Hepato-Pancreatico-Biliary (HPB) Fellowship
Training the next generation of hepato-pancreatico-biliary surgeons
Our two-year fellowship provides specialty training for general surgeons in hepato-pancreatico-biliary (HPB) surgery.
You will interact with a wide range of medical specialists caring for cancer patients at the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute. You can also participate in research projects and clinical trials at the institute. And you will have up to six months’ experience with OHSU’s Division of Abdominal Organ Transplantation.
Because we accept just one fellow every two years, you will receive dedicated attention.
Fellowship objectives
The fellowship completes the specialty training of general surgeons. You will gain expertise in clinical decision-making and technical skills to evaluate and treat benign and malignant diseases of the liver, pancreas and biliary tract. Your training will also enable you to:
- Develop independent clinical and translational research skills, including designing and completing a faculty-guided research project
- Present your research at local, national and international conferences and publish your work
- Graduate as a highly skilled surgeon with a strong understanding of HPB disease
- Prepare to lead and mentor others, advancing HPB surgery in the U.S. and internationally
Curriculum
Training covers the pathophysiology of liver, pancreas and biliary tract diseases, including metastatic cancer of the liver and pancreas. You will learn clinical decision-making, as well as the technical aspects of:
- Liver resection
- Complex biliary reconstruction
- Pancreas resection
- Liver transplantation
- Minimally invasive liver and pancreatic surgery and liver tumor ablation
Experience in the indications, placement and management of hepatic artery infusion pumps for chemotherapy is also provided in the curriculum.
How to apply
Apply through The Fellowship Council. To qualify, you must meet the following criteria:
- Possess U.S. citizenship or lawful permanent resident status. We cannot sponsor any visas.
- Obtain an unlimited M.D. or D.O. license in the state of Oregon. Please refer to the Oregon Medical Board’s website for current requirements.
- Be a graduate of, or on track to graduate from, an ACGME-accredited general surgery residency program (or Canadian equivalent).
Learn more about how to apply to OHSU residencies and fellowships.
Fellowship leaders
Flavio G. Rocha, M.D., FACS, FSSO, is the program director for the HPB Fellowship and the Hedinger chair and chief of the Division of Surgical Oncology at OHSU. He also serves as the physician-in-chief of the Knight Cancer Institute at OHSU. He specializes in treating liver, pancreas and biliary tumors and diseases. He also has expertise in managing upper gastrointestinal cancers and retroperitoneal sarcomas.
Christopher Connelly, M.D., FACS, is assistant professor of transplant surgery and the program co-director of the HPB Fellowship. He is an active multiorgan transplant surgeon with an elective hepatobiliary practice. He is also interested in expanding access to living donation through robotic surgery and is helping build a robotic surgery transplant program at OHSU.
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Appointments and titles
- Professor of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology, School of Medicine
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Areas of interest
- Clinical research and translational studies in cholangiocarcinoma
- Clinical trial development in cholangiocarcinoma
- Cancer of the upper gastrointestinal tract (including liver, bile ducts, pancreas, stomach, small bowel and sarcoma)
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Appointments and titles
- Assistant Professor of Surgery, Division of Abdominal Organ Transplantation, School of Medicine
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Meet our fellow
Joshua Davis, M.D., completed medical school at the OU School of Community Medicine in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He then completed general surgery residency at Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Dr. Davis says "the fellowship offers excellent mentorship with high-volume exposure to complex open, laparoscopic and robotic cases, with rigorous multidisciplinary and oncologic decision-making. The Pacific Northwest location is an added benefit."
Recent fellowship alumni
2025
Tariq Almerey, M.D., is assistant professor of HPB surgical oncology at the University of Florida, Jacksonville.
2023
Janet Li, M.D., is a general surgeon specializing in HPB surgery at Kaiser Permanente in San Jose, California.
2022
Kimberly Washington, M.D., is a general surgeon specializing in HPB and transplant surgery at Texas Health in Fort Worth.
2021
Victor Sandoval, M.D., is an HPB surgeon at Kaiser Permanente in Clackamas, Oregon.
2020
Lauren Wancata, M.D., is an HPB surgeon and program director of the HPB Surgical Fellowship at Virginia Mason in Seattle, Washington.
Frequently asked questions
Q: I am legally authorized to work in the United States, but I have not completed any clinical training in the U.S. or Canada. Am I eligible for the fellowship?
A: No. To qualify for an unlimited medical license, you must have completed at least one to three years (depending on location of the medical school) of clinical practice in the U.S. or Canada.
Q: If I meet all education requirements but still need visa sponsorship, am I eligible for the fellowship?
A: No. OHSU is unable to sponsor any visas for HPB fellows.
Q: Are fellows in this program part of the OHSU House Officers Union?
A: No. HPB fellows are hired as instructors of surgery and are not considered House Officers. House Officers are trainees in ACGME-accredited programs only.
Q: Is this program accredited?
A: Yes, we are fully accredited by The Fellowship Council.
Q: What activities can I expect from this fellowship?
A: Fellows participate in teaching opportunities in the daily care of surgical patients. They are also expected to attend the following:
- Biweekly periampullary and pancreatic oncology conference
- Weekly multidisciplinary hepatocellular carcinoma tumor conference
- Gastrointestinal and oncology conference
- Weekly surgical grand rounds
- Weekly Department of Surgery morbidity and mortality conference
- Monthly transplant morbidity and mortality conference
- Monthly HPB fellow conference
- Case log reviews
Q: What is the fellowship salary?
A: Salary is based on PGY level coming into the program.
Apply now
Apply through The Fellowship Council.
Questions?
Email us at surgdept@ohsu.edu.
Faculty careers
Find professor, physician and APP faculty jobs at OHSU.
“This fellowship fully prepared me to begin practicing as a junior attending surgeon at a high-volume HPB institution. I can confidently say that OHSU offers one of the best HPB surgical oncology training programs, and I would highly recommend it to any trainee seeking rigorous, comprehensive and mentorship-driven training.”
Continuing medical education
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Graduate medical education
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