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Cardiology Fellowship

Cardiovascular fellowship – Central

A Geisinger Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship gives you the advanced training you need to excel in clinical and academic cardiology. 

When you join our Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship – Central program, you join one that’s trained leaders in clinical and academic cardiology since 1974. Our fellows join us because they want experience with a wide range of pathologies, to have opportunities for teaching and research — and because our attendings are supportive and committed to each learner’s success.

Come see how our program fosters the next generation of outstanding cardiologists.

Program highlights

  • Three-year, ACGME-accredited program, at Geisinger Medical Center 
  • Advanced fellowships offered in electrophysiology, interventional cardiology and advanced imaging
  • High-volume practice with large breadth and depth of pathology
  • Opportunities in a variety of noninvasive and invasive techniques and procedures in inpatient and outpatient settings
  • Use of facilities, including three cardiac catheterization labs, a dedicated electrophysiology lab and pacemaker clinic and a fully digital echocardiographic lab
  • At least six months of protected time to complete one or more research projects
 

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 > Meet the Faculty

> Meet the Fellows & Alumni

Program overview

Curriculum

Our program is designed to meet the requirements for cardiovascular disease certification by the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) and to prepare our fellows for a rewarding career in cardiology.  As a fellow, you’ll be valued as a junior colleague. Educational opportunities are tailored to match your respective career goals. Along with robust procedural volumes, you’ll have opportunities to participate in research and medical education.  

Schedule

The academic year is divided into 13 4-week rotations. During your first 2 years, you’ll become familiar with all the major areas of clinical activity and receive special training in noninvasive and invasive cardiology. You’ll also start a mentored research project. In your third year, you’ll have the opportunity to focus on an area of interest such as interventional cardiology, electrophysiology, noninvasive imaging, general and preventive cardiology, or congestive heart failure.  

Rotations per academic year (4-week blocks) 

Inpatient Cardiology/CCU (2) Inpatient Cardiology/CCU (2) Inpatient Cardiology/CCU (1)
Cardiology Consults (2) Cardiology Consults (0-1) Cardiology Consults (0)
Echocardiography (3) Echocardiography (2-3) Echocardiography (3)
Cardiac Cath Lab (2) Cardiac Cath Lab (1-2) Cardiac Cath Lab (0-1)
Electrophysiology (2) Electrophysiology (1) Electrophysiology (0)
Heart Failure (0) Heart Failure (1-2) Heart Failure (1)
Advanced Imaging (1) Advanced Imaging (1) Advanced Imaging (1)
Elective (1) Elective (2) Elective (5-6)
    Vascular (1)


Instead of a call rotation, our fellows have a night float system. Fellows will be on night float for one week (6 nights) at a time. First and second years complete 4 weeks of night float and third years will complete 2 weeks of night float.  

 
Inpatient and outpatient care

Inpatient care focuses on a 30-bed acute care unit and more than 100 telemetry beds that serve more than 3,000 patients a year. The cardiology team includes an attending cardiologist, internal medicine and emergency medicine residents, medical students, a pharmacist and a social worker.  

Fellows will evaluate and treat acute cardiac illness, diagnose and manage non-acute cardiac problems, and consult for assessment of concomitant cardiovascular diseases in patients admitted to other hospital services.  

The Heart Institute’s outpatient clinic serves more than 12,000 patients each year. Fellow clinic is based at our main campus and is scheduled with a clinic supervisor one-half day per week. There are also opportunities to rotate in an adult congenital heart disease clinic and a heart failure clinic. 

Diagnostic and therapeutic services

Fellows participate in all diagnostic and therapeutic services provided by the cardiology department, which include: 

  • Three cardiac catheterization labs where we perform 2,400 procedures each year, including diagnostic catheterization, coronary intervention, and structural valvular interventions. 
  • A dedicated electrophysiology lab and minor procedure room where we implant about 200 pacemakers and cardioverter-defibrillators each year. The electrophysiology service also provides ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring, tilt-table studies and diagnostic and therapeutic invasive electrophysiological studies such as catheter ablation of supraventricular and ventricular arrhythmias.  
  • An electrocardiographic lab and pacemaker clinic that performs about 38,000 electrocardiographic studies a year.  
  • An exercise lab where we perform more than 4,000 cardiac exercise stress echocardiographic and nuclear cardiology studies each year. Pharmacologic stress tests are done with the use of vasodilators (adenosine) or inotropic agents (dobutamine) in combination with echocardiography, nuclear imaging (99mTc-sestamibi) or cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. All fellows can obtain Level II certification in nuclear cardiology. 
  • A fully digital echocardiographic lab with state-of-the-art ultrasound machines that can perform outpatient and bedside transthoracic and transesophageal studies, stress and three-dimensional echocardiography. We average about 13,000 studies each year. 

Advanced fellowship opportunities

Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology Fellowship

The two-year ACGME-accredited Geisinger Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology Fellowship will give you the advanced training and faculty support you need to reach that goal. Certification is the first step in any successful career in clinical cardiac electrophysiology.

