Fellow in esophageal/upper GI Surgery – thoracic surgery department

UZ Leuven; Heverlee; Sur place; EUR 52 000 - 78 000; Plein temps

Avantages offerts par ce poste

Competitive salary

Résumé du poste

UZ Leuven’s Department of Thoracic Surgery offers a fellowship that centers on complex upper GI and esophageal surgery. You will gain intensive training in open, minimally invasive and robotic esophagectomy within a high-volume tertiary center and engage in translational research with leading European experts.

You will develop your clinical and academic profile, participate in multidisciplinary care, tumor boards, and prepare for European Board examinations while advancing toward independent

Qualifications

• Completed or will have completed a general, visceral or thoracic surgery residency, eligible for recognition in Belgium.
• Strong interest in complex upper GI and esophageal surgery.
• Willing to relocate to Leuven, Belgium for the duration of the fellowship.
• At least C1 proficiency in Dutch, French or German, and fluent in English.

Responsabilités

• Develop and conduct your own clinical or translational research projects.
• Collaborate with scientific staff and established research groups.
• Assist in supervising research projects conducted by medical students and residents.
• Contribute to manuscript preparation and scientific presentations; deliver at least one international presentation and publish in a peer-reviewed journal.
• Receive step-by-step operative teaching with progressive autonomy in open, minimally invasive and robotic esophagectomy.

Connaissances

English fluency

Formation

General/Visceral/Thoracic Surgery Residency

Description du poste

The Department of Thoracic Surgery at University Hospitals Leuven (UZ Leuven) was founded in 1994 by Professor Toni Lerut and has developed into one of the leading Upper GI and esophageal surgery units in Europe.

Our department consists of eight attending surgeons, four of whom have a dedicated focus on esophageal surgery. We offer a comprehensive spectrum of surgical treatment for esophageal and gastro-esophageal disease from the unique thoracic perspective, including:

• approximately 120 esophagectomies for cancer each year
• approximately 100 hiatal hernia/anti-reflux procedures annually, more than half of which are complex redo procedures
• open, minimally invasive and robotic surgery
• complex esophageal pathology, including tracheoesophageal fistula, atrioesophageal fistula, caustic injuries and esophageal complications following bariatric surgery
• pediatric and neonatal esophageal pathology
• smaller procedures: Flexible and rigid esophagoscopy, dilation, diagnostic laparoscopy and enteral feeding access

Our clinical practice is embedded within a highly specialized multidisciplinary environment, with close collaboration with internationally recognized experts in digestive oncology, esophagology and deglutologyat UZ Leuven and across Europe.

Our academic activities encompass both clinical and translational research, supported by strong national and international collaborations.

Members of our faculty are actively involved in leading national and international professional societies, including the Royal Belgian Society for Surgery (RBSS), Belgian Section for Upper GI Surgery (BSUGIS), European Society for Diseases of the Esophagus (ESDE), International Society for Diseases of the Esophagus (ISDE), European Society of Thoracic Surgeons (ESTS) and the Upper GI Surgery Division of the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS).

How will you break grounds?

As a fellow, you will become an integral member of our clinical and academic esophageal surgery team. We foresee 3-4 days of clinical activity(including outpatient clinic and OR) and 1-2 of academic activity per week. You will also perform joint/supervised on calls for the upper GI pathology.

Your surgical training will be tailored to your previous experience and will include progressive responsibility in:

• open, minimally invasive and robotic-assisted surgery
• esophagectomy, hiatal hernia repair and anti-reflux surgery
• complex and redo upper GI procedures
• perioperative management of patients undergoing major esophageal surgery
• multidisciplinary management of complex esophageal pathology

You will receive step-by-step operative teaching, supervision and progressive autonomy, working closely with the attending surgeons, residents, nurses and other members of the multidisciplinary team.

You will also participate in the supervision and teaching of rotating residents during activities in the operating room, on the ward, in the ICU and in the outpatient clinic

Academic development is an integral part of this fellowship.

You will:

• develop and conduct your own clinical or translational research projects
• collaborate with our scientific staff and established research groups
• assist in the supervision of research projects conducted by medical students and residents
• contribute to manuscript preparation and scientific presentations
• be expected to deliver at least one presentation at an international scientific meeting
• be expected to deliver to at least one publication in an international peer-reviewed journal

Throughout the fellowship, you will receive guidance in developing an academic profile that can support your future career in upper GI surgery.

What do you need?

The fellow:

• has completed or will have completed a general, visceral or thoracic surgeryresidency by the start of the fellowship, with qualifications eligible for recognition in Belgium
• demonstrates a strong interest in complex upper GI and esophageal surgery
• is motivated to develop expertise in open, minimally invasive and robotic surgical techniques
• has an academic interest and is willing to participate actively in clinical research
• is able to relocate to Leuven, Belgium, for the duration of the fellowship
• has at least C1 proficiency in Dutch, French or German, as required for the employment contract
• is fluent in English

Previous experience in upper GI or esophageal surgery is an advantage but is not mandatory.

What do you get in return?

This fellowship provides comprehensive clinical and academic training in complex upper GI and esophageal surgerywithin a high-volume tertiary referral center.

You will benefit from:

• structured, continuous training in esophageal surgery and esophageal surgical pathology,including indications, staging and preoperative work-up, multidisciplinary decision-making, operative techniques, perioperative management and follow-up
• participation in multidisciplinary tumor boards and case discussions
• a high-volume esophageal surgical program, providing substantial opportunities to advance your operative logbook
• progressive responsibility in open, minimally invasive and robotic esophagectomy, with the goal of being able to perform an esophagectomy independently by the end of the fellowship
• extensive exposure to hiatal hernia repair and anti-reflux surgery, including complex redo procedures
• preparation and support for the UEMS European Board Examination in Upper GI Surgery
• training to develop into a dedicated academic surgeon with the possibility to perform clinical outcomes research, translational esophageal oncology and benign pathology, and surgical innovation (e.g. robotic surgery), leveraging our scientific infrastructure and experienced clinical and translational researchers
• a competitive salary in accordance with the applicable Belgian fellowship regulations

Ready to break grounds?

before October 15, 2026