neighborhoods:

Will I need a car?

Seattle is ranked as having the #1 best public transportation in the US and is one of the top 10 most walkable cities in the US. Although our trainees get around by walking, cycling, public transit, and more, the vast majority do have a personal vehicle. Not only is this good for commuting between hospitals, but it also makes weekend trips to the surrounding cities and parks even easier.

Things to do in Seattle

Seattle is home to Pike Place Market (the oldest continuously operating farmer’s market in the country), the Space Needle (the 605ft tower holding the world’s first revolving glass floor), the “original” Starbucks (the actual original Starbucks was a few blocks away before it moved to its current spot 5 years later), and so many more nationally recognized places and buildings you can visit during your time here. The entire state of Washington also has a myriad of different landscapes where you can involve yourself in various activities. With our beautiful state (and national!) parks, scenic islands, breathtaking lakes, and awe-inspiring glaciers, you’re sure to find an adventure if you ever seek one.