Penn State Heart and Vascular Institute

Education

The Heart and Vascular Institute offers outstanding educational opportunities in general and subspecialty cardiology, cardiothoracic surgery and vascular surgery designed to develop careers in clinical and academic medicine.

The institute has 19 fellows in four fellowship programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). In addition, the Heart and Vascular Institute offers two ACGME-accredited residency programs in vascular surgery and cardiovascular interventional radiology.

The educational goals for the Heart and Vascular Institute are threefold: to educate the team, to educate the community and to educate the future. Educating the team relates to providing opportunities for cardiovascular clinical education as well as faculty development for UME and GME educators. Educating the community relates to the institute's unique opportunity to educate the community of clinicians within the expanding Penn State Health system, as well as the community at large through outreach, seminars and conference sessions. Finally, educating the future relates to embracing institute members' role as advisors, mentors and teachers for future clinicians at the UME and GME level, and continually maintaining a strong HVI presence in the education of future physicians and clinicians. Goals to address each of these areas include:

• Initiating annual cardiovascular conferences directed towards clinicians throughout the central PA region as well as seminars/workshops focused on cardiovascular health for the general public.
• Expanding HVI Grand Rounds series to monthly series throughout the year, while inviting cardiovascular experts throughout the nation to visit the institution and build opportunities for networking and collaboration
• Emphasize faculty development programs in education that enable clinicians to improve as educators and that help prepare them for progressing in their professional careers towards academic promotion
• Expand cardiovascular electives for students and residents beyond Hershey to include colleagues throughout the health system

Research

Heart and Vascular Institute physicians and scientists are committed to advancing the knowledge of causes and effects of cardiovascular disease through research and clinical trials.

Heart and Vascular Institute faculty members participate in basic and translational science and clinical research in cardiovascular disease, with emphasis on the regulation of cardiovascular function during heart failure and peripheral arterial disease and immunological foundations of cardiovascular and skeletal diseases. The institute has 34 active industry-sponsored clinical trials with over $5 million in total awards.

In addition, the Heart and Vascular Institute has substantial National Institutes of Health funding with eight currently active R01 grants.

• View active clinical trials in the Heart and Vascular Institute.
• Read about innovation in cardiovascular research.
• View publications from HVI researchers.

Clinical Care

The Heart and Vascular Institute is located on the Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center campus and offers advanced cardiac and vascular diagnostic and treatment services to communities throughout central Pennsylvania.

More than 65 faculty members deliver high-quality clinical services ranging from preventative cardiology to heart replacement therapies for advanced heart failure.

The institute offers the region’s only heart transplant program, Joint Commission-accredited programs in advanced heart failure, ventricular assist devices, complex valvular, aortic, coronary and peripheral arterial disease and options for treating structural heart disease, including TAVR, Watchman and MitraClip.

View the HVI clinical programs and providers.