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Advanced Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplantation Fellowship

With a student-faculty ratio of 1:9, our fellows benefit from one-on-one training at one of the largest heart transplant program in Texas.

Baylor University Medical Center(BUMC), part of Baylor Scott & White Health, Advanced Heart Failure & Cardiac Transplantation Fellowship Program is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).BUMC is a busy transplant and LVAD center and is amongst the top 10 high volume transplant centers in the country .

Upon program completion, graduates will qualify to serve as a medical director of a UNOS certified heart transplant program and be eligible for certification in the subspecialty of Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology by the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM).

Curriculum

In accordance with the ACC COCATS 4 Task Force 8, the advanced heart failure fellows are trained on the management and evaluation of patients with heart failure, Heart transplant, durable and temporary Mechanical circulatory support ,ECMO , pulmonary hypertension as well as end-of-life issues.

The program provides exposure to a large number of multi center research trials . Additionally the fellows obtain hands on experience in the  Cardiac catheterization lab with aggressive percutaneous mechanical circulatory support including Impella , Protek Duo , right and left heart catheterization, IVUS, Right ventricular endomyocardial biopsy and Cardiomems and ECMO.

The Heart Failure Fellows participate and obtain hands on experience with insertion and the management of patients requiring temporary percutaneous mechanical support including IABP, Impella , Protek duo, and are able to perform the requisite numbers of  Cardiomems implantation for certification . In addition the fellows have exposure to the management of cardiogenic shock via a coordinated Shock team and thus gain experience in the bedside management of patients supported on Centtrimag and ECMO

Baylor University Medical Center is a quaternary referral center and performs over 60 heart transplants and 60 durable LVAD implants yearly and is amongst the top 10 high volume centers in the country. The Fellow has substantial site support with specialists and advanced practice health care professionals who are experts in the management of advanced heart failure in the following areas:

  • Multispecialty team rounds in ICU
  • 50 patients /day in outpatient advanced heart failure clinic
  • Evaluation for heart transplant and LVAD implantation
  • Post-heart transplant/LVAD management
  • Pulmonary hypertension consultation and follow-up
  • Direct management of 5-8 outpatients/fellow/day
  • 25 Inpatients on daily basis
  • Direct management of 4-10 inpatients /fellow/day

Our typical rotation schedule is illustrated below. The majority of clinics are held at Baylor university medical center. Once a week call with in house attending. Fellows take call one weekday per week and work one weekend a month without taking call.

The fellows rotation at the VA consists of an outpatient advanced heart failure clinic experience for 3.5 days and procedures for the remainder of the week. The fellows have the opportunity to perform right heart catheterizations, endomyocardial biopsies and implantation of cardiomems devices. In addition fellows will also perform and review cardio-pulmonary exercise stress testing for their patients. The HF fellows do not take call at the VA.

Inpatient

Outpatient

Laboratory

Pre-transplant heart failure

Transplant device

Cardiac catheterization laboratory

Post-transplant and device

Pulmonary Hypertension

Inpatient consultations

(VA Medical center)

Clinical Coverage

(VA Medical center)

Fellows receive didactic instruction through attendance at cardiology lectures, morbidity & mortality conferences and cardiology-related courses and meetings.

Institutional Conferences

  • Internal Medicine Grand Rounds

Departmental Conferences

  • Heart Failure/Transplant Conference
  • Transplant/MCS M&M Conference
  • Heart Failure Journal Club
  • Transplant Selection Meeting
  • Cardiology Grand Rounds
  • Cardiology Echocardiography Conference
  • Cardiology Catheterization Conference
  • Cardiology Section or M&M Meeting
  • Immunology Meeting

Education of the fellows is enhanced with the presence of multiple subspecialists and consultants who participate in coordinated decision-making

BUMC residency and fellowship programs include:

  • Internal medicine residency
  • Clinical cardiology fellowship
  • Interventional cardiology fellowship
  • Electrophysiology fellowship.
  • General surgery
  • Vascular surgery
  • Cardiothoracic surgery training program
  • Surgical Critical Care

  • Train at one of U.S. News & World Report's "Best Hospitals"

    Baylor University Medical Center, part of Baylor Scott & White Health, is a 115-acre campus with 915 beds, a Level I trauma center and nationally ranked specialty services.

    Snapshot of our campus

How to Apply

Applicants may apply through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) to electronically submit residency applications, letters of recommendations, dean’s letters, transcripts and other credentials directly from their medical school.

Applications are due by the first week of October. Interviews will take place beginning in early September.

Visit ERAS to apply

Application Requirements

Applicants must have completed at least three years of internal medicine residency and three years of cardiology fellowship training.

In order to be considered for the program, applicants must submit the following materials:

  • Personal statement
  • CV
  • Minimum of three letters of recommendation
  • ECFMG certificate (if applicable)
  • United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) and/or COMLEX scores
Learn more about Baylor Scott & White's housestaff appointment eligibility, including guidelines for international medical graduates.

Research

Baylor Scott & White Heart and Vascular Institute – Dallas', in collaboration with Baylor Research Institute, coordinates more than 150 clinical trials involving cardiac surgery, cardiology, cardiac and vascular intervention, electrophysiology, vascular surgery and cardiovascular disease prevention.

The Fellow actively participates in research projects equipping the fellow to further their experience in critical thinking and innovative research.

Fellows accepted for presentation at major heart failure meeting, are fully funded from the department for those expenses.

Recent Publications from Fellows

  • Alam A, Milligan GP, Joseph SM. Reconsidering the Diagnostic Criteria of Right Ventricular Primary Graft Dysfunction. J Card Fail 2020; Epub ahead of print 2020/08/11.
  • Hicks A, 3rd, Velazco JF, Gohar S, Seliem A, Hall SA, Michel JB. Advanced heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. Proc (Bayl Univ Med Cent) 2020;33(3):350-6.
  • Milligan GP, Alam A, Guerrero-Miranda C. Recognizing Right Ventricular Dysfunction in Coronavirus Disease-2019-Related Respiratory Illness. J Card Fail 2020; Epub ahead of print 2020/05/15.
  • Tecson KM, Hashemi H, Afzal A, Gong TA, Kale P, McCullough PA. Community-Acquired Acute Kidney Injury as a Risk Factor of de novo Heart Failure Hospitalization. Cardiorenal Med 2019;9(4):252-60.
  • Thakur R, Afzal A, Carey SA, Bass K, Felius J, Roberts WC, Hall SA. Repeat Cardiac Transplant Indicated by Severe Cardiac Allograft Vasculopathy in a Patient With Danon Disease. Rev Cardiovasc Med 2018;19(2):69-71.
  • Afzal A, Tecson KM, Jamil AK, Felius J, Garcha PS, Hall SA, Carey SA. The Effect of Obstructive Sleep Apnea on 3-Year Outcomes in Patients Who Underwent Orthotopic Heart Transplantation. Am J Cardiol 2019;124(1):51-4.

Contact Us

Natalie Gittus
Phone: 214.865.3610
Natalie.Gittus@bswhealth.org

Advanced Heart Failure & Cardiac Transplantation Fellowship
Baylor University Medical Center
3500 Gaston Ave.
Roberts Hospital, 1st Floor
Dallas, TX 75246

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In addition to competitive stipends, we offer our fellows a full menu of employee benefits. We help offset the cost of many of these benefits; others are options you can choose to pay for yourself.

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