12/16/2025
With a commitment to hosting advanced fellowships and a history of excellence in subspecialty care, the pediatric gastroenterology (GI) program at Riley Children’s Health is taking the lead in fostering a clinical training environment that attracts more physicians to the field.
“Offering the full spectrum of GI care in the only quaternary care children’s hospital in Indiana, there is really no GI disease or condition that our fellows don’t see,” said Brian A. McFerron, MD, pediatric gastroenterologist at Riley Children’s, and program director of the pediatric gastroenterology fellowship at Indiana University School of Medicine. “In our rapidly growing division that now includes basic science research, we have faculty expertise in every aspect of pediatric GI, hepatology and nutrition, enriching the clinical learning environment for our trainees.”
In addition to the general pediatric GI fellowship, the division currently offers an ACGME-accredited fourth-year pediatric transplant hepatology fellowship and in July 2026 will launch an advanced nutrition fellowship. The division is also one of the few programs in the nation with a pediatric GI psychology fellowship.
“We care deeply about developing and sustaining the pipeline of pediatric GI subspecialists,” said Dr. McFerron, a longtime leader in medical education who was recently named vice chair of the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (NASPGHAN) Training Committee. “It’s vitally important that we continue to train people to care for children.”
Building a strong pediatric subspecialty workforce, Dr. McFerron said, depends on ensuring medical residents have adequate exposure to pediatric subspecialty care during their training. As lead author of Training in a new era, an article published in the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Dr. McFerron collaborated with fellow NASPGHAN training committee members to address the ACGME’s new core requirements for pediatric residency training. Designed to improve training for pediatricians, the requirements, which went into effect in July 2025, shift the former predominantly inpatient residency training curriculum to more outpatient experiences.
In an excerpt from the article, the committee writes, “The new requirements provide a more balanced curriculum that has the potential to equip residents with enhanced skills and training in outpatient care. But a shift away from subspecialty inpatient exposure and intensive care could also negatively impact preparation for those residents pursuing subspecialty training.”
“It's vitally important that we continue to train outstanding pediatric gastroenterologists and pediatric subspecialists of all kinds to care for children,” said Dr. McFerron.
Following his three-year term as vice chair of the NASPGHAN training committee, Dr. McFerron will serve three years as chair. During the next six years, he expects the committee to be focused on assessing fellows’ training experiences following implementation of the new ACGME requirements. This includes an annual nationwide survey of pediatric GI fellows and monitoring the number of physicians choosing to pursue GI fellowship opportunities.
Through its continued commitment to education and innovation, Riley Children’s Health is advancing the field of pediatric gastroenterology. By cultivating a robust training environment, the program ensures that the next generation of specialists is prepared to deliver exceptional care for children everywhere. Learn more about Riley Children’s gastroenterology achievements in the annual report.