Interventional Cardiology Fellowshi

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The Corewell Health – Grand Rapids/Michigan State University Interventional Cardiology Fellowship at Corewell Health Frederik Meijer Heart & Vascular Institute is a one-year subspecialty fellowship designed to train individuals to perform interventional procedures in the cardiac catheterization laboratory. Fellows selected for this program will continue their education by gaining hands-on experience with board-certified intervention cardiology faculty.

Interventional cardiology is an advanced sub-specialty of cardiovascular care. To continue improving the way we provide care for our patients, we aim to make our program one that will include top-of-the-line training opportunities with innovative technologies and ground-breaking techniques.

Our program, your future

The Corewell Health – Grand Rapids/Michigan State University Interventional Cardiology Fellowship program brings dedicated learners and some of the best interventional cardiologists together for a one-of-a-kind experience. Learn more about our program by reading our program aims.

Within this program, fellows are evaluated during time spent in the cardiac catheterization laboratory and participation in the percutaneous coronary interventional procedures performed there. Under the direct supervision of an interventional cardiology faculty member, fellows take part in all aspects of interventional cardiac care and are heavily involved in procedures as well as triage of incoming patients and post-procedural care.

Fellows are exposed to:

PCI procedures are expected to be more than 300 percutaneous coronary interventions to include all types of techniques used to treat obstructive coronary artery disease with more than 70 percent of procedures performed via radial artery access and approximately 30 percent from a trans-femoral approach
Left ventricle assist support for high-risk coronary interventions, rotational atherectomy, and STEMI (ST elevation MI) procedures (volume more than 50 cases)
Advanced imaging used to assist with PCI procedures, including intravascular ultrasound and OCT imaging
Structural heart procedures and peripheral artery procedures are provided with opportunities to do elective rotations in these specific areas

Additionally, fellows participate in a bi-weekly, half-day clinic that focuses on interventional cardiology patients or structural heart interventional patients. These clinics offer the opportunity to discuss the importance of secondary prevention measures and allow the fellow an opportunity to understand the interdependence of various components of health care in optimizing patient outcomes.

Fellows participate in rounding on interventional cardiology patients with a supervising interventional cardiologist attending to further assist with the assimilation of knowledge of pre-procedure assessment, proper testing and procedures, and post-procedure care of patients on their rounding service.

Call responsibilities: The interventional cardiology fellow is expected to take calls at a maximum frequency of one in every four nights. The call will be intended to provide experience in performing primary PCI for patients presenting with a STEMI, management of patients presenting with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest as well as cardiogenic shock, and placement of hemodynamic support devices. When on-call the fellow is expected to be a resource for interventional cardiology-related questions for the general cardiology fellow on call. This will not be an in-house call.

Fellows are exposed to:

PCI procedures are expected to be more than 300 percutaneous coronary interventions to include all types of techniques used to treat obstructive coronary artery disease with more than 70 percent of procedures performed via radial artery access and approximately 30 percent from a trans-femoral approach
Left ventricle assist support for high-risk coronary interventions, rotational atherectomy, and STEMI (ST elevation MI) procedures (volume more than 50 cases)
Advanced imaging used to assist with PCI procedures, including intravascular ultrasound and OCT imaging
Structural heart procedures and peripheral artery procedures are provided with opportunities to do elective rotations in these specific areas

Educational and learning activities include leading weekly interventional cardiology meetings to include morbidity and mortality reviews, STEMI case reviews, procedure reviews, and quality improvement meetings. Fellows are expected to attend weekly heart team meetings at Corewell Health in West Michigan where complex revascularization strategies are discussed with a wide variety of cardiovascular physicians in attendance, including interventional cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons, and advanced coronary imaging cardiologists. Participation in the cardiovascular disease fellowship monthly journal club is also expected.

As a nationally recognized healthcare system, Corewell Health in West Michigan provides high-quality clinical care to thousands of patients each year. Here are some of our clinical volumes for 2023:

Cath Lab Encounters: 6,854
Percutaneous Coronary Interventions: 1,413
Diagnostic Catheterizations 5,441

Jacob and Lois Mol Cardiovascular Simulation Center

The Jacob and Lois Mol Cardiovascular Simulation Center trains and educates future physician leaders and staff by utilizing innovative simulation, applied experiential learning, and hands-on technology to improve patient safety and outcomes. Features include:

Simulated operating room to allow fellows to practice

2,700-square-foot design for education, training, and outreach activities

600-square-foot simulated operating room equipped to simulate complex procedures and allow fellows to practice multidisciplinary patient care transitions

High-tech communication to provide two-way connectivity between specific Meijer Heart Center ORs, simulated OR, and learning labs

Dedicated study space for residents and fellows to use throughout their training

Research opportunities are available, and fellows are expected to participate in clinical or translational research projects. Fellows are expected to produce at least two abstracts selected for presentation at a national or international cardiology meeting. In addition, fellows are expected to transform their research findings into a manuscript for further publication.

