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Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship Program

Clinical Training

The first year is an intense period of clinical training at the University Hospital and the Veterans Administration Hospital. The year is divided into the following rotations:

Cardiac Catherization Rotation The 2 month catheterization rotation at the University Hospital includes right heart catheterization, left heart catheterization, coronary and left ventriculography, angiography of other chambers and vessels, percutaneous coronary angioplasty including atherectomy and stenting, temporary pacemaker insertion, intra-aortic balloon insertion and valvuloplasty.
	Cardiac Imaging Rotation The echo rotation at University Hospital is a 1 to 2 month rotation.  Fellows have considerable hands-on experience during the three months. They read approximately 20 echocardiograms daily with the echocardiography attending and participate in stress echocardiographic procedures and transesophageal studies. The nuclear cardiology rotation is 1 month. This is both and inpatient and outpatient service and consists of learing nuclear stress test under the supervision of the attending.
Cardiology Consultation Rotation The consult rotation is a 2 month rotation. The fellow sees patients in an outpatient setting with the consult attending.  The fellow also participates in inpatient consultations from other services.
	VA Medical Center Rotation  The 1 month catheterization rotation at the VA Hospital is similar to the University rotation but the fellow plays a more prominent role in pre-cath evaluation of patients and in post-cath communication with referring physicians. The 2 month CCU rotation at the VA Hospital involves seeing each patient admitted with cardiac problems and acting as a consultant to the resident staff. The fellow works under the direction of a faculty attending. The fellow also spends additional time cultivating echocardiography skills.
Coronary Care Unit Rotation The 2 month University inpatient rotation includes overseeing care of patients on the telemetry floor and the ICU with attending supervision.

Letter from Dr. Sheldon Litwin, Program Director - Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship

October 29, 2009

Dear Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship Applicant:

Thank you for interest in our Cardiology Fellowship. The fellowship is a three year program, with an option for a fourth year of training. The core fellowship consists of 24 months of required clinical training and 12 months of research or other specialized training. A fourth year can be devoted to additional research and/or additional clinical specialization. We accept four new fellows per year with our goal being to provide training for a career in academic cardiology.

Clinical training in the cardiology fellowship program at the University of Utah is intense and thorough. There is an emphasis on hands-on involvement for the fellows, with appropriate faculty supervision and instruction.

Both clinical and basic research-training opportunities are available. Our clinical research programs are in the areas of congestive heart failure, drug and device therapies for cardiac arrhythmias, coronary intervention, acute coronary syndromes, cardiac imaging and the effects of obesity on the heart. A broad range of basic research topics performed at the bench and in the large animal research lab are also available to our trainees.

The University of Utah is renowned for its basic research in the areas of genetics, vascular biology, and cardiac electrophysiology. These areas as well as others are open to our cardiology fellows. Interdepartmental collaboration has been successful for many of our past fellows participating in basic research projects.

Areas of clinical specialization which past fellows have most commonly pursued include cardiac electrophysiology (we have an ACGME accredited program), coronary intervention (we have an ACGME accredited program), and heart failure/transplant; however, we are flexible in this regard and opportunities exist for advanced training in echocardiography, cardiac MR, nuclear, and vascular. If you have a firm idea of an area of specialization, please indicate this clearly in your application and be sure to discuss this explicitly when you interview. If you do not yet have a firm idea of an area of specialization within cardiology, which most applicants will not, this is perfectly acceptable.

In addition to completing the application available via ERAS (Electronic Residency Application Service), please also include a personal statement explaining your motivation for pursuing a career in cardiology as well as your career goals. In this statement note any specific research or clinical specialization interests which you may have at this time. As mentioned above, don't be deterred from saying that you are "undifferentiated" within the field of cardiology if that is the case. Also, please solicit at least three letters of recommendation (one from your internal medicine residency program director) and USMLE scores via ERAS. Please ask those writing the letters to comment on their impressions of your commitment to an academic career, and, if possible, their assessment of your potential as an investigator and teacher.

An interview of competitive applicants by our faculty will be required, except under unusual circumstances. Interviews will be conducted on three separate days, in February and March 2010. We are highly selective in those we invite for interviews, and I apologize in advance if you are not invited for an interview. The application deadline is January 15. We will participate in the National Resident Matching Program in 2010 to match for positions beginning July 1, 2011. In exceptional circumstances, we will consider accepting fellows outside the match.

We welcome applications from non-U.S. Citizens as well as U.S. Citizens. Non- U.S. citizens must have a J-1 visa or be a permanent resident of the U.S.

If there are questions you would like to ask before making a decision to apply to our program, please feel free to contact our program coordinator, Melissa Grow at (801) 585-1686.

Sincerely yours,

Sheldon Litwin, M.D.
Professor of Medicine
Program Director - Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship
University of Utah

Summary of documentation required for application via ERAS:

• Complete ERAS Application
• Curriculum Vitae
• Statement of Career Objectives (personal statement)
• USMLE Scores
• Three or more letters of recommendation (one from IM program director)