This is an exciting time for pediatric cardiology. Recent advances in developmental biology and molecular genetics have provided important insight into the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying both congenital and acquired cardiovascular disease. Technical advances in imaging, interventional catheterization, and surgical techniques also enable us to provide improved care for our patients. The goal of our fellowship program is to prepare the fellow for a career in academic pediatric cardiology.  We view our program not as a continuation of residency training but rather, the first step in a career in academic medicine.  We strive to create a training environment that will foster not only quality clinical training but also rigorous inquiry and mentoring that will lead to development of the next generation of leaders in pediatric cardiology.  As such we welcome applicants with a high degree of motivation and self-direction who are able and willing to use available resources to become superior clinicians and researchers. To provide a base upon which an academic career can be built, we expect the fellow to be involved in the design of a curriculum to meet his/her particular interests during the fellowship. Our clinical service is quite busy however our faculty are very involved in all aspects of our service. Thus we are able to assign fellows to clinical duties based on individual training needs and not according to service needs. After completing the fellowship, the fellow should have the training, tools, and philosophy necessary for advancing the field of pediatric cardiology within his or her area of choice. This program meets all the requirements of the American Board of Pediatrics for subspecialty training in cardiology and is approved by the AMA Council of Medical Education.

Eligibility and Application Procedure

To be considered, applicants must have completed three years of a fully accredited pediatric residency training in North America by the beginning of the fellowship. In addition, graduates of foreign medical schools must possess a valid ECFMG certificate.  We can accept JI visas but not any type of H visa.

We have positions for two fellows each year. We participate in the Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship Match Program administered by the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP). Please consult the NRMP website for up-to-date information on deadlines for this year. 

A booklet describing our program and an application can be obtained by contacting our fellowship coordinator, Penny Stitt, at penny.stitt@childrens.com. Please include your mailing address. All applications, personal statements, and all letters of reference should be received in Dallas by February 15, 2007.  Selected applicants will be interviewed in Dallas during January 2007- April 2007. 

Facilities

The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas (UTSW) is a multi-faceted academic institution nationally recognized for its excellence in educating physicians, biomedical scientists, and other health-care professionals. The medical center is comprised of Southwestern Medical School, Southwestern Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, and Southwestern Allied Health Sciences School. These three schools currently train more than 3,400 medical, graduate, and allied health students, residents, and postdoctoral fellows each year. Additionally, UT Southwestern supports more than 1,900 research projects annually, totaling nearly $200 million. Clinical facilities are located immediately adjacent to UTSW. Most of the pediatric clinical work is done at Children’s Medical Center Dallas (CMC). CMC is a private, not-for-profit institution that began more than 80 years ago. Today, our 325-bed medical center features a 44-bed pediatric intensive care unit, a 17-bed pediatric cardiac intensive care unit, a 22-bed telemetry unit, a 16 bed surgical NICU, nearly 50 outpatient clinics, and a state-of-the-art emergency center designed specifically for children.  Cardiology services including the two cardiac catheterization laboratories, echocardiography, exercise, and electrocardiography (including pacemakers) work areas, outpatient consultation facilities, faculty, fellow, nursing and administrative offices, library, conference room, and secretarial staff are all located in one central area. Construction has been initiated to consolidate all cardiovascular services on one floor within a heart center in the hospital, which will include a dedicated MRI facility. Consultations are performed on newborn infants born at Parkland Memorial Hospital. About 17,000 infants are born each year at Parkland. There is a 24 bed neonatal intensive care nursery at Parkland and 80 beds are available for various “stepdown” levels of care. The average inpatient census is 105 in the well-baby nursery and 65 in the other nurseries. Additionally, adults with congenital heart disease are cared for at Parkland and St. Paul Hospital (one of our university hospitals) and seen in consultation at CMC and at St. Paul Hospital.

CURRICULUM

 In general, the duration of the program is three years. Many fellows choose to complete a fourth year to pursue a specialized clinical interest such as echocardiography or to spend time in a basic science laboratory.  The exact schedule is determined in part by the fellow’s interest and previous experience but an example is shown below:

Fourth year fellowships are offered in Cardiac Imaging and Critical Care. It is anticipated that additional programs for specialized training in Interventional Catheterization and Electrophysiology will be offered in the near future.

