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Training & Curriculum

The program currently has two tracks designed to meet the needs of our fellows' career paths. 

Clinical track: This track is intended for those interested in careers in clinical education or as master clinicians. Our fellowship provides the opportunity for those interested in specific specialties to gain needed experience and expertise. Specialties include lung transplantation, pulmonary hypertension, interstitial lung disease and interventional pulmonology.

Research track: Fellows with aspirations for careers in academics can opt for our research track, in which fellows spend a substantial portion of their training time in basic or clinical research without sacrificing clinical training.

Medical Intensive Care Unit

Fellows in the Cedars-Sinai Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellowship supervise medical house staff members and students assigned to the units. Emphasis is placed on learning evidence-based principles of management and on highlighting the pathophysiologic aspects of conditions or treatment modalities.

Fellows will learn both the theoretical and practical aspects of all procedures relevant to the care of critically ill patients (including ICU ultrasounds) and will gain strong experience in neurological, trauma and general surgical ICU care. Participants can also rotate through a variety of other critical care units—including the Cardiac ICU, Cardiac-Surgical ICU, Anesthesiology, Pediatric ICU, Dialysis Unit, etc. During their monthlong Medical ICU rotation, the fellows spend one week working one-on-one with a full-time faculty at Marina Del Rey Hospital MICU.

Procedures

Fiberoptic bronchoscopy is performed by the fellow under the supervision of one of the staff members. Fellows perform more than 200 bronchoscopies during their fellowship. These procedures, as well as needle aspiration biopsies, are performed in the pulmonary/critical care division procedure rooms. In addition, Cedars-Sinai is a major center for yag laser resection therapy, insertion of stents, use of brachytherapy and other state-of-the-art devices, such as navigational bronchoscopy, EBUS and percutaneous tracheostomy. 

Cardiac Surgery Intensive Care Unit

This is an intense, one-month rotation intended for second- and third-year fellows. During this rotation, fellows will be part of a multidisciplinary team consisting of faculty from anesthesia critical care, pulmonary and critical care, and cardiothoracic surgery. In addition to actively managing patients undergoing traditional cardiac surgery, fellows will gain exposure and experience in ECMO, heart/lung transplant, ventricular assist devices, total artificial heart, TAVR, Impella and intra-aortic balloon pumps.

Pulmonary Vascular Disease

Ambulatory Care

Our fellows work in a variety of outpatient clinical settings. These include a meaningful weekly continuity clinic held at the Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center location and through various Cedars-Sinai ambulatory facilities. Specialty clinics include lung transplant, cystic fibrosis, pulmonary hypertension, interstitial lung disease and sleep clinics.

Consultation

Fellows provide pulmonary consultation for the Cedars-Sinai medical and surgical teaching services, as well as other participating hospitals when rotations are held there. During this period, our fellows will supervise medical house staff and students in the pulmonary elective.

Pulmonary Physiology Laboratory

Working in the Pulmonary Laboratory at participating institutions under the supervision of the full-time lab director, fellows learn performance, calculation and interpretation of pulmonary function tests. The physiologic evaluation of patients includes spirometry, lung volumes by dilution and plethysmographic techniques, diffusion, mechanics and blood-gas analysis. In addition, the lab is equipped for sophisticated exercise and other special studies.

Lung Transplantation

Fellows will see patients during the biweekly lung transplant clinic. Patients are evaluated as possible candidates for lung transplantation or treated for care following a lung transplant. Fellows are primarily responsible for transplant patients admitted to the medical center, and each fellow is trained in all aspects of pre-transplant, perioperative transplant and transplant management. They'll also be able to participate in procurement procedures.

Clinical Programs

 

  • Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency
  • Asthma
  • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
  • Cystic fibrosis
  • Interstitial lung disease
  • Interventional pulmonology
  • Lung cancer
  • Lung transplantation
  • Pulmonary function and exercise testing
  • Pulmonary hypertension
  • Pulmonary rehabilitation
  • Sleep medicine
  • Thromboembolic disease

 

Standalone Critical Care Program

As of June 2014, we have rolled our critical care program into our combined Pulmonary and Critical Care Program.  Additionally, we periodically offer a one-year critical care-only fellowship for fellows who have completed a cardiology fellowship.  This program is run jointly between our division and Cardiology.

We hold noon conferences for fellows every day, Monday through Friday. These conferences are structured to provide fellows the opportunity to serve as both learner and teacher.

Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday

Fellow-Led
Case Conference

Radiology Conference
Multidisciplinary ILD Conference
Critical Care Ultrasound
Ad Hoc Case Discussions

PFT Conference
Journal Club
Multidisciplinary Critical Care Conferences

Core Curriculum Didactics
Board Review

Core Curriculum Didactics
Morbidity and Mortality

Have Questions or Need Help?

Contact us if you have questions or would like to learn more about the Fellowship at Cedars-Sinai.

8700 Beverly Blvd., Room 6735
Los Angeles, CA 90048

Brittany M. Smith, Fellowship Coordinator