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Columbia University Abdominal Wall Surgery Fellowship Program

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About the Abdominal Wall Fellowship

This fully funded training opportunity provides experience in routine and complex inguinal and ventral hernia repair, abdominal wall reconstruction, management of mesh complications and groin pain, modern robotic hernia surgery, and soft tissue reconstruction.

As of 2024, the program offered two fellowship positions with a primarily clinical focus and research opportunities supported by a full-time research assistant dedicated to the division. Please contact the program to confirm current availability.

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How to Apply

We welcome applicants with a record of clinical excellence who are interested in a career in hernia and abdominal wall surgery.

Interested applicants should send a CV, two to three letters of recommendation, and a brief personal statement describing their interest in the fellowship to columbiaherniacenter@cumc.columbia.edu.

Previous application cycle: Applications opened December 1, 2025, with a February 15, 2026 deadline and an anticipated selection date of April 10, 2026, before the MIS match. These dates have passed. Please contact the program for the next application cycle and current availability.

We are unable to consider H-1 or J-1 visa holders/applicants.

Current Clinical Fellows

2026

Carolina Torres, MD

Ryan Chan, MD

Current Academic Fellow

2026

Viemma Nwigwe, MD

Fellowship Graduates

Below is a list of past fellows and their current clinical roles:

2025

Sarah Mohamedaly, MD

Abdominal Wall Surgeon at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN

Katherine Hopkins, MD

Assistant Professor of Surgery at Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY

2024

Michael Turturro, MD
Abdominal Wall Surgeon at Overlook Medical Center, Summit, NJ

David Morrell, MD
Abdominal Wall Surgeon at Intermountain Health, Salt Lake City, UT

2023

Artem Shmelev
Assistant Professor of Surgery at Stony Brook University Hospital, Stony Brook, NY

2022

Kimberly Coughlin
Abdominal Wall Surgeon at Ascension St. John Hospital, Detroit, MI

2021

Kelly Tunder
Abdominal Wall Surgeon at Advocate Aurora Health, Milwaukee, WI

2020

Vagahn Nikolian
Assistant Professor of Surgery at Oregon Health and Sciences University, Portland, OR

2019

Dina Podolsky
Assistant Professor of Surgery at Columbia University, New York, NY