Cardiothoracic Surgery-Integrated & 4/3 Programs

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About the Program

Established in 2010, the Cardiothoracic Surgery Integrated Residency program is dedicated to producing balanced, well-qualified cardiothoracic surgeons prepared to serve the community through careers in either private practice or academia. With dedicated faculty based at Seattle’s premier medical facilities, the program has been carefully designed to balance training in cardiovascular and thoracic surgery.

The residency is designed to provide residents with focused, hands on experience divided equally between cardiac and thoracic surgery. While residents are welcome to choose an area of specialty, there are no pre-designated cardiac or thoracic tracks.

Integrated residents will spend their first three years of training (PGY 1-3) completing prerequisite clinical rotations including exposure to general surgery, vascular surgery, critical care, cardiothoracic surgery, echocardiography, and cardiothoracic anesthesia. Following this, senior Integrated residents (PGY 4-6) rotate on cardiothoracic surgery clinical services with fellows in the Cardiothoracic Surgery Fellowship program. In these latter years of training, residents will gain requisite experience in general thoracic, cardiac, congenital cardiac, and foregut surgery as well as end-stage heart and lung disease, including mechanical circulatory support and heart and lung transplantation. 

 

Quick Facts

  • Faculty have served as leaders of STS, ABS, ABTS, WTSA, TSDA, ACS, JCTSE, ISHLT, ELSO, and the ACGME Thoracic Surgery Residency Review Committee
  • Division has completed 1000+ lung transplants and 900+ heart transplants
  • Average case numbers at graduation: 1575 total cases

 

Program Leadership

Dr. Kathleen Berfield

Kathleen S. Berfield, MD
Program Director
Associate Professor, Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery
Chief of Thoracic Surgery VA Puget Sound HCS

Dr. Christopher Burke

Christopher Ryan Burke, MD
Associate Program Director
Assistant Professor, Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery