[MUSIC PLAYING] RUBEN QUIROS: This is a pediatric gastroenterology fellowship that we have at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, in association with Children's in Omaha, Nebraska. Children's have been here for a long time now. They have the clinical aspects of medicine. They are affiliated to the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Have contributed to become more academic, develop research endeavors, educational endeavors, have a set of missions that are really wide spectrum. 

Children's has become an entity that has a big presence in the region. University of Nebraska Medical Center is a very fascinating place. It's a pleasant surprise when you come here for the first time and realize that in the middle of the Midwest, you find an institution to this level. This is a place that usually other institutions would look up to. 

ANDREW HUANG: We are the largest pediatric gastroenterology practice in the state. And so we get referred a lot of patients from around the region. 

MARK KUSEK: We are a prior mid-sized program, yet we still have the breadth of niches within pediatric GI-- the hepatology, me as the motility expert. We have someone interested in IBD, someone interested in advanced procedures, a nutrition specialist. We also have the small-bowel transplant program-- which is unique. 

ANDREW HUANG: We do a lot of endoscopy and interventional endoscopy. So fellows are very early exposed to a lot of interventional procedures that typically would be considered advanced endoscopy. We do them so routinely that they feel very comfortable doing these interventional cases. Our goal is to continue developing more programs, more procedures, so that the fellows that come through, they're exposed to all this wealth of procedural knowledge that we have accumulated among all of our practitioners here. 

RUBEN QUIROS: When a fellow or a doctor comes to us as a trainee and spend three years in our program, we want them to be very well trained in clinical activities. Also, to be researchers, we want them to get exposed enough that we can develop also researchers out of the people that we train. And also people we want to have at the end, someone that really enjoy educating people, educating trainees. 

And the last one, I think, is extremely important, is advocating-- it needs to come out of here understanding. We have to advocate for children. Someone told me once, "You want to pass on what is not in the books, I'm going to teach you what you will not find in the books." It's the experience. 

VANESSA STARNS: The staff here is just so amazing and supportive. And that goes from our program director, Dr. Quiros, who is always there to talk. But then we have our amazing attendings who are always there. We are fortunate enough to have Dr. Huang Pacheco, who is an advanced endoscopist. So we get that exposure to endoscopic ultrasound, ERCPs-- even without doing that advanced fellowship. 

Come into your third year, over half of your time is dedicated to research. To wrap up your research project, get all the data you need collected, and put together that meaningful research project that you need prior to graduation from the fellowship program. 

ANDREW HUANG: My focus right now in research is all about endoscopy. So currently, I'm running like five different studies and a couple of them are multi-centered. And we're trying to investigate more about endoscopy and how this is done in kids. And trying to improve the quality measures for pediatric patients and endoscopic procedures. 

I came from Miami, Florida. And I had some stigmas about living in Omaha. It's a really fun place to live in-- safe, affordable, and housing is really great. And it's a really, really great place-- good schools for your kids. And so I honestly don't regret staying back and being able to develop my professional career in a place where my family was very happy. 

VANESSA STARNS: Everything is easy to get to. But you have all the restaurants. You have nightlife, if that's what you're interested in. You have so many outdoor activities too. 

ANDREW HUANG: It's really, really neat the way that our fellowship has evolved over time and it continues to grow. We are working on a lot of programs like advanced training and nutrition and hopefully also advanced training later in procedures. 

VANESSA STARNS: So this is such a nice, supportive community to work in. We would love to have anybody who's wanting to be a part of this family. 

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