The New York Bariatric Surgery fellowship program participates in the minimally invasive surgery fellowship council application process.
Bariatric Surgery Fellowship Program
New Jersey

The New York Bariatric Group is the largest bariatric surgery practice in the country, with locations in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. The fellow is expected to have a broad range of experience in surgical as well as non-surgical weight loss methods under supervision of nationally recognized leading bariatric surgeons. The robust volume, diversity of cases, as well as a comprehensive weight loss center makes this an ideal opportunity for training fellows to lead in the field of bariatric surgery.
NYBG Bariatric Surgery Fellowship Program
New Jersey
The Bariatric Surgery Fellowship Program at the New York Bariatric Group is a one-year clinical fellowship that focuses on pre-operative, operative, non-operative, and post-operative treatment of morbid obesity and its related diseases. Due to its high volume and varied clinical practices by the practicing surgeons, the fellow is guaranteed to have a very rich and diverse clinical experience and be able to function as an autonomous attending surgeon immediately after fellowship.
Fellows will get a chance to experience a broad mix of bariatric surgery cases including sleeve gastrectomy, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, gastric banding and band removal, biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch, single anastomosis duodenal switch, and revisional weight loss surgery. Fellows will have the opportunity to perform laparoscopic, robotic, as well as endoscopic diagnostic and therapeutic interventions. Approximately 95% of the fellow’s time is spent in clinical activity. The remaining 5% of the time will be spent on research activity. There is ample clinical data available from a proprietary electronic medical record system for the fellow to research and publish. Weekly clinical conferences will be held in conjunction with the fellow of the New York branch of New York Bariatric Group.
This is a one-year salaried position. Fellows will be provided with occurrence base malpractice insurance. Additional funding and support beyond the salary for meeting attendance, research, etc. is available.
The fellow will take 1:4 calls. For the First 6 months, the attending will be first contact. For the second 6 months, the fellow will be first contact with graduated responsibility. The fellow will be involved in urgent and emergent cases throughout the year while on call.
Our aim is to train our fellow to become compassionate, effective, efficient, and safe in bariatric patient care. Our program is designed to instill a high level of technical skill in the operating room to help the fellow become a confident and competent surgeon, ready to practice in the field of bariatric surgery.
CURRICULUM
The fellow will be involved in bimonthly didactics which follow the ASMBS Core Curriculum. This will involve the fellow, attending faculty, as well as physician assistants. The fellow will present selected topics to the group, and the faculty will present certain didactics according to their area of expertise. There are also opportunities for the fellow to present grand rounds at participating hospitals.
The following topics will be discussed:
Preoperative evaluation of bariatric patients
- Epidemiology of Obesity
- History of Bariatric Surgery
- Physiology and Interactive Mechanisms in Morbid Obesity
- Preoperative Evaluation of the Bariatric Patient
- Psychology of the Morbidly Obese Patient
- Essentials of a Bariatric Program
Operative approaches
- Laparoscopic versus Open versus robotic
- Adjustable Banding
- Sleeve Gastrectomy
- Other Restrictive Operations
- Gastric Bypass
- Biliopancreatic Diversion/Duodenal Switch
- Revisional Weight Loss Surgery
Postoperative management of bariatric patients
- Postoperative Management of the Bariatric Patient
- Identifying and Managing Postoperative Complications
- Nutritional Deficiencies
Miscellaneous
- Obesity in Childhood and Adolescence
- Outcomes of Bariatric Surgery
- Role of Endoscopy in Bariatric Surgery
- Medical Weight Loss
- Applicants must be a US citizen or US Permanent Resident.
- Applicants must have completed a five-year general surgery residency program at a US or Canadian Medical school prior to starting the fellowship. We accept graduates of Foreign Medical Schools only if ECFMG certified.
- Applicants must have passed the USMLE/COMPLEX Step 1,2, & 3 exams
- Applicants must be ABS or Canadian Board eligible or certified
- A full, unrestricted New Jersey state medical license is required. Information regarding the licensure requirements can be found at: NJ Division of Consumer Affairs - State Board of Medical Examiners (njconsumeraffairs.gov)
If you wish to apply to the New York Bariatric Group, New Jersey Branch fellowship program, please review the details here. COMING SOON!
Once all applications have been received, a select group of highly qualified applicants for a visit and interview.
The academic cycle starts August 1 st , 2023.
PARTICIPATING LOCATIONS
New York Bariatric Group, Glen Ridge Office
230 Sherman Ave
Glen Ridge, NJ 07028
RWJBarnabas Health – Clara Maass Medical Center
1 Clara Maass Drive
Belleville, NJ 07109
Hackensack Meridian – Mountainside Medical Center
1 Bay Ave
Montclair, NJ 07042
New York Bariatric Group, Wayne Office
1680 NJ-23, Suite 180
Wayne, NJ 07470
St. Mary’s General Hospital
350 Boulevard
Passaic, NJ 07055
Faculty
- All of the faculty members are board-certified in the American Board of Surgery and are active members of the American College of Surgeons as well as American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery
Naveen Ballem MD, FACS, FASMBS
- Chief of New Jersey Division of New York Bariatric Group
- Director of Bariatric Surgery at Clara Maass Medical Center
Kartik Gohil MD, FACS, FASMBS
- Program Director & Attending surgeon
Harvey Rainville MD, FACS, FASMBS
- Assistant Program Director & Attending Surgeon
- Director of Robotic Surgery at Clara Maass Hospital and Mountainside Medical Center
Channing Chin MD, FACS, FASMBS
- Attending Surgeon
Cynthia Weber MD, FACS
- Attending Surgeon
Kulvir Nandra MD
- Attending Surgeon