Fellowship
APAGE/JGH Foundation Clinician-Scientist Training Fellowship
Training Opportunities
Applications are invited for the 2026 APAGE/JGH Foundation Clinician-Scientist Training Fellowship. This Fellowship is for a duration of one year period of training in a member country by an applicant from another member country.
The closing date for submission of applications has been extended to 30th June 2026.
Aims and Conditions
Purpose
This Fellowship, sponsored by both the Asian Pacific Association of Gastroenterology (APAGE) and the JGH Foundation (JGHF), 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 residence country. The aim of this Fellowship is to 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 recognised that a 12-month period will not be sufficient to complete a research doctorate or other qualification. However, some recipients may wish and have an opportunity to continue their research to pursue their interest after the Fellowship; others may return immediately to clinical practice, but with research skills they did not possess before. It is the wish of APAGE and the JGHF 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 extended project). The Fellow is also required to present his/her work/project (preferably oral presentation) at the Asian Pacific Digestive Week the following year or upon completion of the project. The research project is 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 USD50,000 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 USD10,000 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.
APAGE will not be able to pay any additional amount for travel and relocation of the Fellow and his/her 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 2026
The closing date for submission of applications is on 30th June 2026. The successful candidate will be notified by email by the APAGE secretariat. The Fellow shall be required to be present for an award ceremony at APDW 2026 in November 2026 in Manila, Philippines. 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
The applicant is required to:
- Be in the final 12 months of a training programme 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, and
- Identify a training centre in a member-country of his/her choice and apply directly to the training institute/hospital. Both APAGE and JGHF 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 Fellow and the 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.
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.
Instructions for completing the application
- Applications can be prepared using Microsoft Word, entering information directly into the following three document files:
Application Form | Current Supervisor Report | Proposed Supervisor Report -
When completed, the main application form (sections 1 to 11) must be printed in order to add the signatures of the applicant, the proposed training supervisor, the head of the intended department, and the head of the administering institution. The completed and signed form should then be sent to reach the APAGE secretariat at the address below by the closing date. (It will be satisfactory if a legible scanned copy in PDF format is received by the closing date):
Secretariat
Asian Pacific Association of Gastroenterology
Email: apage@apage.org - Sections 12 and 13, the confidential reports of the current (or most recent) supervisor and the proposed training supervisor, may also be completed electronically. These need not be printed for signature unless the supervisors wish. The supervisors may simply forward them to the APAGE secretariat as a file attached to a covering email in which they certify that they have completed the attached report. For reasons of confidentiality, these must not be sent via the applicant but must be sent directly to APAGE by the supervisors. The APAGE email address is apage@apage.org.
CONGRATULATIONS
The Asian Pacific Association of Gastroenterology (APAGE) wishes to congratulate
Dr Delgertsog Gantumur
Gastroenterology and Endoscopy Department, Intermed Hospital
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
for her appointment as the
APAGE/JGH Foundation Clinician-Scientist Training Fellow 2025
Dr Delgertsog is a Gastroenterologist and Endoscopist at the Intermed Hospital in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. She focuses on endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), AI-assisted diagnostics, and imaging for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). She is committed to improving diagnostic accuracy and developing less invasive methods for pancreatic and small bowel diseases.
Dr Delgertsog will participate in a 12-month training programme at the Department of Gastroenterology, Concord Repatriation General Hospital in Sydney, Australia. She will work under the guidance of Professor Rupert Leong. Her fellowship will centre on a prospective study of an AI-assisted rapid on-site evaluation (AI-ROSE) system for EUS-guided fine-needle biopsy of pancreatic masses. She will also receive advanced training in balloon-assisted enteroscopy and intestinal ultrasound (IUS) for assessing IBD.
Through this fellowship, Dr Delgertsog aims to gain advanced endoscopic and diagnostic skills. She wants to help improve gastroenterology practices in Mongolia, share her knowledge with colleagues, and ultimately enhance patient care and clinical outcomes.
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 undertake a 12-month Hepatology Clinical Attachment Programme as a Visiting Scholar (Honorary) at the Institute of Digestive Disease (IDD), Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). Under the mentorship of Professor Grace L H Wong, his research will focus on HCC, HBV, and Metabolic Dysfunction-associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD), exploring novel diagnostic methods and therapeutic strategies. His work will integrate clinical trials and bioinformatics to develop impactful solutions for HCC, HBV, and MASLD management.
Dr Maung’s research is well recognised, with recent publications in high-impact journals on advanced imaging applications for HCC surveillance and HBV treatment strategies. Through this Fellowship, he aims to further refine his clinical and research expertise, foster international collaborations, and present his findings at global conferences. His ultimate goal is to translate cutting-edge research into clinical practice, enhancing patient care and advancing the scientific community’s understanding of liver diseases.
This Fellowship represents a pivotal step in his career, strengthening his role in hepatology and driving future initiatives to address critical healthcare challenges in liver disease.
Interim Report
Click here for Full List of Fellowship Awardees