Cardiovascular Diseases Fellowship

Thank you for your interest in the University of Minnesota's Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship program.  Our program offers outstanding educational opportunities in general and subspecialty cardiology designed to develop careers in clinical practice, academic medicine, and industry.  The program's core goal is to develop cardiologists with outstanding clinical skills and judgment, while allowing each fellow to develop an area of special interest and expertise.

In addition to providing numerous clinical opportunities, the University of Minnesota's cardiology fellowship program is tied to an NIH research training grant under the directorship of  Robert Bache, M.D.  This allows fellows the opportunity to pursue research under the tutelage of faculty members who are experts in their fields.  We also offer our fellows valuable opportunities for inderdepartmental research collaboration with the University of Minnesota's School of Public Health, Stem Cell Institute, and Endothelial Biology Research Program.
 
The University of Minnesota program is offered through the cooperation of four hospitals.  Clinical rotations at these sites offer diverse training experiences through varied patient populations, levels of patient acuity, service-delivery arrangements, and academic professional relationships.  Participating hospitals include:

• Methodist Hospital, a private, suburban hospital staffed by the physicians of Park Nicollet, a large multi-specialty practice group.
• Minneapolis VA Medical Center, known throughout the VAMC system for its cardiac services.
• University of Minnesota Medical Center (in partnership with Fairview Health Services), a tertiary/quaternary clinical and research center with an international reputation for its heart failure and heart transplant programs.  Affiliated with the Lillehei Heart Institute.
• Regions Hospital, a private, urban hospital that treats a diverse patient population.

Prominent clinical subspecialty areas within our fellowship program include the following:

• Cardiac disease prevention
• Advanced cardiovascular imaging with dedicated Dual Source Flash CT, wide bore MRI, PET CT and 3D echo programs.
• Electrophysiology with advanced imaging support
• Direct angioplasty for acute myocardial infarction
• Mechanical circulatory support
• Pulmonary hypertension
• Heart transplantation
• Stem cell and growth factor treatments for ischemic and non-ischemic cardiomyopathy
• Peripheral vascular disease and intervention, including stem cell treatment and wound healing

Presented every Wednesday, our fellowship educational seminars are exceptional supplements to clinical and research training.  Fellows attend weekly, five-hour sessions covering ECG interpretation, core didactic lectures, journal club, non-invasive and invasive imaging, professor rounds, and visiting professor lectures.

The University of Minnesota Cardiology Fellowship Program incorporates numerous resources offered by companies in the Twin Cities biotechnology corridor ("Medical Alley"), which develop innovative cardiac products, including  Boston Scientific, Guidant, Medtronic, and St. Jude Medical.

We look forward to hearing from you, and I wish you the very best in your pursuit of training in the field of cardiovascular medicine.

Ganesh Raveendran, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Director, Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship Program