We accept one fellow each year. If selected, you’ll gain experience with basic procedures such as pacemaker implantation and complex procedures including epicardial mapping and ablations. We’re internationally recognized for our pioneering work in conduction system pacing — physicians from around the world come here to learn.

Join us. Your electrophysiology fellowship and faculty mentors will prepare you to provide exceptional care.

Pugazhendhi Vijayaraman, MD
Program Director, Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology Fellowship

 
Interventional Cardiology Fellowship

Our interventional cardiology fellowship is a comprehensive clinical program that accepts 2 fellows per year. This is an all-inclusive, one-year fellowship, which aims to provide exposure to the entire breadth of coronary and structural interventions. The training happens at our flagship facility in Danville, Pa. At our high-volume tertiary care center, you’ll train in the following interventional techniques: 

  • Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) 
  • Complex high risk interventional procedures including CTO 
  • Robust STEMI experience 
  • Rotational atherectomy 
  • Laser atherectomy 
  • Brachytherapy 
  • LV Assist devices including IABP and Impella 
  • Intravascular imaging including IVUS, OCT 
  • Fractional flow reserve (FFR) 
  • Exposure to structural heart disease procedures including 
    • TAVR 
    • TEER 
    • Watchman implantation 
    • PFO/ASD closure 
    • CadioMEMS 
    • AngioVac 
    • Balloon valvuloplasty  

Geisinger Medical Center has had a successful cardiology fellowship for several years, and we have a culture that promotes medical education. There’s a strong curriculum that focuses on all interventional topics throughout the year. Fellows are also encouraged to take advantage of Geisinger’s research culture, with many opportunities in the interventional cardiology department. Our cardiac research programs include the areas of therapeutic catheterization and devices, echocardiography, electrophysiology and cardiovascular genomics. The Department of Cardiology participates in single and multi-center trials. 

Shikhar Agarwal, MD MPH 
Program Director, Interventional Cardiology Fellowship

Advanced Cardiovascular Imaging Fellowship

Welcome to our Cardiac Advanced Imaging Department, a leading center for cardiovascular imaging across multiple locations. With a focus on both CT and MRI, we consistently handle a high volume of studies, averaging over 4,000 annually. Our department is proud to offer FFRCT with Heart Flow, innovative 3D lab enhancing diagnostic capabilities. We provide CMR and CT imaging at multiple sites across our vast geographic area; this provides a comprehensive training environment.  

Role description

We’re looking for a highly motivated, skilled Advanced Cardiac Imaging Fellow to join our dynamic team. The successful candidate will play a crucial role in our collaborative environment, contributing to a multidisciplinary team dedicated to providing exceptional patient care. 

This is a one- to 2-year full-time on-site Fellowship/Advanced Cardiac Imaging role at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine in Danville, Pa. This role offers a unique blend of advanced cardiac imaging fellowship and clinical practice, creating a well-rounded and impactful cardiology career. 

Cardiac Imaging Fellow (0.75 FTE): 

  • The Fellow will be responsible for day-to-day tasks including performing, interpreting and reporting Cardiac CT, Cardiac MRI  
  • Our Advanced Cardiac Imaging Fellowship provides comprehensive COCATS level II/III training in cardiac CT and MRI 
  • Fellows are encouraged to participate in educational and research activities. 

Clinical Cardiology (0.25 FTE) at Geisinger Medical Center: 

  • Clinical assignment at Geisinger Medical Center under supervision of cardiology faculty.  
  • May Include Inpatient and/or Outpatient service. 

Responsibilities

  • Receive specialized training in cardiac CT and MRI under the guidance of experienced level III trained faculty. 
  • Stay abreast of advancements in cardiac imaging and contribute to the implementation of cutting-edge technologies. 
  • Demonstrate a commitment to continuous learning and professional development. 

Qualification 

  • Board eligible or board certified in cardiology (preferred).  
  • Board certified Internal Medicine physicians will be considered on a case-by-case basis.  
  • Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work effectively within a team. 
  • Willingness to contribute to a collaborative and dynamic healthcare environment. 
  • Visa sponsorship available for qualified candidates (only H1b). 

Kamala Ramya Kallur, MD 
Program Director, Advanced Cardiovascular Imaging Fellowship

About Geisinger

Geisinger serves more than 1 million people in central and northeast Pennsylvania. We’ve been nationally recognized for innovative practices in quality, delivery models such as ProvenCare® and the use of an award-winning electronic medical record, Epic®. Our physician-led system has approximately 24,000 employees, including nearly 1,700 physicians, 10 hospital campuses, two research centers and a health plan with more than half a million members, all of which boost our hometown economies by $7.1 billion annually.

The main hospital campus, Geisinger Medical Center, is in Danville, a charming, historic riverside town with lots of opportunities for outdoor recreation including kayaking, cross country skiing and cycling. We’re also close to major urban centers. It’s easy to reach New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C. We offer the best of both worlds — affordable, relaxing small-town life and access to the excitement and cultural experiences in big cities.

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