Minimally Invasive Surgery Fellowship Program

Overview

Dr. Wilson The Minimally Invasive Surgeons of Texas (MIST) Fellowship Consortium is a designated group of surgeons who promote the advancement of minimally invasive, laparoscopic, and endoscopic surgical techniques. MIST exists to enhance the development of the practices of its members through clinical program consolidation and to enhance the development of minimally invasive surgical fellowships of its members. The goal of the MIST fellowship consortium is to be the best training opportunity for fellows in the country.

All members have academic affiliations with The University of Texas Medical School at Houston Department of Surgery specializing in minimally invasive surgery or advanced gastrointestinal surgery.

This is a one-year fellowship that includes both clinical and research opportunities. Two of the accepted positions will gain experience in all aspects of laparoscopic surgery including bariatrics, Nissen fundoplication, laparoscopic donor nephrectomy, laparoscopic colectomy, laparoscopic hernia repair and flexible endosopy. Teaching is a major responsibility of the fellowship as well. This includes managing our laparoscopic training lab and laparoscopic training courses. The fellows will submit abstracts and present them at meetings and will learn video editing.
An additional new position is being added in colorectal minimally invasive surgery. The fellow in this position will use minimally invasive techniques to diagnose and treat colon & rectal problems and colon cancer and receive exposure to a large volume of colorectal surgery with flexible endoscopes.

Fellows of each practice will spend a majority of time with their accepted faculty but all fellows will rotate through the practices of other groups to obtain their unique operative, clinical and academic experiences.

We are accredited by the Minimally Invasive Surgery Fellowship Council

Special Features

The strength of the University of Texas Minimally Invasive Surgery Fellowship Consortium is the power it brings through the depth and concentrated knowledge of the faculty, all of whom brings a wealth of advanced, broad-based laparoscopic experience. Through the University of Texas Minimally Invasive Surgery Fellowship experience with Dr. Wilson, the fellows receive a broad bariatric surgical experience including robotics surgical experience with flexible endoscopy and advanced laparoscopic operative skills.
The consortium is also fortunate to have Dr. Eric Haas who brings a large volume of minimally invasive colon surgery experience to the fellowship. This practice uses minimally invasive techniques to diagnose and treat colon & rectal problems and colon cancer and expose the fellows to a large volume of colorectal surgery with flexible endoscopes.
A significant strength of the consortium is the practice of Drs. Patrick Reardon and Brian Dunkin who provide a high volume of advanced laparoscopic surgeries in the Texas Medical Center. Fellows gain experience in advanced flexible endoscopes, ECRP and NOTES with Dr. Dunkin, and advanced general laparoscopic surgery with complex foregut surgeries with Dr. Reardon.
The contribution of Dr. Leggett who is a pioneer of laparoscopy in Houston, Texas brings forth added strength to the fellowship consortium. Dr. Leggett is well-recognized and has published extensively in medical journals detailing his innovative surgical techniques. This aspect of the fellowship is very busy with a well-rounded experience in all types of laparoscopic cases with flexible endoscopes.
Drs. Seger and Duperier along with Drs. Pilcher, Reiss, and Stegemann are a large minimally invasive surgery group in San Antonio. This practice provides a high volume, efficient bariatric surgery experience with complement clinical and operative experience through the consortium. The surgical group performs 700 laparoscopic bariatric procedures, 400 non-bariatric laparoscopic procedures and 300 flexible endoscopies each year.
Dr. Snyder is an Assistant Professor of Surgery with the UT Department of Surgery and involved in significant NIH research. He has become the research advisor for the fellows.