Critical Care Cardiology Fellowship
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Explore This Fellowship
Overview
The Cardiology Critical Care Fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital is a joint effort between the MGH Heart Center and the Harvard Combined Pulmonary/Critical Care Fellowship Program. The cardiology critical care fellow will be a member of the Cardiology Division and simultaneously integrated into the ABIM-accredited Pulmonary/Critical Care Program for rotation experiences and didactics.
This immersive 12-month fellowship provides a senior cardiology fellow with extensive experience in diverse critical care environments, including cardiac, cardiac surgical, medical, surgical, and neurosciences intensive care units. Rotating fellows will also have specialty experiences in interventional pulmonology, the cardiac operating room, and with mechanical circulatory support and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation teams, in addition to electives.
Curriculum
The goal of the fellowship is to train subspecialty critical care cardiologists who can practice in contemporary tertiary and quaternary cardiac intensive care units and cardiac surgical intensive care units, and who can function as unit directors.
Specific aims include:
- Physical examination skills of the critically ill patient.
- Management of acute respiratory failure and mechanical ventilation.
- Assessment and treatment of cardiogenic shock and mixed shock.
- Advanced hemodynamic assessments, including synthesizing data from invasive hemodynamic monitoring devices, pulmonary arterial tracings, systemic arterial tracings, and central oximetry.
- Treatment of acute heart failure, including mechanical circulatory support strategy selection and maintenance, and cardiac transplant evaluation.
- Treatment of acute cardiac emergencies, including tamponade, acute valvular disease, acute coronary syndrome, dysrhythmias, cardiac and respiratory arrest, and acute pulmonary embolism.
- Post-cardiotomy critical care, including assessment of hemodynamics, ventilation, bleeding, organ dysfunction, and neurologic function.
- Management of acute kidney injury and renal replacement therapies.
- Principles of infection diagnosis and management in critical care.
- Critical care nutrition and quality in the modern ICU.
- Critical care ultrasonography.
- Ethics and palliative care principles.
- Contemporary ICU procedures, including central venous procedures and bronchoscopy.
Mass General is not only the primary general hospital for surrounding communities but also a referral center for critically ill patients from across the Eastern United States and internationally. The MGH Cardiac Intensive Care Unit has over 1,000 admissions per year, and the MGH Cardiac Surgery Division performs nearly 2,000 cases annually. Fellows can expect to encounter varied and challenging cases in their training.
The fellow will also have the opportunity to serve as an educator in their clinical roles, especially for more junior fellows, interns, and residents, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants.
Structured Learning and Conference Curriculum
The Cardiology Critical Care Fellowship includes structured didactic sessions and clinical conferences:
- Weekly fellow didactics are held on Thursday, with a physiology conference on Monday, a clinical conference on Friday, and a research conference on Tuesday, aligning with the Pulmonary/Critical Care Fellowship.
- Fellows may also attend cardiology or pulmonary Grand Rounds on Wednesday, as well as anesthesia and surgery Grand Rounds on Thursdays.
- Monthly Grand Rounds are conducted in the Heart Center ICU.
- There are regular weekly didactics and meetings in heart failure, transplant, and mechanical circulatory support, including transplant meetings, VAD meetings, and section didactics.
- Additionally, fellows can participate in the offerings of the Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship, such as the Cath Lab conference, fellows’ clinical conference, and various imaging and subspecialty conferences (e.g., aortic disease, ACHD).
Fellows are expected to present at Heart Center ICU Grand Rounds, as well as critical care and cardiology conferences.
Requirements
To be eligible for the MGH Cardiology Critical Care Fellowship, applicants must meet the following requirements:
- Successfully completed an accredited cardiovascular diseases fellowship training program.
- Passed all three United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) steps.
- Board certified or board eligible in cardiovascular diseases by the ABIM.
- Eligible for a Massachusetts full or limited license.
How to Apply
One position is expected to be available per academic year. The fellowship calendar aligns with the ERAS fellowship timeline. Prospective applicants should apply by June 30 of the year before their intended matriculation.
To apply, please submit the following documents in one PDF file:
- Curriculum vitae
- One-page personal statement outlining your interest in the Critical Care Cardiology Fellowship and your plans post-fellowship
- USMLE transcripts
- Residency and fellowship transcript
- Two letters of recommendation
Submit to:
David M. Dudzinski, MD, JD
Massachusetts General Hospital
55 Fruit Street
Boston, MA 02114
Phone: 617-724-4126
Meet Our Fellows
- 2024-2025: Dr. Alexandra B. Steverson completed her general cardiology fellowship at Stanford University. She has a keen interest in echocardiography, heart failure, and disparities.
- 2022-2023: Dr. Rachel C. Frank completed her general cardiology, echocardiography, and critical care cardiology fellowships at Mass General. She currently works as an echocardiographer and critical care cardiologist at Johns Hopkins University, focusing on women’s health, education, and cardiac arrest.
- 2021-2022: Dr. Adil A. Yunis finished his general cardiology fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh. He also completed heart failure/transplant and critical care cardiology fellowships at Mass General. He is currently a heart failure/transplant and critical care cardiologist at Columbia University, specializing in HFpEF.
- 2020-2021: Dr. Emily K. Zern completed her general cardiology, echocardiography, and critical care cardiology fellowships at Mass General. She previously worked as an echocardiographer and critical care cardiologist at the Providence Heart Institute in Oregon and is now at LAC+USC Medical Center.
Meet Our Faculty
The Cardiology Critical Care Fellowship provides cardiology fellows with the chance to collaborate with a diverse team of expert physicians from Massachusetts General Hospital and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. Fellows will receive direct training and mentorship from physicians specializing in various fields such as cardiology, critical care, pulmonary medicine, anesthesia and cardiac anesthesia, cardiac surgery, interventional pulmonology, heart failure and transplant, and other specialties involved in the care of critically ill ICU patients.
Program Directors:
Critical Care Cardiologists:
Key Affiliated Faculty:
News and Articles
Explore stories of innovative research and pioneering contributions led by our fellowship program's faculty:
View News and Articles
- COCATS 4 Task Force 13: Training in Critical Care Cardiology
- Evolution of Critical Care Cardiology: Transformation of the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit and the Emerging Need for New Medical Staffing and Training Models: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association
- The Evolving Medical Complexity of the Modern Cardiac Intensive Care Unit
- Training in Critical Care Cardiology Within Critical Care Medicine Fellowship
- The Future of Cardiac Intensive Care Unit
- Standardizing Critical Care Cardiology Training
- Training for Critical Care Cardiology Through Critical Care Medicine Fellowships
- Review: Evidence-Based Management of the Critically Ill Adult with COVID-19
- International Perspectives: Optimizing Cardiac Critical Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic
- 5C: Concepts in Contemporary Critical Care Cardiology
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