Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology Fellowship

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine's Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology (CCEP) training program is a 1-year ACGME accredited program within the division of cardiology. There are currently 2 dedicated electrophysiology laboratories, equipped with state-of-the-art biplane fluoroscopy and 3-dimensional mapping systems, with plans to build a third lab. One of these labs is equipped with a magnetic remote navigation system. There is a growing outreach program that will allow fellows to gain exposure to EP procedures in the community. CCEP fellows at Northwestern gain experience in the full spectrum of arrhythmia management, from medical to procedural, in the outpatient and inpatient arenas. Procedurally, our fellows achieve exposure and competency in:

Pacemaker implantation
ICD implantation
Cardiac resynchronization therapy
Ablation of supraventricular tachycardia
Ablation of atrial fibrillation and flutter
Ablation of idiopathic ventricular tachycardia
Ablation of ventricular tachycardia in patients with structural heart disease
Epicardial approaches to ablation
Intracardiac imaging technologies
Lead extractions

CCEP conferences include weekly electrogram case review, as well as a weekly session for didactic teaching, journal review or research presentations.

In addition to a strong clinical program, Northwestern CCEP fellows are able (and expected) to participate in a wide variety of research projects, from basic/translational to clinical research. Below is a selected bibliography from faculty and fellows of the program.

Qualifications for the clinical cardiac electrophysiology fellowship are reflected in the Core Cardiology Training and Adult Cardiovascular Medicine Document (COCATS). Fellows will require level 1 certification during their general cardiology fellowship. Level 2 is designed for the individual who wishes to specialize in invasive diagnostic and therapeutic cardiac electrophysiology (clinical cardiac electrophysiology). To achieve level 3 certification, all requirements of Level 1 and Level 2 must be fully met. Fellows should be enrolled in or have completed an ACGME accredited Cardiovascular Disease fellowship (or equivalent). Fellows must also secure full medical licensure in the state of Illinois prior to starting their clinical cardiac electrophysiology fellowship training. If applicable, applicants must also possess valid ECFMG certification and a valid visa.

If you are interested in applying to our Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology Program, please send the following to our program director, Bradley Knight, MD:

Paper application (email program coordinator)
Curriculum Vitae
A statement of purpose
Three letters of recommendation
Photocopies of all exam results

Program Director: Bradley Knight, MD

Program Coordinator: Valaree Williams Walker

Contact:

Valaree Williams Walker

valaree@northwestern.edu
312-926-2148 Fax: 312-926-2707

251 East Huron Street, Feinberg 8-503
Chicago, IL 60611

Faculty

Bradley Knight, MD
Professor

Director of Cardiac Electrophysiology

Director of Cardiac Electrophysiology Laboratory

Director of Cardiac Electrophysiology (CCEP) Fellowship Program

Jeffrey Goldberger, MD

Professor

Director of Cardiac Electrophysiology Research

Rod Passman, MD, MSCE

Associate Professor

Associate Director of Cardiac Electrophysiology

Director of Atrial Fibrillation Center, Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute

Albert Lin, MD

Associate Professor

Associate Director of Cardiac Electrophysiology

Rishi Arora, MD

Associate Professor

Director of Experimental Electrophysiology

Susan S. Kim, MD

Assistant Professor

Director of Cardiac Implantable Electronic Device Clinic

Alexandru Chicos, MD

Assistant Professor

Bibliography

Aora R, Ulphani J, Villuendas R, Ng J, Harvey L, Thordson S, Inderyas F, Lu Y, Gordon D, Denes P, Greene R, Crawford S, Decker R, Morris A, Goldberger J, Kadish A. Neural substrate for atrial fibrillation: implications for targeted parasympathetic blockade in the posterior left atrium. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2008;294:H134-H144.

Dibs S, Ng J, Arora R, Passman R, Kadish A, Goldberger J. Spatiotemporal characterization in persistent human atrial fibrillation: multisite electrogram analysis and surface electrocardiographic correlations – a pilot study. Heart Rhythm 2008;5:686-693.

