Fellowship

APAGE/JGH Foundation Clinician-Scientist Training Fellowship

Aims and Conditions

Purpose

This Fellowship, sponsored by the Asian Pacific Association of Gastroenterology (APAGE), and supported by the JGH Foundation, is to assist a medical graduate who wishes to obtain training as a Clinician Scientist in the broad field of gastroenterology and hepatology and related disorders in an APAGE member country other than his/her own country. The intention is help train leaders in the field who have obtained grounding in laboratory or clinical scientific methods or both, and who will be able to contribute to research in the field during their subsequent career. It is recognized that a 12-month period will not be sufficient to complete a research doctorate or other qualification. However, some recipients may wish and have the opportunity to continue their research to complete such a qualification after the Fellowship has completed; others may return immediately to clinical practice, but with research skills they did not possess before. It is the wish of APAGE and the JGH Foundation that the Fellows will return to their home countries on completion of the Fellowship (or any extension of time they might negotiate in the host country to complete a further qualification or extended project). The candidate is also required to present his/her work/project (preferably oral presentation) at the APDW meeting the following year or upon completion of the project and the research project to be written up as a full-length article to be submitted to the JGH for consideration for publication.

Value and period of tenure

The Fellowship will be for a duration of 12 months' period of training. It will provide a stipend of USD40,000 to be paid in two equal instalments to the applicant account – the first at the commencement of the Fellowship (upon receiving an ink-signed proof of commencement of the Fellowship from the supervisor also stipulating the date of commencement of the Fellowship), and the second at the mid- point in the Fellowship (upon receipt of supervisor's and applicant's interim report).

A stipend of US$10,000 will be paid to the host institution (supervisor's account) at the commencement of the Fellowship (upon receiving an ink-signed proof of commencement of the Fellowship from the supervisor also stipulating the date of commencement of the Fellowship) as a token of support to the training expenses incurred by the applicant during the Fellowship.

The Association will not be able to pay any additional amount for travel and relocation of the Fellow and her/his family, but the Fellow may use part of the stipend for this purpose if he/she wishes.

Leave during the Fellowship

An applicant will be entitled to recreational leave not exceeding four weeks during the year. Sick leave may also be taken without reduction in stipend, with the approval of the host supervisor.

No other allowances are available.

Superannuation

The Association does not contribute to superannuation, loadings or continuation of service.

Additional Earnings

An applicant shall be entitled to engage in paid professional work by the host institution during the period of the Fellowship, providing that the paid work is approved in writing by the applicant's supervisor. The holding of another source of support (for example a national travel scholarship) will not disqualify applicants, but must be disclosed at the time of application if such support has already been granted.

Application closing date for 2024

The closing date for submission of applications has been extended to 15th September 2024. The successful candidate will be notified by email by the APAGE secretariat. A certificate will be awarded during the award ceremony at the APDW 2024 in November 2024 in Bali, Indonesia. The successful candidate is required to be present at the award ceremony and this is mandatory. Instructions for completing the application form are provided on the form itself, and on the separate instruction page.

A successful candidate is only eligible to apply for the Fellowship once.

Commencement

The Fellowship may commence at any time during the calendar year after its award.

Eligibility

An applicant is required to:

• Be in the final 12 months of a training program in gastroenterology and/or hepatology in a member country of the Asian Pacific Association of Gastroenterology, or not more than three years beyond the date of completion of training, at the closing date for applications, and
• Correctly fill in the application form and lodge with attachments prior to the closing date, and
• Be recommended by the current supervisor and endorsed by the national society of gastroenterology
• Identify a training centre in a member country of his/her choice and apply directly to the training institute/hospital. Both APAGE and JGH Foundation are not involved in the application process of the applicant. An applicant is only eligible to apply for the Fellowship once he/she has secured a training post.

Reporting

Both the candidate and supervisor must submit an interim report halfway through the training. On completion of the Fellowship, a written report of between 500 and 1000 words must again be sent to the secretariat of APAGE by both parties, not later than three months after the completion of the Fellowship. Late or non-submission of the report by the applicant will be publicized in the APAGE newsletter (APDNews). The Council of APAGE shall have the right to publish or use in such a manner as they see fit, any such report, in whole or in part, providing due acknowledgement of the source is made.

The Council of APAGE shall have the right to publish or use in such a manner as they see fit, any such report, in whole or in part, providing due acknowledgement of the source is made.

     

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CONGRATULATIONS

The Asian Pacific Association of Gastroenterology (APAGE) wishes to congratulate

Dr Soe Thiha Maung

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand

for his appointment as the

APAGE/JGH Foundation Clinician-Scientist Training Fellow 2024

Dr Soe Thiha Maung is a Hepatology Fellow at the Division of Gastroenterology, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand, with an intense focus on Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) and Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) research. With a distinguished academic and clinical background, Dr Maung has contributed significantly to the field through his expertise in diagnostic imaging, biomarker discovery, and translational research aimed at improving liver disease management and patient outcomes.

