Curriculum/Schedule

The Department of Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is the home of the premier Division of Cardiology. Ranked 6th nationally for heart services by U.S. News & World Report, Mount Sinai Heart at The Mount Sinai Hospital is celebrated internationally as a world leader in all facets of cardiology.

Exposure to Experts, Cutting-Edge Research and Education

As a cardiology fellow, you will have exposure to renowned experts, the use of cutting-edge medications and research findings, and outstanding educational training at The Mount Sinai Hospital. You will have extensive research opportunities and enjoy collaborations with our faculty from across basic, translational, and clinical medicine arenas.

We offer a robust didactic curriculum weekly. During the first 8 weeks, all lectures in the morning are on core cardiovascular topics given by expert faculty. This is a part of our summer bootcamp for first year fellows. In addition, we have sessions on echocardiography, placement of pulmonary artery catheters and transvenous pacemakers, along with other key skills of a first-year cardiology fellow.

Following that, we have a diverse weekly lecture schedule, a typical week is below.

Our fellows present our Friday case conferences working with expert faculty to present the case to the entire department and allow for expert discussion on the management. In addition, our fellows present patients to Dr. Fuster for his weekly didactic session on clinical reasoning.

Our Visiting Professor Series brings in leaders of cardiology from different institutions to meet with fellows and participate in a panel with our faculty discussing controversies in cardiology. Each fellow will have the opportunity to participate on one of these panels while working closely with the visiting professor.




Mon.

Tues.

Wed.

Thurs.

Fri.

Morning

Grand Rounds

Cath or EP Conference

Faculty Lectures

Dr. Fuster’s Bedside Clinical Exam and Reasoning Conference

Clinical Case Conference

Lunch

Visiting Professor (monthly)


ECG Conference

Biostats Lectures

Dr. Meller Case Discussions

Guideline Review

Our curriculum provides robust training in all aspects of cardiology, but the true benefit lies in the ability to personalize your training to your particular needs and interests. Core Rotations and electives are described in detail below, but as a fellow at Mount Sinai, you will have the ability to craft your schedule based on your career goals to obtain necessary clinical training (ex. level II training) or research time starting in your first year.

Our third year is entirely flexible to your goals with most fellows taking significant time to pursue research interests with further training in their intended field of cardiology.

 

First Year

Second Year

Third Year

Cardiac ICU

8 weeks

Varies

Tailored to your interests and career goals.

Cath Lab

6 weeks

8 weeks

EP

4 weeks

4 weeks

Echo

6 weeks

8 weeks

Nuclear

4 weeks

4 weeks

Consults

4 weeks

4-6 weeks

CHF

4 weeks

2-4 weeks

Consults

4 weeks

4-6 weeks

Dr. Fuster’s Rotation

4 weeks

4 weeks

CT/MRI

0-2 weeks

2-4 weeks

Vascular

0-2 weeks

2-4 weeks

Prevention

0-2 weeks

0-2 weeks

Research

4-6 weeks

4-6 weeks

Electives

None

2-4 weeks

Vacation

4 weeks

4 weeks

 

Cardiac Catheterization:
Key Faculty: Annapoorna Kini, MD, Samin Sharma, MD, George Dangas, MD, Joseph Sweeney, MD, Pedro Moreno, MD, Gregory Serrao, MD, Sahil Khera, MD, Prakash Krishan, MD.

Fellows have extensive structured training in one of the largest volume and highest quality cardiac catheterization labs in the country, including complex percutaneous interventions and structural procedures.

Fellows learn to both evaluate patients for appropriateness of cardiac catheterization and are supervised performing diagnostic procedures. First year fellows become proficient in venous and arterial access, interpretation of coronary angiograms and hemodynamics, assessment and management of acute coronary syndromes and mechanical support devices.

Second and Third Year Fellows have increasing responsibilities, procedural participation, and independence consistent with their interests and career goals.

Electrophysiology:
Key Faculty: Vivek Y. Reddy, MD, Srinivas R. Dukkipati, MD, Marc Miller, MD, Marie-Noelle Langan MD, William Whang, MD, Jacob Koruth, MD, Mohit Turagam, MD, Daniel Musikantow, MD,

Our fellows rotate on a robust consultative service to learn the diagnosis and management of complex cardiac arrhythmias as well as invasive and noninvasive methods for evaluation for pharmacologic, device, and ablative forms of therapy. Fellows will become proficient in the diagnosis and management of arrhythmias, as well as device interrogation and programming. The EP laboratory at Mount Sinai Hospital is one of the busiest in the region and our fellows are exposed to all aspects of care for these patients. Many first-in-man procedures and leading innovative device trials are performed. There are 2 to 4 fellowship positions per year.

