Cardiothoracic Imaging
PLEASE NOTE: If you are interested in a Cardiovascular Imaging Fellowship in Cardiology, please click here.
Our Program
The Department of Radiology and Medical Imaging at the University of Virginia offers two (2) fellowship positions in Cardiothoracic imaging.
The Cardiothoracic Imaging fellowship will include a balanced combination of cardiovascular and thoracic imaging during the year of training. The cardiovascular imaging content of the training year will include interpretation of CT and MRI studies of the vascular system, as well as hands-on experience in the acquisition of CT and MRI cardiac images for all indications including stress testing and pediatric and adult congenital heart disease. For thoracic imaging, the trainee will acquire experience in conventional radiography, CT and MRI of the chest, with focus in pulmonary, mediastinal and pleural pathology. Fellows are offered elective opportunity to gain extensive experience in thoracic image guided procedures, mainly under ultrasound and CT guidance.
Cardiothoracic fellows will actively participate in multidisciplinary meetings with the Departments of Cardiology, Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, Pulmonology, and Pathology, as well as in daily teaching activities through interactions with residents, medical students, and clinical faculty. In addition to teaching at the workstation, fellows will have the opportunity to present formal case conferences in the classroom and small group settings.
Fellows are expected to engage in research during training. Participation in national meetings is encouraged and financial support is provided for fellows presenting scientific research and educational content. Research opportunities in both cardiovascular and thoracic imaging are offered. Regular academic time is provided.
Cardiovascular
Dr. Patrick Norton (Co-Director, Fellowship Program)
Dr. Klaus Hagspiel (Division Director, Noninvasive Cardiovascular Imaging)
Dr. Christopher Kramer (Division Director, Cardiovascular Medicine)
Dr. Jamieson M. Bourque (Division of Cardiovascular Medicine)
Dr. Nisha Hosadurq (Division of Cardiovascular Medicine)
Dr. Amit Patel (Division of Cardiovascular Medicine)
Dr. Patricia Rodriguez Lozano (Division of Cardiovascular Medicine)
Thoracic
Dr. Alan Ropp (Co-Director, Fellowship Program)
Dr. Michael Sneider (Section Chief, Thoracic Imaging)
Dr. Juliana Bueno (DR Program Director and Vice-Chair of Educational Operations)
Dr. Juan Olazagasti (Thoracic Imaging)
We use state of the art equipment for cardiothoracic imaging, including a dual source/dual energy CT and 1.5T and 3T cardiovascular MRI systems. The Department of Radiology consists of 54 full-time clinical faculty, 13 research faculty, 44 residents and 25 fellows/clinical instructors.
The UVA Department of Radiology and Medical Imaging offers internal moonlighting involving the interpretation of overnight ED studies. Most MSK and some other clinical instructors participate, but it is optional. Participating instructors are given a home workstation, which allows for this coverage to largely be done from home if desired. Participants are also pardoned from regular daytime clinical duties. Subspecialty faculty are available for backup coverage should a question arise overnight. Various advanced imaging studies or complicated cases where a subspecialty read is necessary can receive a preliminary report overnight with final read by a subspecialty attending in the morning. Subspecialty services are also available for urgent overnight procedures, such that the clinical instructors can focus on diagnostic studies. The program has helped our fellows to maintain and further develop general radiology skills for both boards preparation and practice, while also increasing their confidence in independent image interpretation. Notably, contributing to this coverage also supplements income by approximately $15,000 / week.
Applying for 2026-2027 Positions
As a non-match fellowship, our program complies with the timeline established by the Society of Chairs of Academic Radiology Departments (SCARD). Our program cannot accept applications or offer an opportunity to interview until November 1, 2024. Applications may be uploaded to Interfolio, but will not be reviewed until November 1.
Exceptions to the SCARD embargo include:
- Applicants whose spouse/domestic partner is also applying for a medical fellowship in the same year
- Internal candidates
- Military candidates
- International candidates – international candidates are defined as applicants from programs that are neither ACGME or RCPS programs (i.e. Canadian applicants are NOT excluded from the embargo.)
Interviews will begin January 13, 2025 and end March 31, 2025. A personal interview is required for all applicants. Interviews will be conducted virtually for this cycle upon the recommendation of SCARD.
To apply for this position, please go to http://apply.interfolio.com/152896. For full consideration, applications must include a curriculum vitae, cover letter/personal statement, USMLE transcript that includes Step 1, 2, and 3 scores (or equivalent), and ECFMG (if applicable). Three current letters of recommendation are to be sent directly to the program coordinator Stephanie Kidd at JXB4AB@uvahealth.org.
