Mass General Brigham Colorectal Surgery Fellowship
Overview
The Colorectal Surgery Fellowship at Mass General Brigham is a one-year, ACGME-accredited program that prepares physicians for certification by the American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery (ABCRS). Our program is enhanced through collaboration with Mass General Brigham Cancer Center. We accept two fellows per year.
As a tertiary care referral center, we offer broad and significant program experience balanced with high case volume including:
- Surgical treatment of colon, rectal and anal cancer.
- Extensive experience in the surgical treatment of patients with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.
- Care and treatment of complex diverticular disease.
- Training in colonoscopy and anorectal surgery.
- Collaboration with physicians across Mass General Brigham and the Center for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.
In addition, the fellow rotates one session per week (half day) in the outpatient clinic and approximately one session per week performing endoscopies. At the conclusion of the year, the resident will have had exposure to all colorectal disease problems and a rich operative experience in minimally invasive and open surgical techniques.
Requirements
Eligible applicants must: graduate from an accredited US medical school or college of osteopathic medicine, or from a medical school outside of the US and hold a currently valid ECFMG certificate; and must complete an ACGME or ACGME-I-accredited residency program, or AOA-approved, RCPSC accredited, or CFPC-accredited residency program located in Canada.
Curriculum
Program Objectives:
- Broad exposure to colorectal disease problems
- Rich operative experience in minimally invasive and open surgical techniques
- Learn state-of-the-art MIS techniques
- Undertake a clinical research project
Conferences include weekly/biweekly chapter review with colorectal faculty, quarterly journal club, Surgical Grand Rounds, and an annual Fellows Retreat sponsored by MGB GME.
Research Experience
All fellows are required to submit an abstract for presentation at the annual ABCRS meeting. Fellows are encouraged to write one manuscript and one book chapter. Collaboration is an essential part of the experience. Fellows are supported to attend the ASCRS and NESCRS annual meetings. Other courses for specialized training are offered on a case-by-case basis.
How to Apply
Applicants must register with the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) and submit an application through the AAMC Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). We require the following documents to be available for download through ERAS for a complete application to be reviewed:
- Curriculum vitae (CV)
- Medical school transcript
- Personal statement
- Dean's letter
- Three letters of recommendation
- USMLE transcript
- ABS in-training exam scores
Recruitment begins summer 2026 for the fellowship starting August 1, 2027. The deadline to submit completed applications is September 1, 2026. Applications are reviewed for overall academic excellence, leadership ability, career development potential, and personal character. We interview approximately 20 to 30 candidates for the program each year. All invitations are sent through email via ERAS after our deadline. Interviews will be held virtually on Zoom in summer/fall 2026.
- Nelya Melnitchouk, MD - Program Director
- Hiroko Kunitake, MD – Associate Program Director
- Joel Goldberg, MD
- Jennifer Irani, MD
- Mandeep Saund, MD
- James Yoo, MD
- David Berger, MD
- Ronald Bleday, MD
- Liliana Bordeianou, MD
- Christy Cauley, MD
- Todd Francone, MD
- Robert Goldstone, MD
- Grace Lee, MD
- Melissa Murphy, MD
- Rocco Ricciardi, MD
- Marc Rubin, MD