Cardiothoracic Residency & Fellowship Programs
Program Overview
About the Program
The Cardiothoracic Surgery Traditional Fellowship 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.
This two-year fellowship is designed to provide trainees with focused, hands on experience divided equally between cardiac and thoracic surgery. While fellows are welcome to choose an area of specialty, there are no pre-designated cardiac or thoracic tracks.
Fellows rotate on cardiothoracic surgery clinical services at two main sites of practice with senior residents in the Cardiothoracic Surgery Integrated Residency program. Throughout these two years of training, fellows 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: 811 total cases
Program Leadership
Kathleen S. Berfield, MD
Program Director
Assistant Professor, Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery
Chief of Thoracic Surgery VA Puget Sound HCS
Christopher Burke, MD
Associate Program Director
Assistant Professor, Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery
Clinical Training
Clinical Experience
Cardiothoracic Surgery fellows at the University of Washington receive an unrivaled clinical education. Training alongside nationally and internationally recognized faculty, fellows have a robust operative experience in every subspecialty of cardiothoracic surgery from “bread and butter” cases” like CABGs and lobectomies to more complex cases like hybrid aortic aneurysm repair and pulmonary thromboendarterectomy.
What makes the fellowship program at the University of Washington unique is that it is one of the few programs in the country that trains you to be a true Cardiothoracic surgeon. Graduates are equipped to handle the full spectrum of cardiac and thoracic surgical disease. Additionally, as the tertiary and quaternary referral center for the WWAMI region, we care for a diverse patient population, which equates to a robust clinical experience.
Fellows primarily rotate on three services – UWMC Thoracic Surgery, UWMC Cardiac Surgery, and VA Cardiothoracic Surgery – and are integral members of the surgical team both in and out of the OR. Our fellows work alongside a dedicated APPS in the ICU, Acute Care floor and OR as well as Integrated residents and oversee all aspects of perioperative care from the initial clinic visit until discharge, giving them a well-rounded clinical experience.
Training Sites
Traditional Cardiothoracic Fellows will rotate at three sites throughout their training.
- The University of Washington Medical Center – Montlake is a tertiary and quaternary care referral site for the WWAMI region and serves as the primary training site for the fellowship. Fellows will split their time at this site between the Cardiac and Thoracic Services.
- The VA Puget Sound Health Care System provides tertiary care to veterans throughout the region. Fellows will rotate for 2-3 months a year on the Cardiothoracic Surgery Service. (Located 7.5 miles south of UWMC-Montlake)
- Seattle Children’s Hospital was founded over 100 years ago and serves families across the WWAMI region regardless of their ability to pay. Fellows interested in Congenital Cardiac surgery will have the option of rotating on the Congenital Cardiac Service. (Located 2.0 miles west of UWMC-Montlake)
Rotations
Training is split between the UWMC Thoracic, UWMC Cardiac, and VA services. These two years of training are intensive, and fellows are fully immersed in cardiothoracic surgery, working alongside the senior Integrated residents to truly lead the team and drive patient care.
On these rotations, trainees will work one-on-one with Cardiac and Thoracic faculty to master all aspects of Cardiac and Thoracic surgery.
Cardiac Surgery
- Coronary Revascularization
- Valvular Heart Disease
- Aortic Surgery
- Endocarditis
- Advanced Heart Failure
- Mechanical Circulatory Support (MCS)/ECLS
- Cardiac Transplantation
- Structural Heart Disease/Transcatheter Valve Replacement
- Adult Congenital Surgery
Thoracic Surgery
- General Thoracic Oncology
- End-stage Lung Disease/Lung Volume Reduction Surgery (LVRS)
- Tracheal Reconstruction
- Esophageal Surgery
- Interventional Bronchoscopy (including Rigid Bronchoscopy)
- Chest Wall Reconstruction
- Mediastinal and Pleural Disease
- VATS and Robotic Surgery
- Lung Transplantation/ ECLS
- Pulmonary Thromboendarterectomy
*Please note: This is a sample schedule indicative of the average rotation schedule for a Traditional Fellow. ** In the PGY 6 or 7 years of training there is an option to rotate on the Congenital Cardiac Service at Seattle Children’s Hospital.
Conferences
Each week fellows participate in didactic sessions geared towards establishing and reinforcing a comprehensive understanding of cardiothoracic surgery.
