Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship

We are committed to teaching comprehensive and compassionate cardiovascular care within a supportive learning environment. Our program fosters knowledge acquisition, lifelong learning skills and research development through dedicated time, resources and mentorship.

Program Structure

Our fellowship requires a minimum of 24 months of clinical training in diagnosing and managing a broad spectrum of cardiovascular diseases. Fellows dedicate at least six months to research, with an additional six months for clinical rotations or extended research, allowing specialization in specific clinical areas or research projects. An optional fourth year is available, focused on clinical or research activities.

Fellows gain hands-on experience in:

• Cardioversion
• Electrocardiography, including ambulatory monitoring and exercise testing
• Echocardiography
• Nuclear cardiology
• MRI and coronary CT angiography interpretation
• Arterial catheter insertion
• Right-heart catheterization, including temporary pacemaker management
• Left heart catheterization and percutaneous interventions

Educational Conferences

• Daily Noon Conferences: Led by our exceptional faculty, these sessions focus on fellow education
• Specialty Conferences: Participation in cardiac catheterization, imaging, consults conferences, journal club and ECG conference
• Lecture Series: Includes research lectures and health equity seminars throughout the academic year
• Cardiology Grand Rounds: Weekly lectures featuring nationally prominent speakers and Northwestern faculty on key clinical and research topics; each third-year fellow presents a lecture during their senior year

Within a 24-month period, fellows rotate through the following clinical specialties:

• Cardiac catheterization
• Cardiac consultative services
• Acute coronary care
• Noninvasive testing.

Other areas of training include:

• Electrophysiology
• Preventive cardiology
• Vascular medicine
• Heart failure
• Consultation on the cardiac surgery service.

Clinical Training Structure

Fellows engage in diverse clinical rotations and outpatient clinics, providing broad exposure to all cardiology subspecialties.

Clinical Rotations (First and Second Years)

• Core Rotations: Consults (NMH and VA), echocardiography/TEE, cath lab, nuclear cardiology, CVICU, electrophysiology (EP), cardiac rehab, heart failure, and CCU (NMH and VA).
• Outpatient Clinics:
  • Continuity Clinics: First-year fellows for a half-day per week at NMH; second-year fellows for an additional half-day at VA
  • Subspecialty Clinics: Lipid, valve, adult congenital heart disease (ACHD), vascular, HFpEF and advanced heart failure clinics.

Flexible Training (Third Year)

• Dedicated to research projects or elective clinical rotations tailored to individual career goals.
• Option to extend to a fourth year for additional clinical or research focus.

Clinical & Procedural Training

Fellows gain hands-on experience in key cardiovascular procedures, including:

• Cardioversion
• Electrocardiography (ambulatory monitoring and exercise testing)
• Echocardiography
• Nuclear cardiology
• MRI and coronary CT angiography interpretation
• Arterial catheter insertion
• Right-heart catheterization and temporary pacemaker management
• Left heart catheterization and percutaneous interventions

Clinical Locations

Clinical training is based at:

• Northwestern Memorial Hospital
• Jesse Brown VA Medical Center
• Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
• Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (NUCATS)

Fellows participate in either ongoing or self-initiated research protocols. Six to 12 months are dedicated to research activities, and it is expected that each fellow presents at least one original research paper at a national scientific meeting and writes at least one manuscript for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. Each fellow also presents one lecture at Cardiology Grand Rounds during the final year.

• Research Commitment: All fellows dedicate at least six months to research projects, supported by faculty mentors from the Endocrine Division and collaborating departments.
• Mentorship: Access to a dedicated research team and leaders in cardiovascular research.
• Research Productivity: Fellows achieve numerous publications, national conference presentations and contributions to cardiology podcasts like Cardionerds.
• Advanced Training: Opportunities to pursue a Master of Science in Clinical Investigation, apply for independent funding and obtain postdoctoral training grants (T32 Training Grant).

Our fellowship believes strongly in the importance of community outreach and service in promoting health care and mentorship in the Chicago area. 

• I Am Abel Foundation's Urban Bridges Medical Mentoring Program partners with Northwestern Medicine; to get involved, contact Ike S. Okwuosa, MD.
• Fellows volunteer at a cardiology specialty clinic in the Community Health Clinic, a free outpatient clinic located on the west side of Chicago.

Candidates must successfully complete training within an ACGME-accredited Internal Medicine residency program and secure full medical licensure in the state of Illinois prior to starting their Cardiovascular Disease fellowship.

If applicable, applicants must possess a valid visa and ECFMG certification. 

Our program accepts applications via ERAS exclusively and we only fill our positions via the NRMP match.

To be considered, candidates must have these documents available for download on ERAS by Sept. 1:

• Photograph
• ERAS Application
• Curriculum Vitae
• Personal Statement
• MSPE
• Transcripts
• Three Letters of Recommendation (One by your Internal Medicine Residency Program Director)
• USMLE Steps I, II and III Scores

See where our fellows have gone after graduation:

2024

• Stanley Aladi, MD: Academic Faculty Position
• Luis Diaz Quintero, MD, MSc: Interventional Cardiology Fellowship - Northwestern University
• Peter Glynn, MD, MSc: Academic Faculty Position - University of Illinois Chicago
• Jonathan Hourmozdi, MD, MSAI, MA - Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Fellowship - Northwestern University
• Amogh Karnik, MD, MSc, MSAI - Academic Faculty Position - Northwestern University
• Jennifer Maning, DO - Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Fellowship - Northwestern University
• Graham Peigh, MD, MSc - Cardiac Electrophysiology Fellowship - Northwestern University

2023

• Jayson Baman, MD: Cardiac Electrophysiology Fellowship - Northwestern University
• Aakash Bavishi, MD: Advanced Echocardiography Fellowship - Columbia University
• Kelley Chen, MD: Interventional Cardiology Fellowship - Northwestern University
• Sarah Hale, MD: Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Fellowship - Northwestern University
• Albert Liu, MD: Cardiac Electrophysiology Fellowship - University of California San Francisco
• Vincent Pallazola, MD: Academic Position at Michigan State University
• Neela Thangada, MD: Academic Position at Northwestern University

2022

• Jason Bonomo, MD, PhD: Secured position - Inova Health
• Baljash Cheema, MD: Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Fellowship - Northwestern University
• Lauren Farina, MD: Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Fellowship - Northwestern University
• Marysa Leya, MD: Interventional Cardiology Fellowship - Northwestern University
• Graham Lohrmann, MD: Cardiac Electrophysiology Fellowship - Northwestern University
• Quentin Youmans, MD: Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Fellowship - Northwestern University

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