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Gastroenterology Fellowship Program

The Center for Digestive Health is a high-volume, respected leader in clinical gastroenterology care. We’re proud to provide world-class care to our patients today while training the next generation of gastroenterologists for the future.

GI fellowship in the Pacific Northwest

Our Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited GI fellowship is among only a few in the Pacific Northwest. Highlights of our program include:

  • Personal attention: We keep our program small and focused, with two fellows per year. This approach gives fellows valuable exposure to the full range of digestive disease tests and treatments. 
  • Clinical focus: While many GI fellowships are research-based, our fellows learn to be exceptional clinicians. This clinical focus allows our fellows to master a variety of medical and endoscopic therapies. 
  • Respected GI program: Fellows gain hands-on experience in high-volume, internationally renowned inpatient and outpatient programs. Our digestive disease specialists see thousands of patients per month and perform more than 25,000 endoscopic procedures each year. 
  • Academic excellence: We have a very active clinical and translational research program. Our team participates in many clinical trials and publishes more than 100 papers and abstracts per year. In addition, many of our attending physicians hold faculty appointments at the University of Washington School of Medicine.
  • Multiple opportunities: The Center for Digestive Health also offers focused one-year fellowships in advanced endoscopy, hepatology and hepatopancreatobiliary (HPB) surgery. Learn more about our other digestive disease fellowships.

GI fellowship details

Our ACGME-accredited, three-year fellowship provides fellows with a comprehensive and unique training experience. Graduates can practice independently as GI consultative specialists and are eligible to apply for the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) GI board certification. The ACGME Program ID# for the VMFH GI Fellowship is 1445414001.

Fellows will rotate through: 

  • Inpatient and outpatient GI and liver consultative services
  • Procedural blocks
  • Gastric lab
  • Electives 
  • Research/academic project months

Our health system includes four large regional medical centers with active outpatient endoscopy units in the suburbs of Bellevue, Lynnwood, Federal Way and Issaquah. Some fellows rotate through these endoscopy units for their outpatient procedure months. Our hospitals and clinics serve patients in the greater Seattle area and beyond — with patients coming from Alaska, Idaho, Montana and Oregon.

Applicant information

Eligible fellowship applicants must:
  1. Have completed an internal medicine residency in an ACGME-accredited program
  2. Demonstrate self-motivation and interest in continuous improvement
  3. Demonstrate interest and capacity for academic, teaching or quality control pursuits
  4. Possess mature interpersonal and communicative skills
  5. Be a U.S. citizen or have Permanent Residency (“green card”) status 

Leadership and administrative staff:

Otto Lin, MD

Otto Lin, MD, MS
GI Fellowship Program Director

Nanda Venu, MD


Nanda Venu, MD
GI Fellowship Associate Program Director

Vikram Anand, MD

Vikram Anand, MD
GI Fellowship Associate Program Director

Jenn Rickmar

Jenn Rickmar
GI Fellowship Program Coordinator

Email: jenn.rickmar@commonspirit.org
Phone number: 206-341-0706