Ochsner Clinic Foundation

Program Director: Charles B. Whitlow, M.D.
1514 Jefferson Highway
New Orleans, Louisiana 70121
Phone: (504) 842-4060
Email: Cwhitlow@ochsner.org
Web site: http://www.ochsner.org/gme/crs.html

Number of Residents (per year): 2

Number of Faculty (ABCRS Certified): 5

Salary/Year: $49,494.25

Case mix/number of cases: Approximately 50% abdominal colon procedures make up the operative experience. More than 2200 colonoscopic procedures per year are performed in the department.

Strengths of program: Broad training on a one to one basis in all aspects of CRS is offered in a single state of the art hospital. Extensive endoscopic experience is obtained much of which is performed independently.

Clinic or office experience: Residents participate in the preoperative and postoperative care of patients in the clinic setting. Multiple office based procedures for anorectal diseases include hemorrhoidal banding, injection, excision, and infrared coagulation.

Interaction with general surgery residents: Two junior (PGY-1 or 2) and one PGY-5 general surgical residents rotate on the service. The colorectal resident teaches endoscopy to junior residents and participates in the general surgical conferences.

Conferences: Scheduled conferences include journal club, Department of Colon and Rectal Surgery weekly conference, mock board exams, pathology and radiology. In addition small group discussions with the staff occur frequently.

Anorectal physiology availability: Anorectal physiology lab is held twice weekly to include manometry intrarectal ultrasound, and pudendal nerve motor latency testing.

Outside rotations: None are offered, but occasionally complex cases at Charity Hospital are staffed by Ochsner Clinic.

Research year: A formal research year is available, and each clinical resident is encouraged to utilize the extensive research activities of the Foundation in conducting any investigation for scientific publications. The faculty is actively involved in research projects including laparoscopic surgery, endoscopic indications, anal carcinoma, and monoclonal antibody scanning.

Requirement for paper: Each resident is expected to write a scientific paper suitable for presentation or publication.

Opportunity to attend meetings: Each trainee is given the opportunity to attend one meeting, either the ASCRS convention or the ACS Clinical Congress. Funding for other meetings is available if the resident is on the program.