During the orientation period, fellows will complete the web-based research modules on ethical research conduct, the use of human subjects, HIPAA compliance, and conflict of interest.

Faculty and site support for the interventional cardiology fellow is provided by 13 interventional cardiology board-certified cardiologists.

All positions for the program are filled through the National Residency Matching Program. Eligibility requirements for our fellowship program:

Applications are only accepted through the Electronic Residency Application Service only, paper applications will not be considered
All applicants must possess U.S. work authorization or be eligible for J-1 status
Applicants must have completed three years of training in an ACGME- or RCPSC-accredited cardiovascular disease program before entry into the fellowship program
Applicants must be an MD or DO
Applicants must have good communication skills

For more information, contact Tarra Geertman, cardiovascular disease program coordinator.

Corewell Health provides a comprehensive and very competitive benefits package for our residents, staff, and their families. In addition, our program provides educational monies to support your ongoing education. Download our salary and benefits document to learn more.

From the Program Director

On behalf of the Interventional Cardiology Fellowship faculty, I want to personally thank you for your consideration of training with the Corewell Health - Grand Rapids/Michigan State University Interventional Cardiology program. We are committed to providing the best possible clinical training program for our interventional fellows.

We are now interviewing candidates for our fifth class of interventional fellows and are proud to state that our fellows have all found employment in groups and locations they desired, and all have passed their Interventional Cardiology Boards.

Our faculty are all board-certified interventional cardiologists who have trained in reputable programs and have a passion for training the next generation of excellent interventional cardiologists. We all have a desire to teach and work to give our fellows one of the most diverse and high-volume experiences in the country.

By training at Corewell Health in West Michigan, we will guarantee that you will be training at the largest medical center in West Michigan and one of the largest in this state. You will be exposed to all areas of interventional cardiology and be confident in your ability to determine when and how to use all tools and techniques needed to treat patients with a wide variety of coronary artery pathology. As an interventional fellow in our program, you will also be given opportunities to complete the training needed to perform PFO closure and or non-complex endovascular procedures if desired. We offer many diverse conferences designed to enhance the academic experience as well. Fellows are expected and encouraged to participate in research projects and present at least one poster or abstract at a major cardiovascular conference. To enhance your experience, you will be part of the interventional cardiovascular rounding service to better understand the pre-procedure assessment needed to make sure patients are being treated appropriately and to allow for longitudinal assessment of patients following coronary interventions. This allows for proficiency in communicating procedures to patients and families as well as procedure outcomes.

We hope you will strongly consider our program as an excellent opportunity to give you the confidence and expertise needed to be a superb interventional cardiologist.

Sincerely,

Duane Berkompas, MD, FACC, FSCAI
Clinical associate professor of medicine Michigan State University College of Human Medicine
Program director, interventional cardiology fellowship
Corewell Health - Grand Rapids/Michigan State University

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Scholarly Activity Support

Clinical research is paramount in the discovery of new treatments, therapies, and medicine.

Resident and Fellow DEI

Learn more about our promise to foster and advance inclusion and diversity.

Resident and Fellow Wellness

Learn more about our commitment to the holistic wellness of our residents and fellows.

Scholarly Activity Support

Clinical research is paramount in the discovery of new treatments, therapies, and medicine.

Resident and Fellow DEI

Learn more about our promise to foster and advance inclusion and diversity.

Resident and Fellow Wellness

Learn more about our commitment to the holistic wellness of our residents and fellows.

Scholarly Activity Support

Clinical research is paramount in the discovery of new treatments, therapies, and medicine.

Resident and Fellow DEI

Learn more about our promise to foster and advance inclusion and diversity.

Resident and Fellow Wellness

Learn more about our commitment to the holistic wellness of our residents and fellows.

Scholarly Activity Support

Clinical research is paramount in the discovery of new treatments, therapies, and medicine.

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