The weekly Thoracic Surgery and Cardiac Surgery Education Conferences follow the Society of Thoracic Surgeons’ thoracic surgery curriculum, which UW faculty and trainees played a key role in helping to establish.
*Highlighted conferences are mandatory Cardiothoracic Surgery resident conferences.
Simulation Training
In their PGY 6 year Traditional Fellows participate in a 35-week simulation training at the WWAMI Institute for Simulation in Healthcare (WISH) that will cover three basic cardiac surgery procedures and three critical intraoperative adverse events:
- Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB)
- Coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG)
- Aortic valve replacement (AVR)
- Massive intraoperative air embolism (MAE)
- Acute intraoperative aortic dissection (AIAD)
- Sudden perioperative deterioration of cardiac function (SDCF)
Simulation training is led weekly by a Cardiothoracic Surgery faculty member, with participation from members of the nursing, perfusion, and anesthesia teams as needed. Completion of this curriculum meets the simulation training requirements for ABTS board eligibility.
Professional Development & Research
Mentorship
All incoming Traditional Fellows are matched with a Cardiothoracic Surgery faculty mentor as Junior fellows. Trainees will meet with their mentor on a semi-annual basis to discuss progress and goals.
Additionally, fellows meet with the Program Director a minimum of twice a year for reviews.
Leadership
Trainees at the UW have many local and national leadership opportunities.
Past trainees have served in leadership positions for many organizations including:
- Department of Surgery Cardiothoracic Surgery Interest Group
- Department of Surgery Women’s Council
- Department of Surgery Diversity Council
- Department of Surgery Wellness Committee
- UWHA House Staff Association
- Washington State Medical Association, Resident and Fellow Section
- Society for Black Academic Surgeons
- Society of Thoracic Surgeons
- TSRA Executive Committee
- AATS Resident Representative to the ORR/AAMC
The PGY 7 fellow also holds the position of Chief Administrative Fellow. Together with the senior resident from the Cardiothoracic Surgery Integrated Residency, they are responsible for managing the weekly Thoracic and Cardiac Education Conference schedules, monthly call schedule, and day-to-day management of the Cardiac and Thoracic Surgery services. The Chief Fellow receives a monthly stipend in addition to their base salary.
Research
While fellows are invited and encouraged to participate in scholarly activity such as writing manuscripts and books chapters or giving presentations throughout their training, the Cardiothoracic Surgery Traditional Fellowship does not require trainees to take formal time out for research. However, there are still numerous opportunities for involvement in all aspects of research including clinical outcomes, quality improvement, and work with local and national clinical databases.
Training Tracks
The Cardiothoracic Surgery Traditional Fellowship is designed to provide fellows with focused, hands on experience and is divided equally between Cardiac and Thoracic surgery. While fellows are welcome to choose any area of specialty, there are no pre-designated cardiac or thoracic tracks.
The Traditional Program at the University of Washington is truly unique because of the nearly equal division between cardiac and thoracic surgical training. Regardless of a fellow’s chosen area of specialty, all graduates of the program are trained to be competent, well-rounded surgeons in both general thoracic and general cardiac surgery.
How to Apply
Consistent with Coalition for Physician Accountability recommendations, all interviews will be held virtually via Zoom for the 2020 recruitment cycle.
Recruitment & Selection
The Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Washington is a participating member of the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) and only accepts applications through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). Paper applications will not be accepted.
Applicants must have successfully completed a general surgery residency program or equivalent and be board eligible in their specialty and must be a graduate of a US or Canadian medical school accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), a graduate of a US college of osteopathic medicine accredited by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), or an International Medical Graduate that fits the criteria below. Canadian applicants should contact the Canadian Residents Matching Service.
Eligible applicants will be considered based on their individual preparedness, ability, aptitude, academic credentials, communication skills, and personal qualities such as motivation and integrity. In order for Program Leadership and Cardiothoracic Surgery faculty to effectively review applications and select candidates for interviews, the following items are required:
- Completion of all USMLE exams
- ABSITE scores
- Three letters of recommendation
- Personal Statement
The NRMP program code is 1918460F0.
Application Process & Dates
While the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery will accept applications on a rolling basis throughout the recruitment season, priority will be given to applications received by December 18, 2020.
Interview Dates for AY21 (Winter 2020):
- TBA
All interviews this year will be held virtually via Zoom.
