A pediatric gastroenterologist is a medical doctor who has completed extensive, specialized training to diagnose and treat disorders of the digestive system, liver, and nutritional problems in children—from newborns through young adults.
Understanding that children are not just small adults, these specialists are experts in the unique ways digestive and nutritional issues present in and affect growing bodies.
What Conditions Do They Treat?
Pediatric gastroenterologists manage a wide spectrum of issues, from common concerns to complex, chronic diseases:
Common Functional Disorders: Chronic abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, and gastroesophageal reflux (GERD).
Complex Inflammatory Conditions: Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
Nutritional & Malabsorption Disorders: Failure to thrive, malnutrition, celiac disease, and food intolerances.
Liver and Pancreatic Diseases: Hepatitis, jaundice, biliary atresia, and pancreatitis.
Other Specialized Conditions: Eosinophilic esophagitis, short bowel syndrome, and polyps.
What is Their Role in Care?
Their approach is comprehensive and child-centered:
Accurate Diagnosis: They use specialized diagnostic tools like upper endoscopy, colonoscopy, and breath tests to pinpoint the exact cause of a problem.
Long-Term Disease Management: They create and manage lifelong care plans for children with chronic conditions like IBD or celiac disease.
Nutritional Guidance: They provide critical expertise on nutritional support, including specialized diets and tube feeding, to ensure proper growth and development.
Coordination of Care: They often lead a care team that may include dietitians, surgeons, and other specialists to provide holistic treatment.
The Pediatric Gastroenterology Fellowship: Path to Expertise
Becoming a pediatric gastroenterologist requires completing a rigorous three-year fellowship after finishing a general pediatrics residency.
What Does Fellowship Training Involve?
Advanced Clinical Training: Fellows gain deep, hands-on experience managing the full range of GI, liver, and nutritional disorders in children in both outpatient clinics and hospital settings.
Procedural Expertise: They become proficient in performing and interpreting specialized procedures essential to the field, including:
Endoscopy (looking into the upper GI tract)
Colonoscopy (looking into the lower GI tract)
Liver Biopsy
pH Probe Impedance Studies (for reflux)
Research & Innovation: A significant portion of the fellowship is dedicated to research. Fellows are expected to conduct studies that contribute to new discoveries and improved treatments for pediatric digestive diseases, often publishing their work in medical journals.
The Goal of the Fellowship
This advanced training prepares physicians to become leaders in the field—highly skilled clinicians who can handle the most routine to the most rare and complex cases, and often, the physician-scientists who will drive the future of pediatric gastroenterology forward through research and innovation.
Dr. Parisa Rahmani is a highly accomplished pediatric specialist with expertise in gastroenterology, liver diseases, and nutrition for children and […]
