The Sanford Center for Digestive Health in Sioux Falls, S.D., has become the first program of its kind in the Dakotas to receive accreditation for its gastroenterology fellowship program, according to an Oct. 16 report from local news station KELO.
A shortage of 1,600 GI specialists is projected in the U.S. by 2025, with many approaching retirement age as patient volumes increase due to more preventive screenings and an aging population.
Sanford will begin hosting fellowship students in July 2025, with hopes that the program will help alleviate predicted shortages.
The fellows will train in the new 45,000-square-foot Sanford Digestive Health Center building, which will have space for 31 speciality physicians. Right now, Sanford only has about half that many physicians but hopes that the fellowship program will add more.
Sanford plans to train about six fellows over the next three years, according to the report.