Structural Heart Disease Fellowship

Overview

Interventional therapies for structural heart disease continue to expand. There is a growing interest among trainees in interventional cardiology to gain formal training in this arena.

The mission of the Structural Heart Disease Training Program at Mass General Brigham is to provide advanced training in structural interventions with exposure to congenital heart disease intervention and to train the future leaders in the field. The goals of the program are to:

1. Provide high quality clinical training in structural heart disease evaluation and intervention and to develop competent and independent practitioners in the field.
2. Provide a broad didactic educational experience in structural heart disease via a core curriculum lecture series and case review sessions with faculty.
3. Provide an exposure to clinical investigation in structural heart disease by promoting hypothesis generation and exploration using existing interventional cardiology databases within Mass General Brigham with the ultimate goal of abstract submission, presentation at a national meeting, and publication in a peer-reviewed journal.
4. Promote technological advancements in the field through participation in clinical trials of novel devices and pharmacotherapies for use in structural heart interventions.
5. Promote an environment of self-evaluation and practice improvement through participation in quality improvement conferences and quality improvement programs.
6. Gain independence and solidify skills in structural heart interventions with independent (yet supervised) practice in PCI to maintain coronary skills.

Requirements

• Completion of three years of an ACGME-accredited Cardiovascular Disease fellowship program.
• Completion of a one-year ACGME-accredited Interventional Cardiology fellowship program.

Curriculum

A considerable amount of training will also be spent in the catheterization laboratory where trainees will gain training in the following areas:

Structural Heart Disease Assessment and Intervention

1. Valvular Heart Disease:

• Aortic:

  • Balloon aortic valvuloplasty.
  • Trans-catheter aortic valve replacement- this will be the most commonly performed procedure during training. Trainees will gain experience with all FDA approved platforms and devices that are in clinical trials.
  • Aortic paravalvular leak closure.

• Mitral:

  • Balloon mitral valvotomy.
  • Trans-catheter edge to edge repair.
  • Trans-catheter mitral valve replacement.
  • Mitral paravalvular leak closure.

• Tricuspid:

  • Trans-catheter tricuspid edge to edge repair.
  • Trans-catheter tricuspid valve replacement.

2. Other Structural Heart Disease:

• PFO closure.
• ASD closure.
• PDA closure.
• LAA occlusion.
• Paravalvular leak closure.

Trainees will also engage in non-procedural activities to further their exposure to structural heart interventions. These include:

1. Monthly Quality Assurance (Morbidity and Mortality) Conferences: All trainees are required to attend all conferences and will be the primary presenter for several of the conferences during the course of the year. During the conferences, the trainee will discuss key cases with a faculty member that raise an area where care can be improved to improve overall outcomes for our patients. The trainee will be expected to use literature to develop protocols that will lead to fewer complications and improved procedural outcomes.
2. Participation in Quality Improvement Initiatives in the cardiac catheterization laboratory.
3. Journal Club: Trainees will be required to attend a periodically scheduled journal club and present at several of the sessions journal clubs. A recently published article that has potential to change standard of care will be chosen by the trainee and a faculty member. The article will be discussed in detail with a critical appraisal of the data discussed and recommendations for changes in clinical practice that may improve patient outcome.

How to Apply

Upload the following documents here by July 31 of the year prior to start of the academic year:

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

Faculty Team

Pinak Shah, MD
Program Director, Structural Heart Disease
Pbshah@bwh.harvard.edu

Nilay K. Patel
MGH Site Director – Structural Heart Disease

David Gross, MD, PhD
Interventional and Structural Heart Disease Physician

Mohammad Mustehsan, MD
Interventional and Structural Heart Disease Physician

Piotr Sobieszczyk, MD
Interventional and Structural Heart Disease Physician

Ada Stefanescu, MD
Interventional and ACHD Physician

Dhaval Kolte, MD, PhD
Interventional and Structural Heart Disease Physician, and Clinical Investigator

Rahul Sakhuja, MD
Interventional, Vascular Intervention, and Structural Heart Disease Physician