Interventional Cardiology Fellowship Program
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Erie Region
Interventional Cardiology Fellowship Program
Program director: David Lasorda, DO, FACC
Accreditation: ACGME
Program length: 1 year (PGY7)
Fellows per year: 3
About the Program
Application Information
Benefits and Stipends
Contact Us
Curriculum
Clinical
Didactic
Faculty
Research
About the Program
Our Interventional Cardiology Fellowship Program was established and accredited in 1999. The one-year dedicated program accepts trainees who have completed a three-year approved cardiology fellowship, are fully trained in diagnostic angiography, and wish to devote a substantial portion of their careers to interventional cardiology.
Our faculty are dedicated to providing a comprehensive educational environment that fosters the development of fellows, thereby enabling them to become proficient interventional cardiologists.
Our program exceeds the established requirements and performs approximately 1,800 procedures annually including percutaneous coronary angioplasty, coronary stenting, atherectomy, thrombectomy, distal protection devices, intravascular ultrasound, and coronary flow reserve/fractional flow reserve. The interventional cardiology fellows have exposure to and participate in mitral valvuloplasty and aortic valvuloplasty, atrial septal closure devices, intra-aortic balloon pump, brachytherapy, devices for cardiogenic shock, and peripheral angiography/interventions.
Our fellowship has achieved substantial compliance with the educational requirements established by the ACGME's Program Requirements for Residency Education in Subspecialties of Internal Medicine and Program Requirements for Residency Education in Interventional Cardiology (Internal Medicine).
Supervision and Communication Guidelines Policy
Application Information
Please apply to the Interventional Cardiology Fellowship Program online through ERAS (Electronic Residency Application Service).
Timeline
November 15 one year in advance (i.e. November 2011 for position to start July 2013)
Applicants may begin applying through ERAS. Application must include:
- US Citizen, Permanent Resident and J-1 Visas Accepted through our Institution
- Minimum of 3 Letters of Recommendation
- USMLE Scores (Steps 1-3) or COMLEX Scores
- Curriculum Vitae
- Personal Statement
- Photograph
December 1 - Program downloads and reviews ERAS applications
February 28 - Application Deadline
March 1–31- Candidate interviews are scheduled (2 days)
April 1–30 – Key Faculty Selection Committee meets and offers candidate position
Contact Us
Interventional Cardiology Fellowship Program
Carolyn Bowers, Program Coordinator
Phone: 412.359.6270
Fax: 412.359.6292
David Lasorda, DO, FACC, Program Director
Phone: 412.359.5761
Fax: 412.359.6292
Mailing address:
Allegheny General Hospital
Cardiac Cath Lab, 4 Snyder Pavilion
320 East North Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15212
Curriculum
Our Interventional Cardiology Fellowship Program curriculum integrates the basic sciences as applied to clinical cardiology with in-depth interventional procedures that will provide the opportunities for the attainment of technical proficiency with balloon angioplasty, atherectomy, coronary stents, Doppler/Pressure Wire, intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), peripheral interventions, distal protection devices, and primary angioplasty.
A broad base of knowledge and skills encompassing all phases of interventional cardiology will enable the fellow to provide the total management of patient care in a broad range of practice settings. The interventional cardiology curriculum, therefore, incorporates comprehensive teaching conferences, teaching rounds, and clinical experience in all facets of interventional cardiology. While the faculty believes that clinical experience is the principal foundation of interventional cardiology education, they also believe that a significant portion of the fellow’s education is achieved through lectures, conferences, teaching rounds, research, and an up-to-date comprehension of interventional cardiology literature. Therefore, the interventional cardiology curriculum is designed to afford fellows the opportunity to attend lectures, conferences, participate in teaching rounds, conduct research, and also have sufficient time for review and study of current literature.
The performance and progress of the fellow is reviewed quarterly by the Fellowship Committee, based on monthly evaluations by the faculty.
Clinical Rotation Sites and Training
Facilities for hospital rotations include:
- Allegheny General Hospital, Pittsburgh, Pa.
- The Washington Hospital, Washington, Pa.
- Heritage Valley Health System-Beaver, Beaver, Pa.
The clinical training includes:
- Balloon angioplasty
- Directional, rotational and extraction atherectomy
- Use of coronary stents
- Doppler/Prism Wire
- IVUS
- Peripheral interventions
- Primary angioplasty
The interventional cardiology curriculum incorporates comprehensive teaching conferences and teaching rounds on all facets of interventional cardiology. While the faculty believes that clinical experience is the principal foundation of interventional cardiology education, they also believe that a significant portion of the fellow’s education is achieved through lectures, conferences, teaching rounds, research, and an up-to-date comprehension of interventional cardiology literature. Therefore, the interventional cardiology curriculum is designed to afford fellows the opportunity to attend lectures, conferences, participate in teaching rounds, conduct research, and also have sufficient time for review and study of current literature.
Faculty
A faculty of 20 interventionalists, supervised by the catheterization laboratory director and the division director, are responsible for training and draw selectively on a caseload of roughly 3,600 interventional procedures a year.
Research
Fellows are expected to participate in a very active research program. Currently, the research components of the program include:
- Primary angioplasty for myocardial infarction
- The role of coronary Doppler flow recordings
- Intracoronary ultrasound as an adjunct to intervention
- Intracoronary radiation
- GP IIb/IIIa inhibitors with interventional procedures