The Burke Advanced Fellowship in Pulmonary Heart Disease

• One or two positions each year
• One-year Mass General Brigham clinical fellowship
• Application deadline is September 1^st

• Maximize the trainee's responsibilities in patient management and build upon prior knowledge in pulmonary critical care medicine, and/or cardiovascular medicine.
• Encourage those individuals interested in careers in academic medicine to develop the necessary skills in research, education, and/or administration through a broad range of available opportunities designed to maximize academic development.
• Train future leaders in pulmonary heart disease who will become program directors throughout the country.
• Provide the opportunity to further develop research interests in clinical investigation or bench research.
• Gain core competency in pathophysiology, assessment, diagnostics, and treatment of pulmonary heart diseases.
• Understand the initial inpatient and outpatient workup, management and long-term follow-up of patients with pulmonary heart diseases.
  • Right heart failure due to pulmonary vascular diseases and end stage lung disease of various etiologies.
  • In collaboration with the advanced heart failure program, left heart failure, with reduced or preserved ejection fraction of various etiologies and severities.
  • Impact of end-stage lung disease on the right heart system.
• Understand and implement disease management strategies, including pharmacologic, electrical device and mechanical circulatory support, pulmonary thromboendarterectomy, as well as lung and heart-lung transplant options for this patient population.
• Understand the indications and interpretation of right heart catheterization, various imaging modalities including echocardiography, CT scan, MRI, and PET, pulmonary function testing, advanced cardiopulmonary exercise testing, and angiography.
• Understand arrhythmia mechanisms and management (pharmacologic, interventional and device-based) in patients with pulmonary heart disease.
• In collaboration with the heart and lung transplant programs, learn donor management skills and donor procurement procedure and processes, as well as understanding the intraoperative procedures for lung and heart-lung transplantation and mechanical circulatory devices such as ventricular assist and ECMO.
• Learn how to evaluate and treat organ failure and mechanical circulatory support patients in a multidisciplinary team setting.
  • Perform post-procedure and long-term follow up.
  • Adjust medications with attending supervision.
• Participate in the evaluation of patients with implantable devices, hemodynamic monitors, and post-operative.
• Become aware of contemporary and investigational therapies for pulmonary hypertension, and participate in primary research projects.

The program offers specific training in:

• Dyspnea
  • Identify and characterize patients
  • Performance evaluation program
  • Right heart catheterization
  • Pulmonary angiography
  • Advanced cardiopulmonary exercise testing
• Pulmonary vascular disease
• Adult congenital heart disease
• Adult heart failure
• Critical care
  • Management of the failing patient
    • Tailored therapies
    • Mechanical assist devices
    • ECMO and ambulatory ECMO
    • Rescue therapies
  • Post-operative care following PTE
  • Right heart failure
  • Intensive care consultation in the Cardiac ICU
• Advanced lung failure – chronic disease management
  • Destination therapy
    • Tailored therapies
    • Mechanical assist devices
    • Ambulatory ECMO
    • Rescue therapies

Faculty for The Burke Fellowship in Pulmonary Hypertension are part of a multidisciplinary group, bringing together expertise from:

• Pulmonary Vascular Disease Program
• Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
• Congenital Heart Failure and Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program
• Pediatric Cardiology
• Center for Advanced Heart Failure/Cardiomyopathy
• Cardiovascular Imaging Program
• Cardiac Surgery
• Thoracic Surgery

Brigham and Women’s Hospital is a scientific, clinical, and academic powerhouse with a long history of firsts. We foster a shared commitment to predict, prevent, and treat the world’s toughest diseases. Our collaborations are changing the future of medicine, in Boston and beyond.

Our culture of providing excellence in patient care, teaching, and research affords an exceptional environment for clinical training and participation in exciting advances in basic and clinical research.

Committed to teaching and mentoring the next generation of leaders in medicine, our faculty is comprised of experienced clinicians who impart a breadth of knowledge and expertise during clinical rounds and in clinics. In addition, basic and clinical research mentors provide many research opportunities for residents and fellows. 

The duration of the clinical fellowship is one year with the option of a second year focusing on research. Full funding is available for those fellows wishing to pursue the research year. Program faculty will assist fellows in project support for additional training focused on research and academic career development. Opportunities are available across the spectrum of basic science, translational science, and clinical research in all aspects of pulmonary heart disease.

Applications are invited from physicians who have completed an ACGME accredited fellowship in either pulmonary and critical care medicine or cardiovascular medicine. 

We require the following documents to be submitted for a complete application to be reviewed:

• Curriculum vitae (CV)
• Personal statement
• Three letters of recommendation

Our deadline for receipt of your fellowship application and all supporting documents is September 1^st. Interviews are granted on a rolling basis by receipt date.

For additional information please contact:

Somer Kouzbari
Education Program Manager
Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
Brigham and Women’s Hospital
E-mail: skouzbari@bwh.harvard.edu
Telephone: (617) 732-5025

Each application is reviewed in its entirety by our selection committee with an eye toward a combination of overall clinical and academic excellence, leadership ability, career development potential, and personal character.

We interview approximately eight candidates for the program each year. Although we receive applications from many well-qualified candidates, it is not possible to interview all who apply. Those who are invited will be notified on a rolling basis based on the application receipt and review date, and a personal interview date will be arranged.

Applicants start the interview day at 8:00 a.m. with a meeting with Dr. Waxman, the program director, and then will have interviews with faculty and the current fellow. The current fellow will be available throughout the day to answer questions and give tours.

For the purposes of making travel arrangements, please see our hotel accommodations page for more information.