Fellowship Program Introduction

The Cardiovascular Division of the University of Louisville School of Medicine offers a research-oriented clinical fellowship program with on average 6 positions available each year.  The program has been in existence since 1962 and a total of 170 individuals have completed training since its inception.  The program extends over 36 to 48 months, depending on the track chosen (clinical vs. 4-year investigator track) and meets or exceeds criteria established by the American Board of Internal   Medicine allowing those fellows successfully completing the program to be eligible to sit for the certifying examination in cardiovascular diseases.  Research time varies depending upon the fellows interest and  career goals. Fellows must have successfully completed Internal Medicine training, be board eligible for the certifying exam of the American Board of Internal Medicine and must be eligible to obtain a Kentucky State License. Candidate selection criteria includes academic achievements including USMLE scores, letters of recommendation and research interests and productivity.  The program has a particular interest in fellows wishing to pursue a career in academic cardiovascular medicine either in the basic science or clinical arena.

The teaching utilizes clinical material at four core hospitals, the University of Louisville Hospital, Jewish Hospital, the Veteran's Administration Hospital, and to a lesser extent, Norton Hospital.  In addition to availability and abundance of varied cardiac pathology, each of these hospitals has a well equipped cardiac catheterization laboratory and non-invasive laboratories.  The program has a strong clinical reputation and offers training and extensive experience in all areas of invasive (including structural heart disease) and non-invasive cardiology including cardiac MRI, PET, CT and Nuclear Cardiology.

Research can be carried out in either clinical or basic science disciplines (cardiac physiology or molecular biology).  A state-of-the-art basic research laboratory (Institute of Molecular Cardiology) with faculty devoted to basic research is available for training in a wide variety of areas involving studies in animal models at the molecular and cellular level, as well as large animal pre-clinical research.  Training is bolstered by a number of conferences which encompass a core curriculum covered yearly as well as city wide cardiology Grand Rounds, a research conference Journal Club and combined cardiology and cardiac surgery.

CURRICULUM

The minimum and maximum months for each fellow is listed below:

The following rotations are included:

1. Research (clinical or basic) - 6-12 months
2. Coronary Care Unit/Intensive Care Unit -3-4 months
3. Consultation - 5 months
4. Stress test, Holter, EKG interpretation - 2 months
5. Noninvasive (nuclear, echo) - 6-8 months
6. Cardiac catheterization - 5-8 months
7. Heart Failure/Transplantation - 1 month
8. Electrophysiology - 2 months
9. Advanced Cardiac Imaging: Coronary CT Angiography and Cardiac MRI - 1-2 months

During these 36 months the fellow will have a continuous ambulatory care rotation consisting of one-half day per week.

Teaching Conferences required attendance:

1. Non-invasive - Monday 7:30 - 8:30 am
2. Invasive - Tuesday 4:30 - 5:30 pm
3. Cardiology Grand Rounds - Wednesday 12:00 noon - 1:00 pm
4. Journal Club/Clinical Cases/Research/Congenital Heart Disease - Thursday 4:30- 5:30 PM
5. Internal Medicine Grand Rounds - Thursday 8:00 - 9:00 am
6. EP conference Friday 7:30 - 8:30 AM
7. Cardiovascular Investigators In-Training (CIIT)  - 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month 7:00 am - 8:00 am

Fellows are directly supervised in all patient care and procedural activities and the principles of progressive responsibility are followed and outlined in the written Policy and Procedures provided at orientation yearly.

Fellows are evaluated by faculty for each monthly rotation and meet with the Program Director twice a year and with the Chief of Cardiology twice a year, both for evaluation as well as an opportunity to provide feedback.