Mary & Steve Wen Cardiovascular Division Faculty Research Cardiovascular Medicine Fellowship Message from the Program Director Interventional Cardiology Fellowship Clinical Expertise Cardiovascular Medicine Fellowship Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine Home About Campus & Community Resources Medicine: Cardiology > Cardiovascular Medicine Fellowship Program Overview The three-year Cardiovascular Medicine Fellowship program at UCI School of Medicine provides outstanding training in all aspects of cardiac care to our fellows. The program includes broad clinical experiences, as well as robust didactics and research opportunities. Fellows are exposed to a wide variety of patients and cardiovascular conditions during rigorous training at UCI Medical Center in Orange, VA Long Beach Healthcare System and MemorialCare Heart and Vascular Institute in Long Beach. Our fellows particularly benefit from exposure to UCI’s renowned left ventricular assist device (LVAD) program and from the clinical infrastructure that supports LVAD patients, including a cardiac intensive care unit and a cardiac care unit. The structural cardiology program is also strong and growing, with multiple valve replacement procedures performed every week. The expansion of these programs has led to enhanced cardiac care facilities and rapid growth within our faculty, with a greater diversity of specialization. Trainees have the opportunity to participate in these procedures and in the follow-up care of these patients. Our faculty and trainees foster a friendly environment that emphasizes collegiality and cooperation. Fellows are encouraged to focus on their own wellness and a healthy work-life balance. Faculty are supportive of individual fellows’ growth and eager to cater training to their specific strengths, interests and needs. Welcome to the Cardiovascular Medicine Fellowship Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Message from the program director Fellowship Curriculum The UCI School of Medicine Cardiovascular Medicine Fellowship program is designed to train physicians who will be certified or eligible for certification by the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) to become excellent clinician-scientists in the field of cardiovascular medicine. We train physicians to be autonomous and confident in the clinical practice of cardiology, whether that is in independent practice or academic medicine. The first year of the Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship training begins with a “summer school,” which is a series of daily didactic lectures about cardiovascular medicine. Throughout the program, fellows also attend subspecialty lectures and conferences in cardiac catheterization, interventional cardiology and electrophysiology. They learn about advanced imaging techniques, including echocardiography, nuclear cardiology, cardiac CT and MRI. Other topics include the American College of Cardiology guidelines, pediatric cardiology, adult structural heart disease, heart failure and research. Providing the fellow with unique insights across a variety of disciplines, our Cardiology Grand Rounds Visiting Professor Program provides direct exposure to internationally recognized thought leaders in cardiovascular medicine. The fellowship’s clinical rotations emphasize autonomy and clinical decision-making through direct interaction with our faculty. This enables our fellows to gain independence in clinical judgment and procedural skills. Rotations include: Cardiac catheterization lab, both radial and femoral approaches (4-6 months) Coronary care unit (4-5 months) Consult service (2-3 months) Echocardiography (4 months) Electrophysiology (2 months) Heart failure/transplant (1-2 months) Nuclear cardiology/CT and MRI (2-3 months) Structural/adult congenital heart disease and preventive cardiology (1-2 months) In supervised weekly outpatient clinics, fellows engage in one-on-one interactions with patients under the supervision of faculty cardiologists. Research/Quality Initiative Opportunities Throughout their clinical training, fellows are expected to participate in mentored research projects. Fellows are encouraged to initiate and develop plans for research, including choosing specific mentors and projects. The diverse interests of division faculty members offer trainees a wide range of exciting and challenging research experiences to choose from. All fellows receive six months of protected time to participate in clinical or lab-based research during their training. Fellows are encouraged to produce research papers worthy of publication in leading peer-reviewed journals, as well as to write and submit grants. Trainees are also provided monetary assistance to attend the scientific sessions of the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology each year. In addition, fellows are required to work on at least one quality improvement project during their training. They are encouraged to develop process improvement projects within the field of cardiovascular medicine, the Division of Cardiology or at any of the rotating sites. These projects will be presented to faculty, peers and staff during the fellows’ last year of training. Application Process Applications for the Cardiovascular Medicine Fellowship program are available in early July every year through ERAS. We no longer accept paper applications. For questions about the application process, visit ERAS online or call 215-966-3940. To be eligible for the fellowship programs, applicants must have: Completed residency training in internal medicine. Board-certification or board-eligibility in internal medicine. A California medical license before beginning the fellowship. U.S. citizenship or have fulfilled residency or visa requirements before starting the fellowship. We do not accept H1B visas at this time. ERAS applications should include the following: Current curriculum vitae A one-page personal statement Scores on the United States Medical Licensing Examination A current photo A dean’s letter At least three letters of recommendation, including one from a past or current program director Applications for July 2025 positions will be accepted beginning July 1, 2024. Interviews are arranged by an ERAS invitation after a thorough review of completed applications. Interviews will occur in September 2024 and October 2024. Salary and Benefits For current information regarding fellows salary and benefits, please visit the Residents & Fellows Salary, Benefits, Policies page on our UCI Medical Education website. View Salary & Benefits Resident/Fellow Union Benefits Fellows and residents training at UCI Medical Center are unionized. Union benefits are valid strictly from July 1 to June 30 each year of training. Funding is not rolled over year to year. Below are the union benefits that apply to cardiology fellows: Two white coats provided for entire training $120/month for UCI Medical Center cafeteria Up to $1,500 in reimbursements for Educational/Conference fees Reimbursement of the cost of eligible California medical licenses Reimbursement for ACLS recertification during training Moonlighting Interventional fellows may only moonlight on weekends and for no more than 40 hours a month. Time spent moonlighting will count toward the 80-hour work week limit.