Beautiful Downtown Orlando Hospital as sunset reflects off the glass

About the Program

The Colon & Rectal Surgery Fellowship Program at AdventHealth was founded in 2009 and has since grown to thirteen faculty members and is continuing to expand. It is only one of five ACGME-accredited fellowships in the subspecialty of colorectal surgery in the State of Florida, training three fellows per year in a one-year fellowship. Our aim is to prepare well-rounded, board-certified colorectal surgeons who will be able to pursue academic or private practice positions. Teaching within our program takes place at various locations of AdventHealth throughout Central Florida, exposing our fellows to a broad and diverse patient base. AdventHealth Medical Center is an acute care medical facility with 2,247 beds, serving as a community hospital for Greater Orlando and a major tertiary referral hospital for Central Florida, the Southeast United States, the Caribbean, and Latin America. AdventHealth is home to many nationally recognized Centers for Excellence. With successful surgery and sub-specialty surgical training programs, patients come to AdventHealth from across the globe.

One of the hallmarks of the colorectal training program at AdventHealth Orlando is our emphasis on new technology with opportunities for the fellows to have hands-on training in these methods. Giving our fellows the chance to perform advanced techniques in colorectal surgery including TAMIS, transanal TME, and robotic-assisted colorectal surgery provides them with the skill set necessary to perform these types of advanced operations upon completion of the program. These and other evolving techniques have become a standard practice in our teaching program.

Program Faculty

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Daniel Galante, DO

Daniel J. Galante, DO

Program Director

Mark Soliman, MD

Mark K. Soliman, MD

Associate Program Director

Chief of Colorectal Surgery

CRS Faculty

Jeremy M. Drake, MD

Jeremy Drake, MD

CRS Faculty

Justin Kelly, MD

Justin Kelly, MD

CRS Faculty

Yaphet Tilahun, MD

Yaphet Tilahun, MD

CRS Faculty

Radhika Smith, MD

Radhika Smith, MD

CRS Faculty

Navin Changoor, MD

Navin Changoor, MD

CRS Faculty

Current Fellows

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Physician headshot

Saba Balvardi, MD

PGY-6

Lindsey Bridges Headshot

Lindsey Bridges, DO

PGY-6

Physician headshot

Anastasiya Shchatsko, DO

PGY-6

Alumni

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Curriculum

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Research

One of the aims of the Department and the fellowship is to train the leaders of tomorrow. One of the main ways to accomplish this is to educate the fellows in research techniques and to encourage various forms of investigation.

There are many projects in process at all times in the department. They include:

  • examination of national databases
  • participation in national randomized trials
  • industry-sponsored studies
  • reports of our experience
  • video demonstrations of techniques or challenging problems,
  • books, chapters and state-of-the-art articles
  • and many others.

The weekly research meeting is held on Wednesday mornings immediately following the didactic program. We will review current and planned projects, progress and opportunities. Each fellow will discuss their projects.

Residents, fellows, and faculty involved in required GME scholarly activities receive guidance from the Center for Academic Research Excellence (CARE) through the Clinical Academic Research team, comprised of an Academic Research Mentor, a Project Coordinator, and a Regulatory Coordinator. In addition, the center includes a group of biostatisticians, a health economist, and a medical editor.

CARE assists residents and faculty with all types of scholarly activities (case studies, QI projects and research studies)

Fellows are expected to complete the following:

At least one research project leading to a national presentation and a publication
An educational video demonstrating a technique or discussion of a problem in CRS
A book chapter or review article on a colorectal or related subject. You will have ample help to accomplish this.

Program Information

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Dr. Adewale

Application Process

Applications for the Colon and Rectal Residency Program are coordinated through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS).

Applications must be completed by July 26, 2024 to be considered for the 2025-2026 academic year. Applicants should have successfully completed an ACGME or AOA-accredited General Surgery Residency Program and be board eligible in general surgery. Applicants should be in their final year of training OR have completed training within the past two years OR currently be in practice.

The Colon and Rectal Surgery Fellowship Program is ACGME accredited.

Carrie Hersman, Residency Coordinator

Fellowship Coordinator
Contact Information

Carrie Hersman, Residency Coordinator
2501 N. Orange Avenue
Orlando, FL 32804

Call407-303-5947