Vascular and Endovascular Surgical Fellowship

The fellowship is structured to provide fellows with exposure to the breadth of vascular pathology, as well as developing a strong clinical foundation, with an emphasis on clinical independence and autonomy. We match one to two fellows per year, who each rotate between open and endovascular rotations, as well as rotations at our affiliated community hospital South Shore, Interventional Cardiology, Interventional Nephrology, Vascular Medicine, Vascular Lab and professional development time. Fellows also participate in spine exposures at the nearby and eminent orthopedic Baptist Hospital. Our first- and second-year fellows rotate between these rotations and share responsibility for patient care. Call is every third night and every third weekend and is split evenly between the fellows, who take calls from home. Fellows are provided with lead and leaded goggles.

Key

BWH-O – Open Fellow, Brigham

One of our core clinical rotations, the “open fellow,” does all open procedures and staffs the consult list. This is the busiest of our rotations, with an emphasis on operative exposure and autonomy.

BWH-E – Endo Fellow, Brigham

Another core clinical rotation, the “endo fellow,” is responsible for endovascular procedures, including EVAR, TEVAR, FEVAR, TCAR and cath lab cases.

SSH – South Shore Hospital

A busy clinical rotation at our affiliated community hospital with exposure to OR and cath lab cases, including complex limb salvage, aortic disease and carotid disease.

VDL – Vascular Diagnostic Lab

Time spent in the vascular diagnostic lab, as well as working with our multidisciplinary team to prepare for the RPVI.

IC – Interventional Cardiology

Rotation with the Interventional Cardiology team gaining exposure in alternative endovascular tools and techniques.

IR – Interventional Radiology

Exposure to interventional radiology, including arterial cases, advanced embolization and venous disease.

CV – Vascular Medicine

Time spent with the Brigham vascular medicine team and leaders in their field, with a focus on exposure to the medical management of vascular disease.

PD – Professional Development

Read more about professional development time below.

The division maintains a number of educational conferences, both targeted specifically at the fellows, as well as the Brigham general surgery trainees and Harvard Medical students. A dedicated fellow teaching conference mirrors the recommendations for the clinical and basic science curriculum laid out by the Association of Program Directors in Vascular Surgery (APDVS). Conference is taught by world leaders in the fields of vascular surgery, vascular medicine, cardiac surgery, vascular radiology and nephrology.

Fellows are responsible for organizing a weekly division conference with rotating topics, including Indications Conference, Journal Club, Division Morbidity and Mortality Conference, topic specific teaching, research talks and invited speakers.

The division also joins a number of multidisciplinary conferences supported by the Brigham, including Aortic Conference and Vascular Medicine Conference.

VESAP is provided to the fellows, as well as access to teaching materials, Rutherford, Moore and additional texts as needed.

Fellows are expected to attend and present at regional and national meetings, supported by the division, including:

• Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) Vascular Annual Meeting
• New England Society for Vascular Surgery (NESVS)
• Society for Clinical Vascular Surgery Annual Symposium
• VEITHsymposium
• Wesley Moore Review Course

Fellows are expected to participate in scholarly activity with the goal of regional or national presentation. Prior fellows have pursued outcomes research, translational science and app development. Access is available to a number of national and local databases, including VQI, NSQIP, Medicare and NIS datasets, as well as locally maintained retrospective data. Statistical support is available within the division, as well as through the Brigham Department of Surgery Center for Surgery and Public Health (CSPH).

Unique to our program is a six to eight week dedicated professional development block, where fellows are free to design a tailored experience to further their training based on their professional goals. With support from the division, prior fellows have chosen to travel abroad to explore advanced endovascular techniques or have completed the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) Summer Program in Clinical Effectiveness.

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 in 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 surgeons and 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.

Brigham and Women's Hospital Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery faculty are board-certified vascular surgeons with full-time academic appointments at Harvard Medical School.

