The Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship is a unique, combined program of the New York-Presbyterian Komansky Children's Hospital at Weill Cornell Medical Center and New York-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital at Columbia University Medical Center.
The fellowship combines excellent teaching, mentoring, and personal guidance to help fellows become skilled pediatric cardiologists, scholarly thinkers and critical investigators. This three-year program fulfills the requirements for sub-board certification under the American Board of Pediatrics guidelines. There are five cardiology fellows each year.
Curriculum
Attending physicians have academic appointments in the Department of Pediatrics of Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons, and Weill Cornell Medicine. Division members, in conjunction with those in the Division of Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery, provide state-of-the-art care of the fetus, infant, child, adolescent, and young adult with congenital heart disease. All medical and surgical services are offered through the Heart Center, located in New York-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital.
Clinical Training
During the first-year fellows gain a solid foundation in clinical cardiology and acquire clinical skills through rotations on the cardiology floor and in the cardiac neonatal and pediatric ICUs, as well as through two-week rotations in echocardiography, cardiac catheterization, and electrophysiology. By the second-year fellows are expected to assume increasing clinical responsibilities with an emphasis on advanced patient management as well as more advanced imaging techniques. During the third year of training the primary focus is on research, but fellows continue to participate in different clinical services, assuming increasing responsibility for the clinical care given to patients. Fellows have opportunities for clinical activities tailored to their individual training goals.
Research
Division faculty members actively pursue research interests in all areas of clinical practice and are involved in a multitude of large multi-center trials and registries, many of which allow for fellow involvement. Fellows also have many opportunities for clinical and basic science research in areas such as ventricular function, hypercholesterolemia, heart failure, pharmacology, electrophysiology, non-invasive imaging modalities, pulmonary hypertension, and clinical outcomes. Within the division, fellows can pursue basic science and translational research opportunities in cardiac genetics and development or may choose to work with mentors from other specialty areas.
During the first year of training a two-week research boot camp introduces fellows to research, and fellows are expected to begin to develop a scholarly project, obtain a research mentor, and publish a short peer-reviewed article. Research training is given additional emphasis during the second and third years, with a second two-week research boot camp and the expectation that trainees complete their IRB and a primary research project.
Education and Conferences
The education of our fellows is of paramount importance. This is accomplished by their participation in the delivery of high-quality patient care, as well as attend and participate via case presentation in many weekly conferences including pathology, hemodynamics and angiography, echocardiography, and electrophysiology. The division holds weekly combined cardiology/cardiovascular surgery conferences to discuss cardiac catheterizations and patient management and to prepare for upcoming surgeries. Monthly conferences include a morbidity and mortality conference, a pathology conference, and a pediatric cardiology journal club where current articles from peer-reviewed journals are critically reviewed. Bimonthly fellowship program director meetings include a series on topics relevant to pediatric cardiology with an emphasis on the professional and personal development of pediatric cardiology trainees. Fellows are expected to teach medical students and house staff.
Benefits
Residents are employees of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and affiliated with Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Residents are employees of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and affiliated with Columbia University Irving Medical Center. With these affiliations come many benefits!
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How to Apply
Applications to our fellowship are processed through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS)(link is external and opens in a new window) system. Materials are accepted starting in July for fellowship positions beginning the following year. Those who wish to apply must be board eligible or board certified by the American Board of Pediatrics(link is external and opens in a new window). Please note that a completed application includes:
- Completed ERAS forms
- Three letters of recommendation, including one letter from the applicant's department chairman or residency director
- Curriculum vitae
- Personal statement
- Additional information, such as USMLE transcript and photo, are recommended
Acceptances to the fellowship are made through the Pediatric Specialties Fall Match of the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP)(link is external and opens in a new window). Please refer to the NRMP website for details about the match submission deadline.
Columbia University and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital are equal opportunity employers; applications from women and minorities are encouraged. Please note that Columbia University and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital do not sponsor H1B visa trainees.