RESEARCH

We do not expect fellows to have a research project defined at the beginning of the fellowship. A one month rotation during the first year allows the fellow time to explore possible areas of interest. Research may be performed in clinical or basic science areas. A fellow may choose as his/her faculty mentor a person from inside or outside the pediatric cardiology division. In general, the fellow should define his/her project during the first year and spend most of the second year working on the project. In this way, a presentation can be made at a national meeting during the third year and a publication submitted to a peer-reviewed journal before the end of the fellowship. More importantly, the experience should instill the culture and value of investigative work and lay the foundation for future contributions. The trainee will develop skills in experimental design, data analysis and presentation of results. This schedule is flexible; fellows with previous research experience or well-defined interests may begin research during the first year. Alternatively, some fellows planning to spend four years may not begin their research project until the third year. 

Basic Science Opportunities

The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center has an international reputation as a leading research institution and supports more than 1900 research projects annually totaling nearly $200 million dollars in annual research expenditures.  On the basis of federal individual research grant support for basic sciences, UT Southwestern is among the top 10 biomedical research institutions in the country.  The faculty is among the most distinguished in the world.  UT Southwestern is home to four Nobel Laureates, 17 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 19 members of the Institute of Medicine and 11 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigators.  There are over 300 graduate students earning their Ph.D. degrees and over 90 students obtaining combined M.D. and Ph.D degrees.

A vast array of research opportunities is available in the area of cardiovascular biology, as UT Southwestern currently boasts one of the largest concentration of investigators in this exciting area of science, including: Vidu Garg, M.D., Eric Olson, Ph.D., Masashi Yanagisawa, M.D., Ph.D., and Daniel Garry, M.D., Ph.D.  This critical mass has allowed the institution to successfully compete for selection as the first recipient of a Reynolds Foundation Grant, headed by Helen Hobbs, M.D., for research in the cardiovascular sciences that was recently renewed bringing the total funding to $42 million dollars.  Within the Pediatric Cardiology division, a thriving research program examining the genetic bases of congenital cardiac malformations is led by Dr. Vidu Garg.  Additional post-doctoral fellows training in cardiac development and graduate students obtaining their Ph.D. or M.D., Ph.D. degrees in the laboratories provide a rich and interactive training environment.  Frequent lab meetings, journal clubs and seminars are an integral part of their experience.  This effort has resulted in numerous publications representing advances in our understanding of cardiac development and the genetic basis for congenital heart defects.

The research training that will be required of the fellow will depend upon their prior experience and interests.  In general, the majority of fellows focusing on basic science research will likely spend a total of 4 years in their training.  Grants are available through the Physician Scientist Training Program at UT Southwestern (http://domino.peds.swmed.edu:8080/pstp/) or the Reynolds Foundation to assist in funding for these additional years.  Those pursuing more clinical research will have a rich exposure to state of the art approaches in understanding the molecular basis of congenital heart disease and cardiac development through formal and informal conferences and discussion.

Clinical Research Opportunities

All of the Pediatric Cardiology faculty are active in clinical research and as such, fellows may participate in a wide variety of projects. As indicated above, the fellows may also collaborate with investigators outside of pediatric cardiology depending on interests.

Training in clinical research involves more than the traditional apprenticeship with an established mentor and performing a research study. The clinician investigator must be trained in research methodology which should include techniques of patient-oriented research, hypothesis generation, study design, and statistical analysis. UT Southwestern has made a major commitment to the development of clinical research at the medical school and has created a the Center for Biostatistics and Clinical Science.  The Center is directed by Milton Packer, MD, an adult cardiologist who is an expert in clinical trials and has an impressive record for training young investigators.  The Center will provide an academic base for sciences common to all clinical research, e.g. biostatistics, epidemiology, health services research, informatics, clinical pharmacology, and ethics.  Multiple courses in relevant subjects are available to fellows and some will choose a formal curriculum leading to an advanced degree in Clinical Science. 

CURRENT FELLOWS

First Year

Tejas Shah, M.D.University of Tennessee (Med-Peds)
Amit VermaM.D.University of Texas Southwestern MedicalCenter 

Second Year

Shannon Blalock, M.D. Arkansas Children’s Hospital
Faustino Ramos, M.D. Children’s Hospital of Orange County

Third Year

Aliesa Barnes, M.D.  University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Cem Nasuhoglu, M.D.Louisiana State University 

Fourth Year

Timothy Thomas M.D. University of Tennessee (Imaging)
Eunice Yoon, M.D. University of Southern California (CICU)

CONTACT INFORMATION

Lynn Mahony, MD
Director of Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship Training
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
CMC Cardiology
1935 Motor Street
Dallas, Texas, 75235
lynn.mahony@utsouthwestern.edu

Penny Stitt
Coordinator, Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship Program
University of Texas, Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas
CMC Cardiology
1935 Motor Street
Dallas, TX75235-7701
penny.stitt@childrens.com
214-456-5834
800-947-2323