Jason T. Jacobson, MD, Valtino X. Afonso, PhD, Gregory Eisenman, RTR/RCIS, John R. Schultz, BSBME, Sorin Lazar, MD, John J. Michele, BS, Mark E. Josephson, MD, David J. Callans, MD “Characterization of the infarct substrate and ventricular tachycardia circuits with noncontact unipolar mapping in a porcine model of myocardial infarction” Heart Rhythm 2006;3:189–197.

Rubenstein JC, Kim MH, Jacobson JT, A novel method for sinus node Modification and phrenic nerve protection in resistant cases. J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol . June 2009, 20(6), 689-91.

Jacobson JT, Ablation of Scar-related Ventricular Tachycardia: Finding the Haystack. Heart Rhythm 2008Nov;5(11):1546-7.

Goldberger JJ. Cain ME. Hohnloser SH. Kadish AH. Knight BP. Lauer MS. Maron BJ. Page RL. Passman RS. Siscovick D. Siscovick D. Stevenson WG. Zipes DP. American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Foundation/ Heart Rhythm Society scientific statement on noninvasive risk stratification techniques for identifying patients at risk for sudden cardiac death. A scientific statement from the American Heart Association Council on Clinical Cardiology Committee on Electrocardiography and Arrhythmias and Council on Epidemiology and Prevention. Heart Rhythm 2008;5:e1-e21; Circulation 2008;118:1497-1518; and J Am Coll Cardiol 2008;52:1179-1199.

Lim KK, Reddy S, Desai S, Kessler E, Khunnawat C, Smelley M, Kim SS, Beshai J, Lin AC, Burke MC, Knight BP. Effects of electrocautery on transvenous lead insulation materials. J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol 2009;20:429-35.

Kim SS, Hijazi Z, Lang RL, Knight BP. The Use of Intracardiac Echocardiography and Other Intracardiac Imaging Tools to Guide Interventional Cardiac Procedures. State of the Art Review. J Am Coll Cardiol 2009;53:2117-28.

Matthew P. Smelley MP, Shah DP, Weisberg I, Kim SS, Lin AC, Beshai JF, Burke MC, Knight BP. Initial Experience Using a Powered Radiofrequency Transseptal Needle. (Accepted 9/09 J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol).

Lin D, Ilkhanoff L, Gerstenfeld E, Dixit S, Beldner S, Bala R, Garcia F, Callans D, Marchlinski FE. Twelve-lead electrocardiographic characteristics of the aortic cusp region guided by intracardiac echocardiography and electroanatomic mapping. Heart Rhythm 2008;5:663-669.

Rubenstein JC, Ortiz JT, Wu E, Kadish A, Passman R, Bonow RO, Goldberger JJ. The use of periinfarct contrast-enhanced cardiac magnetic resonance imaging for the prediction of late postmyocardial infarction ventricular dysfunction. Am Heart J 2008;156:498-505.

Dibs S, Ng J, Arora R, Passman R, Kadish A, Goldberger J. Spatiotemporal characterization of atrial activation in persistent human atrial fibrillation: multisite electrogram analysis and surface electrocardiographic correlations. A pilot study. Heart Rhythm 2008;5:686-693.

Sundaram S, Carnethon M, Polito K, Kadish AH, Goldberger JJ. Autonomic effects on QT-RR interval dynamics after exercise. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2008;294:H490-H497.

Wang NC, Maggioni AP, Konstam MA, Zannad F, Krasa HB, Burnett JC Jr, Grinfeld L, Swedberg K, Udelson JE, Cook T, Traver B, Zimmer C, Orlandi C, Gheorghiade M. Clinical implications of QRS duration in patients hospitalized with worsening heart failure and reduced left ventricular ejection fraction. JAMA 2008;299:2656-2666.

Wasserstron JA, Kapur S, Jones S, Faruque T, Sharma R, Kelly JE, Pappas A, Ho W, Kadish AH, Aistrup GL. Characteristics of intracellular Ca2+ cycling in intact rat heart: a comparison of sex differences. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2008;295:H1895-H1904.