The Cardiothoracic Fellowship Training Program is composed of two years of clinical training, as is required for board eligibility in thoracic surgery.
Our division has ten faculty members, each with an area of specialization in either adult, pediatric or general thoracic surgery.
Two cardiothoracic fellows rotate responsibility for these services. All clinical work during the two years of training is conducted at Albany Medical Center and the Stratton VA Medical Center.
The fellowship is divided into three-month rotations equally split between Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery. This is alterable depending on the fellow’s needs and interest.
During the thoracic rotation, the fellow will become familiar with technical aspects of surgery on the esophagus, lung, pleura, trachea, bronchi, chest wall, mediastinum, pericardium, and diaphragm. Expertise is gained in all aspects of patient care, and by the end of this experience, the fellow will have an understanding of esophageal and pulmonary physiology, physiology of the chest wall, and the basic tenants of thoracic oncology.
During the cardiac rotation, the fellow will be expected to become proficient in interpretation of cardiac catheterization data and coronary cineangiography. Introduction to both transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography is provided at this time.
The fellow will participate in pediatric and adult cardiac operations as first assistant initially and is given progressive responsibility in the operations as his/her skills mature during the program.
The fellow will actively participate in simulation labs.
Program Highlights
- Exposure to a broad spectrum of pathophysiology with referral base population of over three million
- Ability to tailor the program to individual needs and interests across adult and pediatric cardiac and general thoracic areas
- Comprehensive two-year didactic curriculum
- Engaged faculty with interest in minimally invasive cardiac and thoracic surgery as well as thoracic aortic and valve repair
- Interaction with cath lab, pulmonary function and manometry labs
- Board-certified faculty: fellows train with faculty that are all board-certified in Thoracic Surgery
- Team players: the faculty work together as part of an integrated, multidisciplinary team
- Quality: the thoracic surgical faculty provide high quality, comprehensive diagnostic and surgical care to adult and pediatric patients with diseases of the heart, great vessels, lungs, trachea, esophagus, diaphragm, chest wall and mediastinum
Conferences
An environment of inquiry and scholarship is encouraged throughout the two years of fellowship through the requirement of participation in preparation and delivery of didactic sessions, as well as in preparation and publication of peer-reviewed articles.
Didactics are conducted through an intensive scheduled lecture and conference program in which fellows are expected to actively participate.
The faculty is uniformly available to assist the fellows in these undertakings.
The final common goal of this program is to educate a physician as a technically proficient, intellectually honest individual who practices independent cardiothoracic surgery with dedication, sensitivity and balance.