Heart Failure and Heart Transplantation Fellowship
Under the direction of Dr. Jon Kobashigawa, the Cedars-Sinai Heart Failure and Transplantion Program serves as a major referral center for the southwestern United States and follows over 1000 heart failure and heart transplant patients. Our fellows are an integral part of a team of cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons, nurse coordinators and research nurses.
The Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Fellowship provides specialized education in the pathophysiology and treatment of heart failure and cardiac transplantation. The clinical experience consists of inpatient care (intensive care, step-down, and consultative services), outpatient clinics, and time in the endomyocardial biopsy suite. Clinical training and didactic teaching will be provided by faculty with expertise in heart failure diagnosis and management, ventricular assist devices, heart transplantation, and other medical and surgical approaches to advanced cardiac disease. Fellows will receive training in accordance with United Network for Organ Sharing guidelines for the training of a heart transplant physician including:
- Extensive training in the management of ventricular dysfunction.
- Management of heart failure patients within the entire clinical spectrum from ambulatory to severe, drug refractory heart failure.
- New and experimental approaches to heart failure, including inotropic agents; mechanical circulatory assist devices; and surgical therapies such as revascularization, valve repair/replacement, and ventricular reconstruction.
- Candidate selection for heart transplantation and ventricular assist devices
- Donor evaluation and management
- Physiology of the transplanted heart, immunosuppression, immediate post-operative care, and long term care, including management of post-transplant complications.
- Pulmonary artery catheterization and endomyocardial biopsies.
During the fellowship, the fellow will be expected to participate in an ongoing clinical research project or pursue an original project. Clinical research projects focusing on the use of gene expression signatures for the diagnosis of rejection, the role of donor-specific antibodies in rejection, and outcomes after ventricular assist device placement are ongoing. Research with emphasis on basic science investigation is also available, with a particularly strong program in cardiac regenerative medicine and stem cell biology. Clinical studies of cardiac stem cells are already underway at the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute (CADUCEUS; see clinicaltrials.gov for details), and new applications in advanced heart failure patients are imminent. Presentation of research findings at national and international scientific meetings is encouraged.
Preference is given to individuals who have completed a Cardiovascular Disease fellowship, however, motivated Internal Medicine residency graduates are also encouraged to apply. Fellows will require valid California Medical License. Please note that the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute can only accept incoming trainees who are either citizens or permanent residents of the United States and are eligible for licensure in the state of California. We review applications as they arrive and conduct interviews from November through January for two positions starting in July. The deadline for applications is December 16th, 2011. Early submission of the application is encouraged as qualified individuals will be offered positions on a rolling basis and positions may be filled before the December application deadline.
To apply, please complete the Application and forward it to our Academic Program Coordinator. In addition, please provide a cover letter, your CV and two letters of recommendation. Please indicate your citizenship status and provide a copy of appropriate documentation (if you are not a US citizen).
Your application materials should be received by December 15th, 2011, and sent to: Program Director: Michelle Kittleson, M.D., Ph.D or to our Academic Program Coordinator Xenia Lovrekovic-Delic. Ms. Lovrekovic-Delic can be also reached at 310-248-6719.