• Michael Belkin, MD - Chief of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery
• Garima Dosi, MD
• Edwin C. Gravereaux, MD
• Mohamad Hussain, MD, PhD
• Edward Marcaccio, Jr., MD
• Kevin McBride, MD
• Matthew T. Menard, MD - Program Director
• Louis L. Nguyen, MD, MBA, MPH
• C. Keith Ozaki, MD
• Marcus Semel, MD - Associate Program Director

Bryan Dieffenbach, MD
Undergraduate: UC San Diego
Medical School: UC San Diego
Residency: Brigham
Clinical Interests: limb salvage, complex vascular reconstruction, vascular trauma
Hobbies: spending time with family and friends

Rebecca Scully, MD, MPH
Undergraduate: Dartmouth
Medical School: Dartmouth
Residency: Brigham
Clinical Interests: Limb salvage, complex vascular reconstruction
Hobbies: Playing with her daughter Sophia

Andrew Servais, MD
Undergraduate: Cornell
Medical School: Tufts
Residency: Tufts
Clinical Interests: Limb salvage, aortic disease
Hobbies: Winter sports, his dog, hiking with his wife

• 2021: AJ Soo Hoo, MD
• 2020: Gaurav Sharma, MD; Jillian Walsh, MD
• 2019: Christine Lotto, MD
• 2018: Stuart Blackwood, MD
• 2017: Dean Arnaoutakis, MD
• 2016: Samir Shah, MD
• 2015: Edward McGillicuddy, MD
• 2014: Marcus Semel, MD, MPH
• 2013: Karen Ho, MD
• 2012: James McPhee, MD
• 2011: Neal Barshes, MD
• 2010: Richard Bafford, MD
• 2009: William Robinson, MD
• 2008: T. Tec Chong, MD
• 2007: Andres Schanzer, MD
• 2006: Christopher Owens, MD, MSc
• 2005: Louis Nguyen, MD, MBA, MPH
• 2004: Leslie Cunningham, MD, PhD
• 2003: Matthew Menard, MD
• 2002: Amy Reed, MD
• 2001: David Chew, MD
• 2000: John Lantis, MD
• 1999: Gilbert Upchurch Jr, MD
• 1998: Mark Sebastian, MD
• 1997: James Estes, MD
• 1996: James Knox, MD
• 1995: Lewis Schwartz, MD

Brigham and Women’s Hospital is located in the Longwood Medical and Academic Area in Boston, Massachusetts. It is Harvard Medical School's second largest teaching affiliate. Along with Massachusetts General Hospital, it is one of the two founding members of Mass General Brigham, the largest health care provider in Massachusetts. Fellows have access to a dedicated hybrid room, the cath lab, interventional nephrology suite, and vascular lab. Dedicated office space and a call room are also provided.

Applications for the fellowship are accepted December through January from physicians who will have completed a five-year ACGME-accredited general surgery residency by the time the vascular program begins in August. We accept one or two fellows on an alternating annual basis for a total of three fellows at any one time.

The vascular fellowship position is filled each year via the Vascular Surgery Match sponsored by the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP). All applicants must register with the NRMP in addition to submitting an application to our program. Applicants participate in the vascular match during their general surgery PGY-4 year, matching for a position to begin following completion of their PGY-5 year.

Applicants must also request an application from the AAMC Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). Programs participating in ERAS may only accept those application materials sent electronically through ERAS. We will not accept any additional supporting documents by mail.

We require the following documents to be available for download through ERAS for a complete application to be reviewed:

• Curriculum vitae (CV)
• Medical school transcript
• Personal statement
• Dean's letter
• Three letters of recommendation
• USMLE transcript
• ABS in-training exam scores

Each application is reviewed in its entirety with a focus toward a combination of overall academic excellence, leadership ability, career development potential and personal character.

We interview approximately 15 to 20 candidates for the vascular surgery program each year. Although we receive applications from many well-qualified candidates, it is not possible to interview all who apply. Every effort is made to notify applicants of their interview status in a timely manner.

Interview Dates

Fellowship interviews will be held virtually in spring 2022 at Brigham and Women's Hospital. We do not schedule any individual interview dates outside of the scheduled group interview date.

Interview Format

Due to travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, we will be performing interviews virtually this year. There will be a meet-and-greet session with the current fellows, as well as the opportunity to hear more about our program and to interview with each of our faculty members.