Cardiovascular Diagnostic Imaging Fellowship

Clinical Training

The fellowship requires a minimum of 12 months for CMR/CT and the trainee will participate in all aspects of CMR/CT imaging. In addition to gaining the relevant knowledge of physics and instrumentation for each modality, fellows will learn to independently perform examinations and interpret the results. The trainee will be expected to interact with patients directly with appropriate supervision, including eliciting clinical histories, applying physical examination skills and reviewing existing data relevant to each procedure throughout the period of training.

The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and the Ross Heart Hospital is a 1404 bed tertiary care academic hospital located in Columbus, Ohio and affiliated with Ohio State College of Medicine. The Cardiovascular Imaging team is a multidisciplinary group with multiple highly experienced cardiologists dedicated to advanced cardiovascular imaging with cardiac CT and cardiac MRI.

The fellowship requires a minimum of 12 months for CMR/CT and the trainee will participate in all aspects of CMR/CT imaging. In addition to gaining the relevant knowledge of physics and instrumentation for each modality, fellows will learn to independently perform examinations and interpret the results. The trainee will be expected to interact with patients directly with appropriate supervision, including eliciting clinical histories, applying physical examination skills and reviewing existing data relevant to each procedure throughout the period of training.

The Division of Cardiovascular Imaging performs over 2,000 cardiac CTs and over 2000 cardiac MRIs per year. Fellows have complete access to state-of-the-art equipment including dedicated cardiac 3.0T and 1.5T MRI scanners, as well as the novel 0.55T Free.Max MRI scanner. Fellows will also have access to multiple cardiac CT scanners including the photon-counting Neotome Alpha dedicated cardiac CT scanner.

Research Training

All fellows will participate in at least one research project during their fellowship and will be expected to complete the necessary educational sessions prior to the onset of human subjects or animal research. Such sessions are offered through the OSU Office of Responsible Research Practices throughout the year. Additional coursework in research including biostatistics and clinical trial design are also available, in addition to weekly and quarterly didactics. Fellows will be expected to submit abstracts for presentation at national and international meetings and compose manuscripts for submission to referred journals.

Didactics

Didactics are held several times a month and include the following topics: physics, instrumentation, safety, acquisition protocols, postprocessing, indications, contraindications, coding and compliance. Fellows will attend on-site educational seminars relevant to the areas of training. Fellows will also conduct conferences to demonstrate their understanding of new skills and knowledge and assist in the training of general cardiovascular medicine fellows. They will also attend core conferences in cardiovascular medicine.

Interdisciplinary Conferences

Conferences are held with the general cardiovascular medicine fellows and consist of case presentations, as well as didactic material. Over the course of one year, cases presented at this and other interdisciplinary conferences will be selected to represent all forms of cardiovascular diseases including ischemic heart disease, coronary artery disease, valvular heart disease, congenital heart disease, arrhythmias, cardiomyopathies and pericardial disease.

Eligibility, Selection and Accreditation

All applicants will be required to have successfully completed an ACGME-certified postdoctoral training program. Level II competency in at least one area of cardiovascular imaging is required. As such, any physician who is board-certified or board-eligible in cardiovascular medicine is eligible. Trainees without level II competency in at least one area will be required to complete two years of subspecialty fellowship to insure adequate training. Licensure to practice medicine in the state of Ohio is also required. All applications will be reviewed by a committee composed of faculty involved in cardiovascular imaging and selected by faculty from the core program. Fellows will be selected based upon their academic credentials, past performance and potential for academic careers.

Currently, there is no ACGME accreditation for cardiovascular imaging, although ACC/AHA clinical competence statements have been published for each area of training. These statements form the core of the curriculum, insuring completion at standards for training that will likely be included in future accreditation requirements.

Application Process

• MD or DO
• U.S. citizenship, permanent resident or J1 Visa status
• Completion of a three-year ACGME-accredited cardiology fellowship program by the time of entry

Application materials should include:

• Application (PDF)
• A complete CV
• Personal statement
• Three letters of reference
• USMLE board score reports
• Recent color photograph

To apply, mail or email your application and accompanying documents to the Cardiovascular Diagnostics Fellowship Coordinator, Madison Watkins.

Mailing address:

Madison Watkins
Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute
473 W. 12th Ave., Suite 200
Columbus, OH 43210

Email:

Karolina M. Zareba, MD
Program Director, Cardiovascular Diagnostic Imaging Fellowship
Karolina.Zareba@osumc.edu

Madison Watkins
Coordinator, Cardiovascular Diagnostic Imaging Fellowship
madison.watkins@osumc.edu