University of Washington
School of Medicine
Cardiology Fellowship
University of Washington Medical Center
Program Summary
Prerequisites
UW Affiliated Hospitals
Clinical Training
Teaching Conferences
Research
Appointments/Stipends/ Benefits
Prerequisites include completion of an accredited three-year residency in internal medicine, outstanding clinical skills, and demonstration of prior research interest and experience. Because of the critical role that research training plays in the formation of future academic cardiologists, close attention is paid by the fellowship selection committee to applicants’ aptitude for and experience in research. Moreover, all fellows are expected to conduct substantive research during their fellowship training, including submission of a competitive grant application, participation in mentored research activities (such as research meetings and talks), and publication of results of their work.
Fellows rotate through the four-affiliated University of Washington Hospitals.
The University of Washington Medical Center (UWMC) is a 450-bed hospital with a 46-bed medical/surgical critical care center. Clinical cardiology at the University of Washington Medical Center includes specialized units in cardiac catheterization, echocardiography, clinical electrophysiology, cardiac transplantation, nuclear cardiology, advanced cardiovascular imaging, and cardiothoracic surgery.
Harborview Medical Center (HMC) is a 413 bed, county owned institution managed by the University of Washington, with 65 critical care beds. An active coronary care unit service, cardiology clinics and consultation service, echocardiography, and cardiac catheterization laboratories are based at this Medical Center.
The Seattle Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) has 268 beds with 82 beds assigned to the medical service, including 18 medical intensive care/coronary care unit beds. The cardiology service at the VA Medical Center includes an active cardiac catheterization laboratory, inpatient and outpatient clinical cardiology, electrocardiography, echocardiography, nuclear cardiology, and cardiac rehabilitation.
Northwest Hospital & Medical Center (NWH) is a full-service community hospital, has 281 beds located just north of Seattle. The cardiology service at NWH offers elective rotation experience in cardiac catheterization, cardiac rehabilitation, and peripheral artery disease management.
Echocardiography rotation
Clinical rotations are scheduled over a 24-month consecutive time block and include:
- Cardiac Catheterization and Angiography (UWMC, HMC and VAMC)
- Echocardiography (UWMC and HMC)
- Coronary Care Units (HMC and UWMC)
- Nuclear Cardiology (UWMC)
- Electrophysiology, Electrocardiography, and Device Follow-up (UWMC)
- Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology (UWMC)
- Cardiology Consult Services and Cardiac Rehabilitation (UWMC)
- Adult Congenital Heart Disease (UWMC)
- Outpatient continuity clinics (1/2 day per week) during all years of training, plus rotations in Lipid Clinic.
Cardiology Grand Rounds are weekly lectures on topics of current research and clinical interest. Grand Rounds are given in rotation by the cardiology faculty, visiting lecturers, and the cardiology fellows.
Weekly Cardiology Tutorials provide a comprehensive introduction to cardiovascular disease with emphasis on pathophysiology, pathology, pharmacology, diagnostic imaging techniques, and research methods. Tutorial topics also include important aspects of cardiac surgery, pulmonary medicine and peripheral vascular disease.
A weekly collaborative conference between cardiology, cardiac anesthesia, and cardiac surgery is presented conjointly by the cardiac surgery and cardiology fellows. This conference focuses on clinical patient management.
Other conferences include Cardiology Research Conference (monthly), Cardiology Journal Club (which is organized and presented by the fellows), Adult Congenital Heart Disease Conference, EP Conferences, Division QI meetings and other lectures/conferences scheduled throughout the year by the Department and School of Medicine. In addition, fellows are strongly encouraged to attend one national scientific meeting annually. Partial support for travel is provided.
Research training
Cardiology Division faculty and staff carry out laboratory-based, clinical, and population-based research. Their projects are aimed at understanding the causes of cardiovascular diseases, evaluating current therapies, and developing new therapies as well as preventive strategies. Projects cover a broad spectrum of cardiovascular diseases including atherosclerosis, arrhythmias, heart failure, congenital cardiovascular disease, cardiovascular imaging, and valvular heart disease. A list of current faculty research interests is available.
The University of Washington is one of the largest, best supported, and most productive research universities in the world. Cardiology fellows have access to an extremely broad spectrum of outstanding research training programs at the University of Washington Medical Center and at affiliated institutions such as Harborview Medical Center, the VA Puget Sound Medical Center, the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, the Puget Sound Blood Center, the Institute for Systems Biology, and the Northwest Lipid Research Laboratory. Research opportunities are available in laboratory-based, clinical, and population-based research.
Many of our cardiology fellows pursue research training under the guidance of a member of the Cardiology Division. A list of faculty research interests is available, as is a listing of recent fellow research projects and fellow publications.
Many of our fellows, especially those who have chosen to develop a significant research component to their careers, have pursued research training through the Cardiovascular Research Training Program, which supports both laboratory-based and clinical research. The Cardiovascular Pathology Training Program also supports research training for fellows who have a strong aptitude for and interest in laboratory-based research.
Many of our fellows who are interested in population-based research have trained in the Cardiovascular Health Research Unit, which focuses on the epidemiology and prevention of cardiovascular diseases.
The University was recently awarded a Clinical and Translational Science Award by the National Institutes of Health to establish the University of Washington Institute of Translational Health Sciences. The Institute provides training opportunities in clinical investigation and other types of translational research.
Details of the Fellowship Position Agreement for the University of Washington are available at:
http://uwmedicine.washington.edu/Education/Graduate-Medical-Education/Prospective-Residents-and-Fellows/Pages/default.aspx
After beginning training, most fellows will be reappointed to successive years of training, but this is not binding upon either the Fellow or the Program Director. Fellows in the standard program will not be trained for board eligibility in interventional cardiology, electrophysiology, or advanced heart failure/cardiac transplantation which all require a separate fourth (or fifth) year of clinical training. A fourth year of research training requires special arrangement with the program Director and research mentor and usually is dependent on research funding.
Stipends are reviewed annually and determined at the Institutional level. As of July 1, 2012, the monthly rate for an R4 (first year Cardiology Fellows) was $4,651. These salaries are adjusted annually. Medical insurance and basic life insurance are provided to all fellows and their dependents. Supplemental life insurance, disability insurance, and retirement benefits also are available through the university. All Cardiology Fellows receive three weeks of vacation per year.
Fellows organize evening and weekend call schedules in all three years of training. Currently, the first year fellows are on-call an average of every 4th night/weekend and second year fellows every 5th night/weekend. Fellows in the research year are on-call one weekday/month and 3 weekends/year. Cardiology Fellows are entitled to staff privileges at the University, including use of the library and the Intramural Sports Activities Building.
For more information, go to the
University of Washington benefits office web site.
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