Cardiovascular Medicine

Fellowships in Advanced Clinical Cardiology are available in the following specialties:
Advanced Heart Disease (Heart Failure/Heart Transplant)
Noninvasive Cardiology
Vascular Medicine
Arrhythmia Services
Interventional Cardiology

Advanced Heart Disease Fellowship (Heart Failure/Heart Transplant)

The Brigham and Women’s Advanced Heart Disease Program offers advanced training in the evaluation and multiple management strategies for patients with advanced heart failure.  This senior fellow will participate in the inpatient and outpatient management of a wide spectrum of patients with advanced heart failure from initial diagnosis to consideration of high-risk cardiac surgery, cardiac transplantation, mechanical circulatory support, and end-of-life care.  The one-year fellowship will include 8-10 months of inpatient service centered in the Advanced Cardiac Therapies Unit, also including co-management of early post-operative patients with cardiac transplants and mechanical support devices.  Particular focus will be on hemodynamic assessment (using physical examination, echocardiography, intravascular monitoring, and cardiopulmonary exercise testing), genetic bases of cardiomyopathy, vasoactive therapy, and pharmacologic and mechanical strategies to restore volume balance.  Additional time is devoted to continuity clinic experiences, including regular participation in Cardiomyopathy Clinic, outpatient Cardiac Transplant Clinic, and ambulatory VAD (ventricular assist device) Clinic.  Particular emphasis is devoted to 1) interpretation of physiologic information from echocardiography, hemodynamic monitoring, and cardiopulmonary exercise testing, 2) decision-making and communication around risks and options for individual patients, and 3) effective team management for patients at home.  All fellows will participate actively in the multiple ongoing research projects and will undertake at least one independent research project for presentation and publication.   Fellows seeking full cardiac transplant certification will also participate in organ procurement, endomyocardial biopsy training, interpretation of endomyocardial biopsy pathology, and New England transplant consortium meetings. Combined training in heart failure and the implantation and follow-up of pacing/defibrillator devices is also available, requiring a total of two-three years of training and combined application to the Heart Failure and Electrophysiology fellowship training programs.

This training program is designed to meet the anticipated clinical requirements for Advanced Heart Failure certification as currently under consideration by the American Board of Internal Medicine.  With the inclusion of the additional focused cardiac transplantation experience as described above, this fellowship will meet requirements for UNOS certification as a Transplant Cardiologist. 

It is anticipated that applicants will have completed at least 2 years of cardiology training and be fully eligible for a medical training license in the state of Massachusetts. Preference will be given to those applicants demonstrating commitment to academic careers in the area of advanced heart failure and its applications.  Interested fellows should submit a cover letter and CV to Lynne Warner Stevenson, lstevenson@partners.org or Michael M. Givertz, mgivertz@partners.org. Those applicants meeting initial requirements will be asked to submit two letters of recommendation, after which personal interviews will be scheduled with the section faculty in Boston or at national scientific meetings.

Noninvasive Cardiology Fellowship

The Noninvasive Cardiac Laboratory at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School offers a one-year clinical fellowship in Noninvasive Cardiac Imaging. This fellowship will lead towards advanced (American Society of Echocardiography Level III) expertise in echocardiography, including transthoracic, transesophageal, and stress echocardiography. Fellows' major day-to-day responsibilities will be the facilitation, performance, and interpretation of transesophageal echocardiograms, reading of transthoracic echocardiograms, and guidance of housestaff with the diagnosis and management of cardiovascular in- and outpatients. They will also learn emerging techniques in echocardiography, intra-operative echocardiography, and guidance of percutaneous interventions; exposure to cardiac MRI, CT, and congenital heart disease occurs on a case-by-case basis. More advanced training in these modalities may be pursued after 1 year. Fellows are encouraged to pursue echo-based research or participate in ongoing clinical trials research. Qualified applicants must be board certified in internal medicine and have finished 2 or 3 years of cardiology fellowship at an ACGME-accredited institution. Please contact: Justina Wu, MD, Associate Director, Noninvasive Cardiac Laboratory, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, 75 Francis St., Boston, MA 02115. Fax 617-264-5199 or e-mail: jcwu@partners.org.

