Categorical Cardiovascular Fellowship

Message from the Director
Deborah Wolbrette, MD

We welcome your interest in the Cardiology training program at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and College of Medicine.

 

As an applicant for a position in a Cardiology Fellowship training program, you have many possible programs to consider. What is unique about our program?

 

·         The program is well rounded clinically with an excellent balance of invasive and noninvasive Cardiology; all the subspecialty areas in cardiology are represented and strong.

·         Opportunities are available for subspecialty training in electrophysiology and interventional Cardiology.

·         The training program includes a well established adult congenital heart disease program and an active heart transplantation program.

·         There is close interaction with vascular surgery, thoracic surgery, and interventional radiology. The Cardiology division is part of the Heart and Vascular Institute. Integration of some conferences and rotations provide important education in areas of cardiovascular pathophysiology not always covered in traditional Cardiology training programs.

·         The medical center has a Heart and Vascular Institute intensive care unit. Fellows gain experience with the use of LVADs and ECMO and caring for patients after cardiothoracic surgery.

·         The hospital, although located in a small community, is a quaternary care institute that cares for patients with a broad spectrum of pathology similar to that seen at any large city hospital. 1,000,000 populations within an hour ride of the medical center.

·         The program offers research training in a variety of areas.

·         The community is family-friendly with excellent schools. Travel from home to the hospital generally takes 10 to 15 minutes. It is an easy commute to Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington and New York City. Harrisburg International Airport is within 15 minutes of the hospital.

 

 

Applications for general cardiology fellowship must be submitted through ERAS.

 

The didactic and hands on clinical learning opportunities follows the guidelines established by the ACGME Residency Review Committee for interventional cardiology.  Weekly conferences are scheduled in an effort to provide knowledge in clinical decision making, including the role of randomized clinical trials, the clinical importance of complete vs. incomplete revascularization, and strengths and limitations, both short- and long- term, of percutaneous vs. surgical and medical therapy for a wide variety of clinical and anatomic situations related to cardiovascular disease.  Upon completion of the fellowship training program it is anticipated that the candidate will adequately prepared to become board certified in the subspecialty of Interventional Cardiology.

Candidates for fellowship must submit a completed application form with a recent photograph, a curriculum vitae, and three letters of reference.

All applications will be reviewed after the application is compete and after all three letters of reference are received.  One of these letters must be from the head of the Department of Medicine or from the Residency Director.

Applicants granted interviews will be notified, and a date of interview will be arranged. 

Applications for general cardiology fellowship must be submitted through ERAS.  Click here to download the application in PDF format. 

All inquiries regarding the Cardiology Fellowship Program should be directed to:

Deborah Wolbrette, M.D.
Director, Cardiology Fellowship Program
Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
Pennsylvania State College of Medicine
Division of Cardiology, H047
P.O. Box 850
Hershey, PA  17033

Each fellow spends two to three months, generally during the second or third year, participating in clinical or basic science research under the supervision of a faculty member actively involved in research endeavors. A series of research presentations by the cardiology researchers is made in the fall of the first year of Fellowship training, allowing the fellows to chose the mentor and type of research. It may be possible to devote additional time to research. Eligible fellows may elect to spend an entire year of research. Both formal and informal presentations will be given throughout the year at research meetings and the cardiology faculty research conference. This experience is designed to provide an introduction to clinical and basic science research techniques in cardiology.

Conferences form an important part of the Cardiovascular Fellowship training program and a series of case-based and didactic lectures have been assembled to meet the educational goals of the program.  These include:

ECG Conference 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

MondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFriday
 Medicine Grand Rounds 


7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.		 ECG Conference 7:00 a.m. - 8:00 a.m.Core Curriculum***
          or
Basic Science Conference*
7:15 a.m. - 8:15 a.m.		Cardiology / Thoracic Surgery Conference*

7:00 a.m. - 8:00 a.m.
 Echo Conference 12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.   
Cardiology Grand Rounds 
4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.		 Nuclear Conference**
4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.		CathConference*** 

4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.		 
 
* = Once/month     ** = Twice/month*** = Three/month

OTHER CONFERENCES:

  • Journal Club:  Evenings, once/month September through May
  • Combined Symposia (with other medicine subspecialty residents): four-five 2-hour sessions, times to be announced.  Typical session includes Epidermiology, Biostatistics, Ethics, How to Teach, etc.

E-Mail:  CardiologyFellowship@hmc.psu.edu
Voice:  717-531-6746
Fax:     717-531-7969

Mailing Address:
Cardiology Fellowship
Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
Penn State College of Medicine
H047  Box 850
500 University Drive
Hershey, PA  17033