Interview Day Process
Overview of Interview Day (all times listed as Pacific Standard Time)*
- Program Overview Presentation
- Q&A with Current Fellows
- Meeting with Department Chair
- Meetings with Cardiothoracic Surgery Faculty and Staff (Program Director, Associate Program Director, Division Chief, Program Administrator, and other faculty based on availability)
We understand that seeing the University and the surrounding area is an important part of deciding where you want to train. We are so sorry to not be able to meet you in person this year, but our fellows, faculty, and staff are more than happy to answer all your questions about life at the UW and the Pacific Northwest. To learn more about working at the University of Washington and living in Seattle, please take a look at our social media accounts!
Instagram: @uwctsurgeryresidents
Twitter: @UWCTSurgRes
If you have any questions or would like additional information, please contact:
Katie Nowlin, Program Administrator
ctrespa@uw.edu
206-685-8644
International Medical Graduates
The Cardiothoracic Surgery Fellowship Program welcomes applications from International Medical Graduates in the following situations:
- If an applicant is a graduate of a medical school outside the United States and Canada who has received a currently valid certificate from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) prior to appointment, or a full and unrestricted license to practice medicine in a US licensing jurisdiction in which they are training.
- If an applicant is a graduate of a medical school outside the US who has completed a Fifth Pathway program provided by an LCME-accredited medical school
Program Overview
About the Program
The MCS/Transplant Fellowship program is dedicated to producing a balanced, well-qualified thoracic transplant surgeon prepared for practice in an academic or private practice environment. Over the course of this one-year program, the fellow will gain comprehensive experience in the management of end-stage heart and lung disease.
Throughout this one-year program, the fellow will participate in care of MCS/Transplant patients within the inpatient and outpatient setting and under the supervision of Cardiothoracic Surgery faculty. The fellow will also become proficient technically with MCS procedures as well heart and lung transplantation as well as donor management and procurement.
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
Program Leadership
Kathleen S. Berfield, MD
Program Director
Assistant Professor, Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery
Chief of Thoracic Surgery VA Puget Sound HCS
Clinical Training
Clinical Experience
Over the course of this one-year program, the fellow will gain comprehensive experience in the management of end-stage heart and lung disease. The fellow will participate in care of MCS/Transplant patients within the inpatient and outpatient setting and under the supervision of Cardiothoracic Surgery faculty. The fellow will also become proficient technically with MCS procedures as well heart and lung transplantation as well as donor management and procurement.
Performance in each area will be assessed based on competency in medical knowledge, clinical/technical skills, patient care, professionalism, interpersonal and communication skills, and systems-based practices. Attendance at the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplant and/or American Society of Artificial Internal Organs with presentation of scholarly activity is also an expected part of professional development over the year. The fellow will also participate in the education of junior residents and fellows.
Cardiac Transplant and Mechanical Circulatory Support
- The fellow will participate in the management of a busy mechanical support service as well as a post-operative heart transplant service, under the supervision of the transplant/MCS faculty. They will also be expected to participate in and occasionally lead the transplant weekly listing meetings, MCS operations meetings, daily MCS/transplant huddles, the Transplant/MCS journal club, the Donor organ reviews, and quality improvement sessions.
Lung Transplant
- The advanced lung disease and lung transplantation rotation includes management of patients who have end stage lung disease in all clinical settings. Patients seen during this rotation have a wide variety of pulmonary diseases. Under the supervision of the transplant faculty, the fellow is primarily responsible for evaluating patients, speaking to families, and coordinating care with other health-care professionals. The fellow will learn to perform all necessary procedures related to lung transplantation and will be trained in appropriate donor/recipient matching.
Procurement/Donor Management
- While on the cardiac and thoracic rotations, the fellow will participate in both heart and lung donor evaluation and management under the supervision of MCS/transplant faculty. The fellow will also participate in the procurement and lead the procurement team in the onsite assessment of donor organs.
Training Sites
MCS/Transplant Fellows will work on clinical service at the University of Washington Medical Center – Montlake. UWMC is a tertiary and quaternary care referral site for the WWAMI region and serves as the primary training site for the fellowship. Fellows will split their time at this site between the Cardiac and Thoracic Services.
Conferences
Each week fellows participate in didactic sessions geared towards establishing and reinforcing a comprehensive understanding of cardiothoracic surgery.
