Women's Digestive Health

About Our Fellowship

This one-year training program in Women’s Digestive Health, undertaken following completion of ACGME accredited GI fellowship training, will provide fellows advanced expertise in the management of women’s digestive health disorders.

The fellow will gain experience in outpatient diagnosis and management of women with inflammatory bowel disease (IBS), celiac disease, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), cancer genetics, endometriosis, GI issues associated with pregnancy and/or rheumatologic disease and motility, and functional bowel disorders which are more prevalent in women such as gastroparesis, functional dyspepsia, abdominal bloating, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), rectal evacuation disorders (fecal incontinence, descending perineum syndrome, dyssynergia) and chronic pelvic pain. The fellow will be mentored by and work with a subset of gastroenterologists within the division with interest and expertise in gastrointestinal problems of women. They will be part of a multidisciplinary team which includes colorectal surgery, urogynecology, obstetrics and gynecology, nutrition, pelvic floor physical therapy, pain management and GI psychology, who are essential in the diagnosis and management of women's GI health disorders.

The program participates in a monthly endometriosis group and the quarterly meeting of the pelvic floor disorders multidisciplinary group. They will continue to have access to our wide breadth of current didactic conferences across GI, which often include discussions of women's digestive health. Fellows will be encouraged to undertake a research project related to Women's Digestive Health disorders as part of the fellowship. Graduates of the program will be prepared for a career as an academic gastroenterologist with an expertise in Women Digestive Health disorders.

Learn more about the Women's Digestive Health Fellowship.

How to Apply

In order to apply for the Women’s Digestive Health Fellowship at BIDMC, please submit the following via email:

  • Curriculum Vitae.
  • Personal statement describing your interest in obtaining advanced training in women’s health.
  • Three recommendation letters addressed to Dr. Jacqueline Wolf, Fellowship Program Director. Letters should be emailed to Judi Hansjon.

Applications for July 1, 2025 start date are being accepted on a rolling basis through April 15, 2025. For any questions and to apply, please email Judi Hansjon.

Women’s GI Health Conditions

Specialized training will encompass the large spectrum of GI issues that occur only in women or are more common in women. These include:

  • GI issues during pregnancy;
  • GI medication administration during pregnancy;
  • Endoscopy during pregnancy
  • Management of GI medications in lactating women
  • GI issues in rheumatologic disorders
  • Evaluation and management of chronic abdominal pain or chronic pelvic pain
  • Evaluation and management of fecal incontinence in women
  • Counseling of colon cancer risk in women with personal and family history of endometrial or ovarian cancer, among others
  • Transitioning young women to an adult practice where they assume personal responsibility for their GI health.

For these many reasons, it is imperative to develop a program that targets training in women's digestive health for GI fellows.

Program Director

For 20 years, Dr. Jacqueline Wolf has focused on clinical practice, scholarly activity, teaching, and clinical research in the areas that interface women’s digestive health, including gastrointestinal disorders in women and in inflammatory bowel disease. She has been instrumental in bringing this important area to the attention of gastroenterologists, other clinicians, students, and the lay public. She has a long term personal interest in advancing IBD therapeutics and has been the principal investigator in five clinical trials involving patients with ulcerative colitis and three with Crohn’s disease. Dr. Wolf has been an attending physician in the Division of Gastroenterology at BIDMC since 2002 and is an Associate Professor of Medicine at HMS. She is the recipient of numerous awards including the 2000 Jerry S. Trier Award for Excellence in Teaching from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, the 2016 J. Thomas Lamont, MD Award in Recognition of Excellence in Mentoring, in Investigation and Education from BIDMC, and the 2020 Shirley Driscoll Dean's Leadership Award for the Enhancement of Women's Careers from Harvard Medical School.

She has served on local and national committees and editorial boards with a deep commitment to improving the care of women's digestive health. Dr. Wolf developed the gastroenterology program for the combined Mt. Auburn Hospital/BIDMC Female Pelvic Floor and Reconstructive Surgery fellowship. In 2021, she launched the Women's Digestive Health fellowship at BIDMC to mentor and train dedicated physicians to specialize in women's gastrointestinal disorders.