Echocardiography:
Key Faculty: Lori Croft, MD, Martin Goldman, MD, Stamatios Lerakis, MD, Eric Stern, MD, Asaf Rabinovitz, MD, Malcolm Anastasios, MD, Steve Liao, MD, Vivian Abascal, MD, Hina Chaudhry, MD,

The Echocardiography Laboratory of Mount Sinai Heart perform detailed transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiograms, treadmill and pharmacological stress tests, and guidance for interventional, structural heart interventions, and electrophysiological interventions. This allows robust training for our fellows to both perform and interpret these studies as well as their pathophysiological and clinical impact.

During the First Year, following Summer Boot Camp, fellows develop a proficiency in technical acquisition and interpretation of transthoracic echocardiograms. Fellows will learn from expert sonographers and attendings hands-on image acquisition and interpretation. Fellows also learn reading with attending physicians in dedicated didactic sessions.

Second Year Fellows begin performing advanced procedures such as stress and transesophageal echocardiograms under supervision. Most fellows achieve Level II training. While Level III training is possible in three years, it usually requires a dedicated additional year of training, which is available for interested trainees.

Advanced fellows also participate in guidance of structural interventions. There is a one-year Structural Imaging Fellowship position each year under the leadership of Dr. Stamatios Lerakis.

Nuclear Cardiology:
Key Faculty: Steve Liao, MD, Lori Croft, MD, Stamatios Lerakis, MD, Tara Naib, MD

During the nuclear cardiology laboratory rotation, our fellows learn to perform and interpret the full spectrum of stress and nuclear cardiology diagnostic testing. Our lab performs basic ECG exercise stress test, cardiopulmonary exercise tests and the full spectrum of nuclear cardiology diagnostic testing including stress perfusion imaging using technetium-based radiotracers with attenuation correction, thallium-based viability studies, gated planar and SPECT equilibrium radionuclide angiography for the assessment of ventricular size and function and technetium pyrophosphate studies for the diagnosis of TTR variant cardiac amyloidosis. With our high clinical volume and state of the art technology, our lab is an ideal training area for cardiology fellows with an interest in nuclear cardiology specifically and for fellows interested in non-invasive cardiac imaging investigative studies.

The first-year cardiology fellow will learn first-hand how to perform all the different stress protocols and appreciate all their indications and contraindications safely and efficiently. In addition, fellows will directly read studies with attendings. In the second and third years of training, fellows continue. to gain skill with the subjective and objective quantification and CT correction of anatomic perfusion abnormalities. With proper planning, all fellows can gain level II training in nuclear cardiology to become board certified nuclear cardiologists.

Advanced Cardiac Imaging [Cardiac MR (CMR), and Cardiac CT (CCT):
Key Faculty: Javier Sanz, MD, Gina La Rocca, MD

Our fellows rotate in our Advanced Cardiac Imaging Program learning both cardiac CT and cardiac MRI. Our fellows will learn how to read calcium score, coronary CTA, coronary CT-FFR, CTs for planning TAVR, percutaneous MVR and TVR, and finally assessing vascular diseases of the aorta. Our fellows will have the ability to obtain level II training in cardiac CT with use of elective time in their third year. Our lab also has a robust CMR program and fellows learn CMR for assessing LV and RV function and volume quantification, evaluation of valvular heart diseases, ischemic heart disease with pharmacological stress, viability, cardiac tumors, pericardial diseases, cardiomyopathies, adult congenital heart diseases and diseases of the aorta.

Fellows can also apply for the Advanced Cardiovascular Imaging Fellowship in CMR and Cardiac CT Program which prepares physicians for certification for level 3 training in both cardiac CT and CMR. There is one advanced fellowship position available per year.

Cardiac Critical Care:
Key Faculty: Umesh Gidwani, MD, Matt Tomey, MD

During the first year, our fellows supervise a team of medical residents taking care of complex cardiac conditions including acute coronary syndromes, advanced heart failure, peri-procedural high-risk coronary and structural interventions, malignant arrhythmias, and mechanical therapies including Impella devices, intra-aortic balloon pumps, VA and VV-ECMO and left ventricular assist devices. Our 20 bed (14 ICU and 6 Step Down) state of the art unit is supervised by both a Cardiologist and a Critical Care physician (providing 24/7 coverage). Our fellows perform bedside procedures including insertion of pulmonary artery catheters and transvenous pacemakers. In addition, they are directly involved with the management of mechanical circulatory support devices. Advanced formal critical care training is offered for interested fellows (an additional year is required), who will then be board-eligible in Critical Care Medicine.

Dr. Valentin Fuster Chief Service:
During their first and second years, fellows have the unique opportunity of working closely with Dr. Valentin Fuster for 8 to 10 weeks. Besides dealing with an extraordinarily diverse outpatient and inpatient population, fellows learn directly from the American College of Cardiology designated Legend in Cardiology.

Cardiology Consults:
On the Inpatient Cardiovascular Consultation service fellows will encounter a vast array of complex cardiovascular disease including acute inpatient arrhythmias, valvular disease, pre-procedural evaluations, complex cardio-oncology issues, hypotension, syncope, heart failure, acute coronary syndromes, and much more. The fellows lead the service which includes housestaff and medical students and occurs during first and second year.