The weekly Thoracic Surgery and Cardiac Surgery Education Conferences follow the Society of Thoracic Surgeons’ thoracic surgery curriculum, which UW faculty and trainees played a key role in helping to establish.
*Highlighted conferences are mandatory Cardiothoracic Surgery resident conferences.
How to Apply
Consistent with Coalition for Physician Accountability recommendations, all interviews will be held virtually via Zoom for the 2020 recruitment cycle.
Recruitment & Selection
Applicants must be a graduate of a US or Canadian medical school accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), a graduate of a US college of osteopathic medicine accredited by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), or an International Medical Graduate that fits the criteria below. Canadian applicants should contact the Canadian Residents Matching Service.
Additionally, applicants must be a graduate of either an ACGME (or equivalent) Cardiothoracic Surgery Integrated Residency or two-year Traditional Fellowship.
Eligible applicants will be considered based on their individual preparedness, ability, aptitude, academic credentials, communication skills, and personal qualities such as motivation and integrity. In order for Program Leadership and Cardiothoracic Surgery faculty to effectively review applications and select candidates for interviews, the following items are required:
- Current CV
- Letter of Intent outlining:
- Interest in Cardiothoracic Surgery
- Career goals
- Two current letters of recommendation
- One must be from Cardiothoracic Surgery Program Director
- Copy of ECFMG Certificate (for International Medical Graduates)
Applicants in need of visa sponsorship should notify the Program upon applying.
Application Process & Dates
While the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery will accept applications on a rolling basis throughout the recruitment season, priority will be given to applications received by December 21, 2020.
All interviews this year will be held virtually via Zoom.
We understand that seeing the University and the surrounding area is an important part of deciding where you want to train. We are so sorry to not be able to meet you in person this year, but our fellows, faculty, and staff are more than happy to answer all your questions about life in the hospital and the Pacific Northwest. To learn more about working at the University of Washington and living in Seattle, please take a look at our social media accounts!
Instagram: @uwctsurgeryresidents
Twitter: @UWCTSurgRes
If you have any questions or would like additional information, please contact:
Katie Nowlin, Program Administrator
ctrespa@uw.edu
206-685-8644
The primary objective of our Integrated Six Year Cardiothoracic residency is to produce a balanced, well qualified cardiothoracic surgeon prepared for clinical practice or an academic career. The training will include periodic review and evaluation in the six areas of competency as designated by the ACGME and required by the RRC (fund of knowledge, patient care, professionalism, interpersonal skills and communication, practice-based learning and improvement, systems based practice).
The residency is designed to provide residents with focused, hands on experience in General, Cardiac and Thoracic surgery.
Three major hospitals are involved in the 4+3 Cardiothoracic Surgery teaching program:
- University of Washington Medical Center
- Seattle Children’s Hospital and Medical Center
- Veteran’s Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System
- Harborview Medical Center
- Northwest Hospital and Medical Center
- Valley Medical Center
Program Details
The 4+3 residency allows for early specialization and requires a joint match into the General Surgery residency program at the UW as well as the Thoracic surgery residency. The first four years of training (PGY 1-4) provide exposure to cardiothoracic surgery but focus on gaining the requisite technical and clinical skills in general surgery.
The PGY 5-7 years are then spent on the requisite cardiothoracic surgery clinical rotations focused on, general thoracic, cardiac and congenital cardiac and includes a General Surgery Chief Resident year. Upon completion of the 4+3 residency, residents are board eligible for both the American Board of Surgery as well as the American Board of Thoracic Surgery.
This residency includes formal simulation programs as well as weekly didactic conferences which follow the JTSCE and SCORE curricula.
This residency does not include a dedicated research year. However, our faculty are active in a broad range of research including basic science as well as clinical and surgical outcomes and resident participation is encouraged.
Eligibility
Eligible applicants will be considered based on their individual preparedness, ability, aptitude, academic credentials, communication skills, and personal qualities such as motivation and integrity.
- USMLE step 1 and step 2 exams must be completed.
Applicants must be a graduate of a US or Canadian medical school accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) or otherwise be qualified as specified as follows:
- A graduate of a US college of osteopathic medicine accredited by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA)
- A graduate of a medical school outside the United States and Canada who has received a currently valid certificate from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) prior to appointment, or a full and unrestricted license to practice medicine in a US licensing jurisdiction in which they are training.
