Fellowship director of the month, December 2023

Katie Hutchins, MD

Name: Katie Hutchins, MD

Medical school attended: UNMC

Location of your residency/fellowship training: 

  • UNMC for internal medicine, 2008-2014
  • UNMC for GI fellowship, 2011-2014

What residency/fellowship program at UNMC are you serving as program director for?

 UNMC Gastroenterology Fellowship

Number of trainees:

Fourteen (four third-year fellows, five second-year fellows and five first-year fellows). Each year, we will accept five fellows per class. 

How long have you been the program director?

Officially, I have been program director since July 1, 2023.  

What made you chose to become the program director?

During six years in private practice, I recognized that my clinical practice did not align with my personal career goals and mission. After transitioning back to UNMC, I was fortunate to become an assistant program director and now program director. I am passionate about training the next generation of gastroenterologists. Medical students, residents and fellows are the future of medicine.    

What challenges do you foresee in graduate medical education in the future?

Dedication to education requires time and commitment. I am fortunate to work with many colleagues who are committed; however, the pressure to be clinically productive infringes on protected education time. This is not unique to UNMC GI, this is a challenge that is recognized nationally. It is critical that we protect the time needed for education.  

What are the strengths of your training program?

The fellows are the greatest strength of UNMC GI. Our fellows are hardworking, dedicated team players. It is an honor to work with the GI fellows. Our fellowship is a clinically strong training program. Most of the GI fellows will complete 2,500-3,000 procedures during the three years of training.  

List some accomplishments that you are proud of:

  • In 2022-2023, our GI/TH fellows and faculty presented 71 posters or oral presentations at national meetings.   
  • Graduates of our GI fellowship have achieved a 100% board pass rate.  

Tell us three things about you that others may not know:

  • I am on the Women’s Committee for the American College of Gastroenterology and …
  • I was fortunate to co-direct the Networking, Navigating and Negotiating workshop at the ACG national meeting in 2022 and 2023.  
  • My husband is also a gastroenterologist, and we have three amazing girls.  
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