Continuity Clinic:
Key Faculty: Jonathan Halperin, MD, Steve Liao, MD, Tara Naib, MD, Maryanne McLaughlin, MD, Douglas DiStefano, MD,

During the entirety of our fellowship, fellows have one half day of continuity clinic per week. They function entirely as a primary outpatient cardiologist under the guidance of the same preceptor for three years. Fellows are able to follow their patients on inpatient services.

Vascular Medicine:
Key Faculty: Jeff Olin, DO, Daniella Kadian-Dodov, MD

With an internationally recognized faculty, the Mount Sinai Vascular Medicine section provides a comprehensive approach to patients with vascular disease through a collaborative relationship with vascular surgery, interventional radiology, peripheral interventional cardiology, rheumatology, neurology, and neuroradiology. The fellow will spend time in the outpatient clinics, inpatient consultations, vascular diagnostic laboratory and have exposure to endovascular and surgical procedures.

All clinical cardiology fellows at Mount Sinai receive Core Cardiology Training Symposium (COCATS) Level I training in Vascular Medicine. Level II and III training are also available. Fellows completing Level II training are qualified to sit for the American Board of Vascular Medicine general examination and the Registered Physicians in Vascular Ultrasound (RPVI) examination.

Heart Failure:
Key Faculty: Donna Mancini; Anu Lala, MD; Claudia Gidea, MD; Noah Moss, MD; Johanna Contreras, MD; Aditya Parikh, MD; Maria Trivieri, MD; Sumeet Mitter, MD; Maya Barghash, MD

Our fellows rotate on the Advanced Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplant Consultative services learning from our incredibly talented and renowned faculty. Our fellows are also involved in the management of advanced heart failure patients including temporary mechanical support, left ventricular assist devices, and post-transplant patients. Mount Sinai has a high volume of heart transplants and LVADs. In addition, we are the only program in NY that implants the Total Artificial Heart.

Mount Sinai Adult Congenital Heart Disease Center:
Key Faculty: Ali Zaidi, MD, Barry Love, MD, and Robert Pass, MD

Our fellows rotate through our adult congenital heart center. A total of six clinic sessions are held weekly where fellows can evaluate ACHD patients at all levels of complexity. The clinic also involves exposure to dedicated multi-modality imaging in CHD including echocardiography, CMR and CTA imaging. Fellows who have an interest in cardiac catheterization may choose to spend one day a week in the congenital cardiac catheterization suite where they will learn intracardiac hemodynamics, vasodilatory testing for patients with pulmonary hypertension and observe complex CHD interventions. The MSACHD Center also has two dedicated multidisciplinary clinics that are held once every other month. These include the Mount Sinai ACHD- Single Ventricle Fontan Clinic and the ACHD-High Risk Pregnancy Maternal Fetal Medicine (MFM) Clinic. Fellows are encouraged to participate in these clinics and help formulate management plans in a collaborative forum. A two-year advanced ACHD fellowship is available.

Cardio-Oncology:
Director: Gagan Sahni, MD

Our fellows have opportunities to rotate with dedicated cardio-oncologists at a busy tertiary cancer center with a large volume of myeloma, solid and hematological tumors, and breast and lung cancer patients supported by a robust bone marrow transplant program, in addition to offering cutting edge clinical trials with immunotherapy, CAR-T & novel therapeutics.

Lipoprotein Disorders:
Director: Robert Rosenson, MD

We provide care for large numbers of patients with monogenic lipoprotein disorders and provide comprehensive strategies for primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular diseases in a dedicated clinic. Our fellows will have the opportunity to rotate through and learn directly from our world-renowned specialists who are involved in many clinical trials and research in a primarily outpatient setting. Research opportunities are available for both single center and multi-center clinical trials. An advanced one-year Fellowship position in lipids is available each year.

Cardio-Metabolism:
Directors: Jeffrey I. Mechanick, M.D (Endocrinologist) and Maryann McLaughlin, M.D. (Cardiologist and Director of Cardiac Rehabilitation and Medical Fitness)

Fellows rotate through the Cardiometabolic Service at Mount Sinai Heart which provides comprehensive and durable care in an immersive environment to decrease the risks for development and progression of cardiovascular disease. Cardiologists, endocrinologists, and general internists work together as a team to provide a unique brand of individualized, evidence-based treatment for primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention of cardiovascular and metabolic disorders.

Fellows will develop specific skills in cardiovascular disease risk stratification, lifestyle medicine diagnostics and implementation, cardiac rehabilitation and medical fitness management, clinical nutrition, formulating disease-specific dietary plans, behavioral medicine and motivational interviewing, diabetes care and pharmacotherapy, obesity care and pharmacotherapy, dyslipidemia management, and ongoing outpatient care of patients with cardiometabolic disorders, inpatient care of patients with cardiometabolic and nutritional disorders, and basics in management and operations of a Lifestyle Medicine Center.