- A graduate of a medical school outside the US who has completed a Fifth Pathway program provided by an LCME-accredited medical school
International Medical Graduates:
Students and graduates of foreign medical schools should view our Certificate Program for International Physicians. This is a pre-requisite for foreign medical school graduates who seek residency positions in our program. Canadian applicants should contact the Canadian Residents Matching Service.
How to Apply
The Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Washington is a participating member of the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) and accepts applications only through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). Canadian applicants should contact the Canadian Residents Matching Service. Applicants interested in the 4+3 program should apply individually to both the Integrated Thoracic Surgery and General Surgery Residency Programs.
Applications are reviewed in October by both the General surgery and Thoracic residency programs.
Any parties interested in the 4+3 Residency should contact the CT program Administrator directly for more details.
We do not accept paper applications.
2020 Interview Dates TBA
Consistent with Coalition for Physician Accountability recommendations, all interviews will be held virtually for the 2020 recruitment cycle.
If you have any questions or would like additional information, please contact:
Kaitlin Nowlin, Program Administrator
ctrespa@OBFUSCATEuw.edu, 206-685-8644
We look forward to receiving your application!
More Information
For further information on applying to our residency/fellowship program, contact the Program Administrator. See the Education Contacts page for Cardiothoracic education contact information.
The primary objective of our Integrated Six Year Cardiothoracic residency is to produce a balanced, well qualified cardiothoracic surgeon prepared for clinical practice or an academic career. The training will include periodic review and evaluation in the six areas of competency as designated by the ACGME and required by the RRC (fund of knowledge, patient care, professionalism, interpersonal skills and communication, practice-based learning and improvement, systems based practice).
The residency is designed to provide residents with focused, hands on experience divided equally between Cardiac and Thoracic surgery and therefore there are no designated cardiac or thoracic tracks.
Three major hospitals are involved in the Cardiothoracic Surgery teaching program:
- University of Washington Medical Center
- Seattle Children’s Hospital and Medical Center
- Veteran’s Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System
Program Details
The first three years of training (PGY 1-3) allow for the completion of the prerequisite cardiothoracic surgery clinical rotations including exposure to general surgery, vascular surgery, critical care, cardiothoracic surgery, echocardiography and CT anesthesia.
The PGY 4-6 years are spent in the requisite cardiothoracic surgery clinical rotations focused on, 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.
We offer a formal simulation program as well as weekly didactic conferences which follow the JTSCE curriculum.
Our residency does not include a dedicated research year. However, our faculty are active in a broad range of research including basic science as well as clinical and surgical outcomes and resident participation is encouraged.
Eligibility
Eligible applicants will be considered based on their individual preparedness, ability, aptitude, academic credentials, communication skills, and personal qualities such as motivation and integrity.
- USMLE step 1 and step 2 exams must be completed.
Applicants must be a graduate of a US or Canadian medical school accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) or otherwise be qualified as specified as follows:
- A graduate of a US college of osteopathic medicine accredited by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA)
- A graduate of a medical school outside the United States and Canada who has received a currently valid certificate from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) prior to appointment, or a full and unrestricted license to practice medicine in a US licensing jurisdiction in which they are training.
- A graduate of a medical school outside the US who has completed a Fifth Pathway program provided by an LCME-accredited medical school
International Medical Graduates:
Students and graduates of foreign medical schools should view our Certificate Program for International Physicians. This is a pre-requisite for foreign medical school graduates who seek residency positions in our program. Canadian applicants should contact the Canadian Residents Matching Service.
How to Apply
The Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Washington is a participating member of the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) and accepts applications only through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). Canadian applicants should contact the Canadian Residents Matching Service.
Applications are reviewed in early October. One integrated residency position is offered per year.
- NRMP program code is 1918461C0
- Paper applications are not accepted
2020 Interview Dates TBA
Consistent with Coalition for Physician Accountability recommendations, all interviews will be held virtually for the 2020 recruitment cycle.
If you have any questions or would like additional information, please contact:
Kaitlin Nowlin, Program Administrator
ctrespa@OBFUSCATEuw.edu, 206-685-8644
We look forward to receiving your application!
More Information
For further information on applying to our residency/fellowship program, contact the Program Administrator. See the Education Contacts page for Cardiothoracic education contact information.