Karen L. Woods, MD, FASGE
ASGE President-Elect, Houston Methodist Gastroenterology Associates, TX
Session: Senior Fellows Preparing for Practice: Life After GI Fellowship on Saturday
Describe the session in a tweet: Welcome to life after GI #Fellowship. Hear pearls from veterans who’ve been there, done that on Saturday at 4 in MCP S503
What’s something interesting about the session that attendees might not know from reading the program description?
The faculty in this session have enormous experience in all facets and types of gastroenterology practice. Whether you’re interested in private practice or academic medicine, this group will be able to share pearls of wisdom based on their vast knowledge of various practice settings. Jonathan Cohen, chair of the ASGE Training Committee, will discuss managing difficult situations your first year in practice. This is always a well-attended session, and any fellow near completion of their training will find this extremely informative.
Why did you decide to get into GI practice?
I have always enjoyed the “hands on” practice of medicine. In medical school, I worked with a gastroenterologist who did many endoscopic procedures. This was in the day of old fiber-optic scopes and detachable teaching heads. I was fascinated to diagnose and treat all kinds of pathology through a scope, without subjecting a patient to surgery. Other “hands on” internal medicine specialties like cardiology have basically one organ to deal with. In GI, we have the gut, top to bottom, and each organ has fascinating function and disease states that lend to endoscopic management with multiple types of scopes and procedures. There is never a dull moment in gastroenterology!
Favorite part of DDW®: Networking with old friends and colleagues, and catching up on what’s new.
I feel most successful when … I have solved a patient’s problem with an endoscopic procedure and prevented the need for surgical intervention.
If I could give one piece of advice it would be: I have been in three different practice settings over my nearly 30-year career in gastroenterology: clinical academics, private practice and now hospital employed. I have loved each and every position and have experienced enormous growth from each opportunity. I advise you to follow your heart when choosing your next position. Your first decision does not have to be your last. There’s always opportunity for change in practice setting or type if you are not satisfied where you first land. No decision is ever final!
Please refer to the DDW Mobile App or the Program section in Saturday’s DDW Daily News for additional details on this and other DDW events.