In addition to clinical fellowships, appropriate candidates are invited to apply for full-time research fellowships in noninvasive cardiology. Inquiries regarding research fellowships should be directed to Dr. Scott D. Solomon, Director, Noninvasive Cardiac Laboratory (email:  ssolomon@rics.bwh.harvard.edu).

Vascular Medicine Fellowship

The Cardiovascular Medicine Division offers advanced fellowship training in Vascular Medicine. Brigham and Women's Hospital is a recipient of a NIH Clinical and Research Training Program for Academic Vascular Medicine Specialists. The primary goal of the training program is to prepare trainees to be outstanding vascular medicine specialists involved in clinical care, research and education.  Vascular Medicine fellows will receive a minimum of 12 months of clinical training and 24 months of mentored research training.  

Vascular medicine comprises arterial, venous, and lymphatic disease as well as those systemic disorders that predispose to vascular disease. These diseases include atherosclerosis (peripheral arterial disease, renovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease), thrombosis (venous thromboembolism), chronic venous and lymphatic diseases, hypertension, dyslipidemias, vasospastic disorders, vasculitis, and diseases of the autonomic nervous system.

The clinical training will include both inpatient and outpatient consultation, as well as noninvasive vascular laboratory, and vascular imaging. Fellows will also spend several months in the Vascular Diagnostic Laboratory to develop expertise in performing and interpreting noninvasive vascular tests such as duplex ultrasonography, segmental pressure measurements, and pulse volume recordings. Fellows will spend 1-2 months in the Cardiovascular Imaging Laboratory and 1-2 months in the Catheterization and Interventional Radiology Laboratories.  These rotations will allow the trainee to acquire fundamental knowledge about vascular magnetic resonance and computed tomographic imaging; and gain an appreciation for peripheral angiography and catheter-based endovascular interventions used to manage patients with a variety of vascular disorders. An additional 1-2 months will be spent on the Vascular Surgery service to develop an appreciation of the complex and extensive nature of vascular surgical procedures, and to participate in the postoperative care of patients undergoing vascular surgery. Following clinical training, vascular medicine fellows will be eligible to take the American Board of Vascular Medicine’s examination in Vascular Medicine. 

The clinical research training involves a didactic comprehensive clinical research curriculum and mentored clinical research activities that will prepare the trainees for careers as independent clinical investigators.   There are four major components to the didactic research curriculum and these can be tailored to the needs, interests, and goals of each trainee. These include the Harvard School of Public Health Clinical Effectiveness Program, the Harvard Clinical Scholar’s Program, the Center for Clinical Investigation seminar series, and the Partners Program in the Responsible Conduct of Research. In addition, Vascular Medicine fellows will work closely with research mentors to develop and conduct clinical research in vascular medicine.  In the aggregate, these opportunities will provide the Vascular Medicine fellow with a strong foundation in epidemiology, clinical study design, experimental techniques, biostatistics, bioethics, responsible conduct, regulatory compliance, manuscript writing, grant preparation, and prepare the trainee for an academic career in Vascular Medicine.

Direct inquires to mcreager@partners.org.

To learn more about the Vascular Medicine fellowship, click here.

To obtain an application packet click here.

Arrhythmia Fellowship

The Cardiac Electrophysiology Fellowship Program is a comprehensive one- to two-year training period in all aspects of cardiac arrhythmia management. In the Clinical Electrophysiology Laboratory, the fellow receives training in catheter placement and manipulation, programmed electrical stimulation, and interpretation of intracardiac recordings. The fellow plays an active role during catheter ablation procedures for both atrial and ventricular arrhythmias. The fellow also receives in-depth training in implantation, interrogation and follow-up of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs). The fellows clinical responsibilities include making rounds on all inpatient cardiac arrhythmia patients and providing consultative services to the entire hospital with regard to cardiac arrhythmias. Training is also received in outpatient evaluation and management of cardiac arrhythmias, and in follow-up of patients with implantable devices. Additional training in pacemaker implantation is available as well. Direct inquiries to wstevenson@partners.org.

Interventional Fellowship

Heart Failure Fellowship (see Advanced Heart Disease Fellowship at top)

Heart Transplant Fellowship (see Advanced Heart Disease Fellowship at top)