Thoracic Surgery Fellowship

Program aims

• Ability to perform routine operations, common to cardiac and thoracic surgery independently 
• Have experience in performing more complex cardiac and thoracic surgery cases
• Competent and comfortable managing patients in all phases of care
• Continue to develop professionalism and leadership at the local and national level
• Research exposure in the field of cardiothoracic surgery

Clinical environment

Corewell Health in West Michigan offers a wide breadth of cardiology, cardiothoracic and vascular services. Through Corewell Health’s partnership with Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, fellows are surrounded by an academic environment including residents and medical students. The approach to patient care if often through a multidisciplinary, collaborative team approach. Weekly Heart Team meetings allow our clinicians to come together to formalize individual treatment plans for complex cardiac cases. We believe this improves our cardiac surgical outcomes and helps maintain our 3-star rating designating Corewell Health in West Michigan Cardiac Surgery as a center of excellence. 

Our thoracic surgery department benefits from the same approach as a multidisciplinary team that evaluates lung cancer patients each week with a team of radiologists, pulmonologists, oncologists, and surgeons deciding on the best care for each patient. With two dedicated DaVinci robotic machines for cardiothoracic surgery, over 85% of our lobectomies are preformed robotically, and a rising number of esophagectomies. 

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 from calendar year 2023:

Curriculum

The curriculum of the cardiothoracic surgery fellowship training program is designed to meet the goals delineated by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and prepares our physicians for certification by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery. The 24-month core curriculum gives exposure to the essential rotations in cardiothoracic surgery.

Sample rotation

Fellows participate in various outpatient clinics a half day per week. The below rotation schedule is our current two-year schedule. There is an opportunity to vary the rotations based on different interests or professional goals.

Didactics

Education has been a long-standing mission of the thoracic surgery fellowship. The faculty has constructed a dedicated lecture series designed for fellows addressing basic management of all aspects of cardiology, specifically geared towards fellows during their first few months of training. In addition, the faculty has a list of conferences throughout the year that fellows, attendings, and staff are expected to attend.

Research

Clinical research is a part of our key strategic vision at Corewell Health in West Michigan and cardiothoracic has an active research portfolio that focuses on industry clinical trials, pre-clinical animal studies, and investigator-initiated studies. We have a large cardiovascular research department that provides support to our physicians and includes research nurses, coordinators, assistants, statisticians, budget negotiations, and financial analysis and Q&A. The Heart and Vascular Institute works in collaboration with numerous institutions across the globe, including the Magdi Yacoub Institute, Van Andel Research Institute, Corewell Health Research Institute, Michigan State University, Grand Valley State University, and the DeVos Cardiovascular Research Program.