The UAB Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery Fellowship program has been selected as one of only eight fellowship programs to participate in a Hernia and Abdominal Wall Surgery Fellowship program sponsored by The Fellowship Council (FC) and co-sponsored by the American Hernia Society (AHS) and SAGES.

Abdominal wall hernias represent one of the most common procedures performed by general surgeons. The HerniaSurge Group identified in 2018 that more than 20 million inguinal hernia repairs are performed annually around the world and the incidence of incisional hernia formation is up to twenty percent following abdominal surgery.

This increasingly complex spectrum of disease requires extensive surgical judgment and skill to appropriately treat, therefore, creating a need for specialized training in abdominal wall surgery.

“We are excited and honored to be selected to participate in this pilot study for high-volume hernia fellowship programs. This is a novel opportunity to codify and standardize advanced training in complex hernia and to have UAB named one of only 8 pilot programs in the country is a true honor,” said Dr. Abhishek Parmar Assistant Program Director of the Advanced GI/Minimally Invasive Surgery Fellowship at UAB.

The FC Hernia and Abdominal Wall Surgery Fellowship is designed to provide additional training to prepare trainees for a smooth transition into their practice as comprehensive abdominal wall surgeons.

Fellows will focus on surgical techniques needed to treat complex abdominal wall defects along with equipping trainees to understand patient selection, preoperative optimization, management of chronic groin pain, and the appropriate management of common postoperative complications.