Interventional Cardiology Fellowship

Overview

The primary goal is to train future leaders in interventional cardiology by:

• Providing high quality clinical training in interventional cardiology and develop competent and independent practitioners in the field of interventional cardiology.
• Providing a broad didactic educational experience in interventional cardiology via a core curriculum lecture series and case review sessions with faculty.
• Providing an exposure to clinical investigation in interventional cardiology by promoting hypothesis generation and exploration using existing interventional cardiology databases across Mass General Brigham with the ultimate goals of abstract submission, presentation at a national meeting, and publication in peer-reviewed journals.
• Promoting technological advancements in the field through participation in clinical trials of novel devices and pharmacotherapies for use in percutaneous cardiovascular intervention.
• Promoting an environment of self-evaluation and practice improvement through participation in quality improvement conferences and quality improvement programs.

Unique aspects of the Mass General Brigham Interventional Cardiology Fellowship program include:

• 24 Attending faculty members from diverse backgrounds, unique clinical and technical skill sets.
• Quaternary referral center, complex patients requiring advanced therapies.
• Access to latest technologies, investigational devices.
• Fellows have primary role in clinical and procedural care, focus on critical thinking and technical skills.
• Emphasis on Heart Team approach, engagement of all members of cardiovascular team.
• Exposure to complex coronary interventions, peripheral interventions, structural heart procedures, and cardiogenic shock treatment.

Requirements

Successful completion of three years of an ACGME‑accredited cardiovascular disease fellowship program.

Curriculum

Over the course of the year, the 7 MGB interventional cardiology fellows will divide time between the MGH and the BWH/WRVA experiences. As the MGB hospital system serves as a tertiary referral center for patients with the most complex disease states, interventional fellows will learn the necessary skills and judgment to provide the most advanced, evidence-based care using the latest techniques and technologies available.

The MGH experience is centered in the Knight Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory on the 9th floor of the Blake Building of the MGH main campus. The laboratory is comprised of six state-of-the-art, high-resolution digital fluoroscopy units, as well as one minor procedure room. There are 15 full-time attending interventional cardiologists on faculty, with a range of subspecialty focus including complex PCI and chronic total occlusions, vascular medicine and intervention, structural heart disease and intervention, adult-congenital heart disease, microvascular disease, and others. More than 7,000 cardiac catheterizations are performed annually, over 1,800 of which are PCIs.

Four Interventional Cardiology Fellows at MGH rotate weekly through four distinct roles: one is assigned to a specific procedure room, focusing on diagnostic and interventional procedures, often in the most medically and technically complex patients; a second fellow “floats” to procedure rooms where intervention or complex diagnostic skills are required, including procedures for chronic total coronary occlusions; a third fellow serves as backup (second call) for interventional procedures; and a fourth fellow participates in outpatient clinics, research, or vacation time.

The BWH/WRVA experience spans two exemplary hospitals caring for a wide range of cardiovascular pathology and performing complex procedures. BWH is a 777-bed nonprofit teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School (HMS) and a founding member (along with Massachusetts General Hospital) of Mass General Brigham, an integrated health care delivery network. The Carl J. and Ruth Shapiro Cardiovascular Center is state-of-the-art multidisciplinary cardiovascular facility encompassing 350,000 square feet of clinical facilities, 136 inpatient beds, and 30 outpatient examination rooms. The team at the Heart and Vascular Center at BWH treats over 47,000 outpatients and 7,000 inpatients and performs more than 8,000 procedures, including vascular surgeries and peripheral vascular interventions, annually. The catheterization laboratory specifically performs more than 1,000 percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) a year and includes the busiest intracoronary brachy-therapy program in New England. The WRVA is part of the VA Boston Healthcare system and is a teaching affiliate of HMS. It has around 200 inpatient beds and serves as a tertiary care center for cardiovascular disease.

At any given time, 3 Mass General Brigham fellows will be rotating across the BWH/WRVA campus with two fellows on a given day at the Brigham and 1 at the VA. BWH Fellow 1 is designated as the fellow who is assigned the first interventional procedure of the day while BWH Fellow 2 supports with all additional fellow related duties such as interventional consults, addressing clinical concerns on the floors, and helping with removal of arterial sheaths. BWH Fellow 1 and 2 alternate interventional cases after the completion of the first interventional case. Daily workflow and patient care needs are coordinated between interventional fellows and a team of Physician Assistants throughout the day.

There is only one interventional fellow at the VA at any given time; this fellow is required to review the scheduled cases of the day with the attending and the VA interventional staff every morning. The fellow then often serves in the primary procedural role for diagnostic procedures, much like an attending, in conjunction with the rotating general cardiology fellow. The interventional fellow will also assist the attending with any coronary interventional procedures, and-- based on the day/workload-- may assist with structural interventional procedures as well.

Research Experience

Throughout the year, fellows are scheduled for protected time to pursue mentored research. During these periods, fellows are provided opportunities to participate in clinical trials, outcomes research, and translational research, with the goals to present abstracts at national meetings and submit manuscripts to peer-reviewed journals for publication.

How to Apply

Upload to ERAS the following documents (Program ID: 1522421029):

• CV.
• ERAS application.
• 3 Letters of Recommendation (one must be from current Program Director).
• Personal Statement.
• USMLE Exam Status Report.
• ECFMG Certificate if FMG/IMG.

Application Deadline: July 31st

Faculty Team

Pinak B. Shah, MD
Director of Interventional Cardiology

Douglas Drachman, MD
Program Director - Interventional Cardiology Fellowship
Ddrachman@mgb.org

Ajar Kochar, MD, MHS
Associate Program Director, Interventional Cardiology Fellowship
akochar@mgb.org

Nilay K. Patel, MD
Associate Program Director- Interventional Cardiology Fellowship

Kevin Croce, MD, PhD
Co-Director – Complex PCI Fellowship Program

Farouc Jaffer, MD, PhD
Co-Director – Complex PCI Fellowship Program

Robert Schainfeld, DO
Program Director- Vascular Diagnostic & Interventional

Ignacio Inglessis, MD
Director – Structural Heart Disease Program

Current Trainees

Jacob A. Burns, MD
Clinical and Research Fellow

Avinainder Singh, MBBS, MMSC
Clinical and Research Fellow

Ozan Unlu, MD
Clinical and Research Fellow

David I. Feldman, MD, MPH
Clinical and Research Fellow

Adam L. Johnson, MD
Clinical and Research Fellow

Anna C. O’Kelly, MD, MPhil
Clinical and Research Fellow

Dhiran Verghese, MD
Clinical and Research Fellow