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Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiology Fellowship

Program Overview

The Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiology Fellowship at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center is a one-year, ACGME-accredited program that admits one fellow per year.

Program Details

The Division of Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiology (CVIR) offers a one-year fellowship with the primary purpose of preparing its graduates for careers in the multi-faceted subspecialty of CVIR. Fellows receive training in all aspects of the modern CVIR practice.

Vascular and non-vascular interventions will include, but are not limited to:

  • Diagnostic and interventional arteriography and venography
  • Oncologic and transplant interventions
  • Embolotherapy
  • Vascular access and dialysis access management
  • IVC filter placement and complex IVC filter retrieval
  • Percutaneous biliary interventions
  • Genitourinary interventions
  • Gastrointestinal interventions
  • Vascular malformation interventions
  • Venous insufficiency interventions
  • Transjugular Intrahepatic Porto-systemic Shunt Creation and Management
  • Complex drainage procedures
  • Non-invasive vascular imaging (Vascular Ultrasound, CT Angiography, MR Angiography)
  • Percutaneous biopsies and drainages (optional)
  • Neurointerventions (pain management, vascular interventions; optional)

In addition to inpatient evaluations, fellows have dedicated time in CVIR clinics where patients are seen for pre-procedure evaluation and post-procedure follow-up. The general CVIR clinic exposes fellows to patients with diagnoses that include, but are not limited to, hepatocellular carcinoma, venous insufficiency, prior IVC filter placement and peripheral vascular disease.

Subspecialty clinic involves the treatment of vascular anomalies and venous disease. Participation in multi-specialty treatment planning conferences and clinics contribute to the development of a fellow’s clinical skills as well as the understanding of CVIR’s role in the patient’s global clinical care.

Dedicated time for research is an integral part of the fellowship, providing the opportunity to take an in-depth look at specific aspects of CVIR practices and procedures. Fellows are expected to submit educational projects for publication or presentation at meetings.

Participation in the Quality Assurance (QA) process, including a QA project, is an important and mandatory component of fellowship training, intended to maintain and improve overall patient care.

Graduates from the program have successfully entered private, military and academic practices.

Our Team

Conferences and Journal Clubs

Several conferences and journal clubs are part of the learning environment in the Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiology Fellowship.

Morning Rounds

Each morning at 7:30 a.m., morning rounds are held in the Interventional Radiology reading room. Rounds are attended by the attendings on service, the fellows, the residents on CVIR, as well as any medical student or other learner on the service. Rounds are run by one of the attendings assigned to do procedures that day. The fellows are responsible for organizing the day’s cases and ensuring that all patients are prepared to be presented. During rounds, each patient is discussed, to include a plan for their care while in the IR suite. Recent imaging studies, labs and other results are discussed in the context of the planned procedure. Rounds represent a valuable time for patient-specific education, as well as discussion regarding the anatomy and techniques relevant to the actual procedure being performed.

Interventional Radiology Conference Series

Held on Tuesdays from 8 to 9 a.m. in the Radiology Conference Room, this conference is mandatory for the fellows and residents who are on service. Lectures that are prepared by the fellows include Interesting Case Conference (ICC), Morbidity and Mortality Conference (M and M), and Journal Club (JC). ICC and M and M each occur once a month. JC alternates with a Technology and Nursing Education lecture, which is prepared by the Technologists and Nurses who work in CVIR. Attending physicians present IR-focused didactic lectures on a monthly basis.

Formal Journal Club

Formal Journal Club is held quarterly, in addition to the Journal Club noted above. The choice of articles is made a the discretion of the fellows, with attending input. The choice of articles may be driven by questions regarding new techniques or current literature. An interesting clinical question that arises during a case may also be the motivation for selecting a specific topic for discussion.

Heart and Vascular Institute (HVI) Conference Series

The HVI Conference Series consists of lectures that may be attended by all house-staff in the HVI. Of particular interest to the CVIR fellow may be HVI Grand Rounds, which are lectures given by subject-matter experts within the HVI as well as outside speakers.

ACGME Core Competency Lectures

This lecture series is held quarterly on a Thursday morning. Attendance is mandatory for the house-staff, but attendance by attending physicians is also encouraged. The ACGME Core Competency Lectures provide education regarding the core competencies of patient care, medical knowledge, practice-based learning and improvement, interpersonal and communication skills, professionalism and systems-based practice. Learn more about this lecture series here.

Central Pennsylvania Angio Club

This quarterly meeting encourages the exchange of ideas between the Hershey Medical Center CVIR group and interventional radiologists who practice in the community. This is a meeting that all attendees look forward to, where interesting cases are presented and spirited discussions about management ensue. It gives all participants the opportunity to share new ideas, different techniques and good food.

To Apply

The Penn State College of Medicine Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiology Fellowship is no longer interviewing. The fellowship program will be phased out in June 2020, along with all programs nationally. The program plans to interview for the independent track to match for July 2020 and will accept both ESIR and non-ESIR applicants.

In addition to the documents submitted through ERAS, please note the following requirements:

  1. Three letters of recommendation (uploaded in ERAS) – at least one Interventional Radiology letter and at least one Diagnostic Radiology letter
  2. Personal statement (uploaded in ERAS) – must include a paragraph about your expected ESIR experience, including number of expected procedures, expected procedure mix and the expected IR-related rotations
  3. Diagnostic radiology program director letter verifying acceptance into ESIR
  4. Training block diagrams for R1 through R4 years
  5. Procedure log

Documents 3 to 5 above should be sent in a single email to the Program Coordinator, Lauren Talhelm, at ltalhelm@pennstatehealth.psu.edu, at the time your application is submitted in ERAS. Applications will not be reviewed until all of the information is received.

Please contact the program with any questions.

Faculty

Current Fellows

Past Fellows

Contact Us

Mailing Address

Penn State Heart and Vascular Institute
Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiology Fellowship Program
PO Box 850, MC H066
Hershey, PA 17033-0850

General Contact Information

Phone: 717-531-5418

Fax: 717-531-4445

Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiology Fellowship

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Penn State College of Medicine is an equal-opportunity employer and accepts all qualified applications regardless of their gender, ethnic origin or religious background.