Through the APAGE/JGH Foundation Clinician-Scientist Training Fellowship, Dr Maung will engage in a 12-month programme at Chang Gung University in Taiwan. Under the mentorship of Dr Rachel Wen-Juei Jeng and Dr Chun-Yen Lin, he will focus on innovative approaches to HCC and HBV research, specifically targeting early diagnostic methods, immune profiling, and new therapeutic strategies. His work will integrate clinical trials, laboratory research, and bioinformatics to develop impactful solutions to the challenges of HCC and HBV management.

Dr Maung’s research contributions are well recognised, with recent publications on advanced MRI applications for HCC surveillance and HBV treatment strategies in high-impact journals. Through this Fellowship, he aims to refine his clinical and research skills further, establish international collaborations, and present his findings at global conferences. Dr Maung aspires to translate his research into clinical practices that enhance patient care and contribute to the scientific community’s understanding of liver diseases.

This Fellowship will not only advance his career in hepatology but also drive future initiatives that address pressing healthcare needs in the field of liver disease.

     

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CONGRATULATIONS

The Asian Pacific Association of Gastroenterology (APAGE) wishes to congratulate

Dr Shahreedhan Shahrani

Gastroenterology and Hepatology Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, University Malaya Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

for her appointment as the

APAGE/JGH Foundation Clinician-Scientist Training Fellow 2023

Dr Shahreedhan binti Shahrani is a Gastroenterology Specialist from University Malaya Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She is well versed and experienced in gastroenterology and hepatology, with an interest in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID).

Dr Shahreedhan will be undergoing her fellowship at the Department of Gastroenterology, St Vincent’s Hospital, Melbourne, Australia, headed by Professor Alexander Thompson. She is pursuing a clinical and research fellowship in IBD under the tutelage and supervision of Associate Professor Emily Wright. She is training and will be internationally qualified in intestinal ultrasound (IUS) for the non-invasive assessment and monitoring of IBD. She is advancing herself in interventional endoscopic management of IBD intestinal strictures and colonic dysplasia surveillance. Dr Shahreedhan’s research is centred on treatment optimisation in acute severe ulcerative colitis, with an interest in biologic and small molecule therapies.

In addition, she will also be training with and learning from the functional GI expertise provided by St Vincent’s, led by Dr Chamara Basnayake. The skills she will be gaining include learning and training on esophageal manometry and biofeedback therapy.

Dr Shahreedhan will apply the skills and experiences gained from this fellowship into her daily practice. She aims to provide these services to the general community and society, ultimately building bridges and adjuncts to the healthcare system.

Click here for Final Report

     

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CONGRATULATIONS

The Asian Pacific Association of Gastroenterology (APAGE) wishes to congratulate

Dr Thanaboon Chaemsupaphan

Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand

for his appointment as the

APAGE/JGH Foundation Clinician-Scientist Training Fellow 2022

Dr Thanaboon Chaemsupaphan is a Research Fellow in Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand. His research interests focuses on patterns and trends of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) in the Asia-Pacific region, including its new treatments and quality of life for patients; and investigations and treatment techniques for chronic diarrhea and GI bleeding in intestinal diseases.

Dr Thanaboon will be pursuing a “Fellowship in Inflammatory Bowel Disease” on both clinical and research with Professor Rupert Leong at the Concord Hospital, University of Sydney, Australia. He hopes to bring advanced knowledge of IBD diagnosis, endoscopic, and therapeutic skills to help patients back home, and to contribute and share academic knowledge with gastroenterologists in Thailand. Dr Thanaboon will also be performing clinical researches on various aspects of IBD diagnosis and treatment during his one-year training fellowship in Australia.

Click here for Final Report

   

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CONGRATULATIONS

The Asian Pacific Association of Gastroenterology (APAGE) wishes to congratulate

Dr Tomonori Aoki

Department of Gastroenterology, Graduate School of Medicine,
The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

for his appointment as the

APAGE/JGH Foundation Clinician-Scientist Training Fellow 2020

Dr Tomonori Aoki trained and worked as a Gastroenterologist at the Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Japan. His clinical research focused on the reasonable use of medical and human resources in clinical practice on gastrointestinal issues, utilizing clinical risk scores or artificial intelligence.

Dr Aoki will be commencing his training fellowship on “Optimization of GI Cancer Surveillance in Consideration of Cancer Risk and Cost-effectiveness” at the College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, South Australia, Australia in 2021, under the supervision of Professor David Watson.

He intends to contribute to the Asia-Pacific region and global healthcare by learning a unique and versatile approach that integrates clinical and laboratory outcomes with health economic modeling for optimizing gastrointestinal cancer surveillance.

Click here for Final Report