Adult Cardiology Fellowship Training

The cardiology fellowship program at UTMB has a long-standing reputation of preparing talented internists for successful careers in academic and private practice cardiology. Previous fellows have attained faculty positions or opportunities for further training at other prestigious institutions such as Emory, Georgetown, the University of Oklahoma, the University of North Carolina, the Mayo Clinic and the University of Texas in Houston. Those choosing private practice careers have likewise found rewarding positions, even in "tight" urban markets where competition of entry and survival is high.

The three-year cardiology fellowship is accredited by the ACGME and consists of 24 to 30 months of clinical cardiology and 6 to 12 months of research. Following completion, fellows will be eligible for certification in Cardiovascular Diseases by the American Board of Internal Medicine.

During their clinical rotations, the fellows manage both inpatients and outpatients who present with a wide variety of complex, and often severe, forms of cardiovascular disease. They learn to perform and interpret many cardiovascular tests and procedures including electrocardiography, exercise and pharmacologic stress testing, echocardiography and cardiac catheterization, and they receive good exposure to cardiac electrophysiology. Throughout their training, faculty supervision provides guidance that both enhances learning and fosters the fellow's ability to think independently. Fellows completing this program are distinguished by their mature clinical judgment.

Another important objective of training at UTMB is familiarity with the principals and practice of research, which broadens the fellows' intellectual competence by furthering their ability to think independently and critically. There are many opportunities for both clinical and basic research both within the Cardiology Division and with collaborating investigators in Cardiothoracic Surgery and Pathology. Fellows are expected to engage in a project with the intent to publish or present an abstract or manuscript within the three-year period of their fellowship.

Finally, Cardiology fellows at UTMB are exposed to an excellent assortment of didactic and interactive conferences held regularly throughout the week. The fellows are actively involved in teaching medical residents, interns, and medical students, and have over the years produced and presented high quality conferences that provide Continuing Medical Education credits for themselves and for the Faculty. The presentations are available on the UTMB Cardiology web page (along with other information and an application form for the fellowship program) and have been frequently visited as a resource by web browsers from across the country (see http://www.cardiology.utmb.edu). 

Reappointment each year is based upon satisfactory completion of all requirements and obligations during the previous year of training.

Applications will be accepted through the ERAS system. The deadline for accepting applications through ERAS will be the second Friday in January

Cardiology Interventional Fellowship

The Cardiology interventional fellowship is under the direction of Charles Y. Lui, M.D., and is accredited by the ACGME to train two individuals for one year in the fundamentals of interventional cardiology. The spectrum of coronary interventional and diagnostic procedures is offered, including balloon angioplasty, stenting, atherectomy, rheolytic thrombectomy, distal protection devices, pressure and flow wire technology, and intravascular ultrasound. Mitral and aortic valvuloplasty procedures are also provided on selected patients and are part of the training program. In addition, the Fellow will also learn the fundamentals of vascular disease in the non-coronary circulation and become proficient in interventions in the peripheral, renal, carotid, and aortic vessels. a didactic course in Interventional Cardiology, a conference to discuss interesting cases and decision-making issues, and a  monthly Continuing Process Catheterization Laboratory are integral parts of the curriculum.

All applicants to the Cardiology Interventional Fellowship Program must satisfactorily complete a three-year general cardiology fellowship in an ACGME approved program and be eligible for ABIM certification in Cardiovascular Diseases.

Applications will be accepted through the ERAS system. 

Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Fellowship at UTMB

The Advanced Heart failure and Transplant Medicine Fellowship Training is the newest addition to the Division of Cardiology here at University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. Under the supervision of Dr Alejandro Barbagelata (Director, Heart Failure and Transplant), the main objective of this fellowship program is to provide an academic and clinically challenging training and to develop outstanding skills in managing advanced heart failure and pre & post-cardiac transplant patients. This training will prepare a fellow to function as a competent advanced heart failure specialist and an accomplished clinical investigator in the field of heart failure research.

This is a one year fellowship training with one fellow selected every year. This is not an ACGME accredited program and that training credit can not be granted towards the 36 months required in Cardiology. The fellow will need to be board eligible or board certified in Internal Medicine, having successfully completed a minimum of three year post-graduate training from an accredited residency program or a fellowship in General Cardiology. The first fellow selected for this opportunity for training in advanced heart failure was Dr Nasir Z Sulemanjee (2005-06) from UTMB.

The fellow are required to complete at least 8-9 months of in-patient heart failure consult service, 1-2 months of basic or clinical research, 1 month of in-patient cardiac transplant rotation with cardiothoracic surgery and at least 1 month dedicated to training in echocardiography.  Furthermore, the fellow also have the opportunity to participate and learn pertinent invasive and non-invasive procedures such as bi-ventricular pacing, right heart catherization, intra-aortic balloon pump, LVAD and other assist devices, endomyocardial biopsies and swan-ganz catheter placement, all of which are essential to the training in advanced heart failure specialty.

The fellow is expected to participate in and accomplish scientific writing activities as well as presentations at regional and national meetings, if possible. Throughout the year of clinical training, the fellow is required to participate in the Heart Failure out-patient clinics at UTMB. It is the intent of the fellowship administration to individualize training within ACGME and ACC/AHA guidelines to optimize each fellow’s opportunities for a career in academic and/or clinical cardiology.

To obtain an application for the advanced heart failure and transplant training program, please contact Sharon Briscoe by email or phone (409)772-1533. If you need any further information, please contact the offices of Alejandro Barbagelata, M.D., Professor of Medicine, Director of Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant, 301 University Boulevard, Suite 5.106 JSA, Galveston, Texas 77555-0553.

Cardiology Fellows

First Year

Chantal El Amm	Christopher Haddad	Xiushi (Suzy) Liu	Vince Nguyen	Umamahesh Rangesety	Hussein Yamani

Second Year

Bobby Chen	Jason Jayroe	Wissam Khalife	Sanjay Kunapuli	Shreyas Modi	Nasir Sulemanjee

Third Year

Oscar Paniagua	Mehreen Qureshi	Gocha Saliashvili	Randy Zarraga

Interventional

Shea Hailey	Jonathan Greifenkamp	Jennifer Rodriguez

Heart Failure

Saurabh Rastogi