Adult Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology Fellowship

ACGME accredited
Program Start Date: July/August (flexible options for start dates)
Number of positions: 9
Duration of Training: 12 months

Clinical Experience

Our division provides the perioperative care of patients undergoing open heart valve and revascularization procedures, major thoracic and esophageal surgeries. In addition, fellows develop expertise in the management of patients undergoing adult congenital heart surgery, robotic-assisted CABG, major aortic surgery, minimally-invasive and transcatheter valve replacements, electrophysiology procedures, lung volume reduction surgery, pulmonary thromboendarterectomy, mechanical circulatory support device procedures, and heart and lung transplants.

Our fellows perform most of their cases as primary providers, with progressive autonomy throughout the year. To prepare them for independent and academic practice, fellows are given opportunities for supervision of junior residents.

Perioperative Transesophageal Echocardiography

With a 100% pass rate over the past decade, the program prepares our fellows for the National Board of Echocardiography (NBE) examination and certification requirements in advanced perioperative TEE. Our fellows are proficient in performing, interpreting and communicating a comprehensive intraoperative TEE examination to optimize the perioperative care of patients undergoing complex cardiac, adult congenital, and thoracic surgery. This is accomplished by a combination of didactic teaching, hands-on intraoperative experience, as well as simulation-based practice in our state-of-art simulation center.

Didactic Curriculum

Our education program combines the benefits of both experiential, hands-on learning and formal didactic education. Our dedicated curriculum combines lecture series, problem-based discussions, journal clubs and case reviews, given by faculty from multiple disciplines.

Research Opportunities

The Department of Anesthesiology supports the research productivity of our fellows, which is aligned with the department’s mission. Whether it's echo rounds, case reports, medically challenging cases, abstract and poster presentations, book chapters or peer reviewed articles, our fellows develop and disseminate knowledge relevant to our specialty by attending and participating in regional and national meetings. Fellows in ACTA who are interested in exploring specific research opportunities can choose to participate in one of the ongoing clinical, TEE, and education research projects. They can also choose to develop their own research proposal, with the guidance of a faculty mentor. All our fellows participate in patient safety quality improvement projects relevant to the practice of adult cardiothoracic anesthesia.

Benefits

In addition to textbooks and a subscription to online TEE learning modules, ACTA fellows are provided an educational stipend to be used at their discretion.  Furthermore, our fellows are given the time and financial support needed to participate in regional or national conferences.

The dual ACCM/ACTA fellowship track consists of two consecutive years of training and is offered to 2-3 applicants each year. Per ACGME, these are two separate one-year fellowships. Applicants interested in pursuing both fellowships at our institution should apply first to the ACCM fellowship via the SF Match and indicate their interest in a dual fellowship. Exceptions for the dual ACCM/ACTA fellowship are offered outside the match. Applicants who are not offered an exception but who are still being considered for an ACCM fellowship position only will participate in the SF Match.   Those applicants may reapply to ACTA the following year.  

Both programs must be informed of your intent to pursue the dual fellowship track. Notification should be sent to both Lisa Hasenbalg and Clara Gutierrez.

Clara Gutierrez
Program Coordinator, Adult Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology Fellowship
cg2673@cumc.columbia.edu

Ms. Lisa Hasenbalg
Program Coordinator, Critical Care Medicine Fellowship
lh2120@cumc.columbia.edu

Individuals interested in the fellowship program must have successfully completed an ACGME–accredited residency training program in anesthesiology prior to the start of the fellowship.

The ACTA fellowship at CUIMC is participating in the San Francisco Match for the 2025–2026 academic year.

• November 4, 2024: Applicant registration begins
• January 5, 2025: Deadline for application submission
• February–March 2025: ACTA fellowship interview period
• June 5, 2025: Rank list deadline
• June 19, 2025: Match results available
• July/August 2026: Fellowship training begins (flexible options for start dates)

To apply to the Adult Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology Fellowship program, please register at https://www.sfmatch.org (external link, opens in a new window).

For more detailed information on the fellowship application process, please e-mail Clara Gutierrez at cg2673@cumc.columbia.edu.

Fellowship Director: Allen Friedman, MD

Fellowship Administrator:
Clara Gutierrez
Coordinator, Adult Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology Fellowship Program
Division of Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology
Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Department of Anesthesiology
P&S Box 46
630 West 168th St.
New York, New York 10032
Email: cg2673@cumc.columbia.edu
Telephone: 212-342-2210