Acceptance into the program will be on a rolling basis. Per SCARD guidelines, noon eastern standard time on January 27, 2025 is the first day offers may be made. Applicants have until noon January 29, to accept or decline any offer made before January 29. For any offer made on or after January 29, the candidate has a one-day grace period (noon eastern standard time) to accept or decline the offer.
For questions about the position or fellowship, please contact Stephanie Kidd via email at JXB4AB@uvahealth.org.
Additional Application Information
Fellows are selected on the basis of their medical training, general and academic achievements, and personal qualities. Minimum entry requirements include successful completion of a diagnostic radiology residency and the ability to obtain a medical license in the Commonwealth of Virginia. International medical graduates need to have a permanently validated ECFMG certificate and have passed USMLE Steps 1, 2, and 3. They will be offered a visa for the duration of their fellowship.
Applications from graduates of non-US radiology programs are considered on a case-by-case basis if the duration of the completed training is at least five years including one year of clinical training in the US. Please note that for international graduates, recommendation letters must be from radiologists in the US.
The University of Virginia is an equal opportunity employer.
Evaluation
Fellows are provided with written evaluation of their performance four times during the program. The faculty performs evaluations of the fellows’ performance at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months through New Innovations.
Anonymous evaluations by the fellows of the program are completed annually, and faculty are anonymously evaluated quarterly. Faculty are evaluated using a numerical scoring system on a wide variety of clinical, teaching, and research skills.
Salary, Benefits and Academic Stipend
Our fellows receive a competitive salary and benefits package. Fellowship trainees receive medical and dental care benefits for themselves and their immediate family. Additionally, malpractice insurance is provided at no charge.
An annual stipend to cover expenses related to attending meetings or buying educational materials is provided. Fellows are encouraged to attend one educational meeting of their choice.
Vacation and Leave Policy
Our fellows have 22 days of vacation time plus time off at holidays. Additional time off is granted for fellows presenting at national Radiology meetings.
Office Space
Fellows have combined office space with several cubicles, separate computers, telephones, and PACS.
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Fellow Testimonials
My cardiothoracic imaging fellowship has been an exceptional learning experience, largely due to the outstanding faculty and educators who demonstrated a remarkable commitment to teaching. Their welcoming and enthusiastic approach made me feel integrated into the team, and I was consistently involved in discussions regarding proposed changes and improvements to the program.
The fellowship provided a diverse range of complex chest and cardiovascular cases, significantly enhancing my clinical skills. A notable strength of the program was its structured transition from a fellow to an attending. In the latter part of my fellowship, I was granted autonomy to sign off on my own cases and to conduct read outs with residents. This experience proved invaluable, thoroughly preparing me for my future role as an attending cardiothoracic radiologist.
Overall, my cardiothoracic fellowship at UVA stands out as the most fulfilling and rewarding experience of my entire training period.”
-Nabeel Hassan, M.D.
“This fellowship is unique because it allows us to get an extensive education in several subspecialties, with a large volume of chest patients. We are also able to work alongside both cardiology attendings and cardiac imaging attendings.”
-Yoo Jin Lee, M.D.
“The cardiothoracic fellowship program has a great curriculum with a strong mix of research, diagnostics, and procedures, but also allows balanced work-life style. Great collegiately with excellent referring physicians is another asset of this program, allowing in-depth experiences covering the scope of cardiothoracic imaging. But most of all, the cardiothoracic imaging division is absolutely filled with great people and respectable teachers.”
– Wooil Kim, M.D.
Contacts
Patrick Norton, MD
Associate Professor, Cardiothoracic Imaging
Co-Director, Cardiothoracic Fellowship Program
UVA Department of Radiology
(434) 924-9391
ptn7y@uvahealth.org
Alan Ropp, MD
Associate Professor, Thoracic Imaging
Co-Director, Cardiothoracic Fellowship Program
(434) 982-6018
amr9ar@uvahealth.org
Stephanie Kidd
Cardiothoracic Imaging Program Administrator
(434) 924-9383
JXB4AB@uvahealth.org
Address
For US Postal service delivery:
University of Virginia School of Medicine
Department of Radiology and Medical Imaging
Box 800170
Charlottesville, VA 22908
Physical address (for all other forms of delivery):
University of Virginia School of Medicine
Department of Radiology and Medical Imaging
1215 Lee Street
Charlottesville, VA 22908
The University of Virginia School of Medicine is accredited by The Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME). The University of Virginia is an Equal Opportunity employer.