Fellowship
Cardiac Anesthesia
The Cardiac Anesthesia Fellowship at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center is a one-year, ACGME-accredited program that admits one fellow per year.
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The Cardiac Anesthesia Fellowship is designed to prepare the fellow for a career specializing in providing comprehensive anesthetic care of patients undergoing complicated cardiac and thoracic procedures.
Program Overview
Eligible applicants should have completed an ACGME-approved anesthesiology residency program. Program fellows can choose either a July 1 or an Aug. 1 start date.
The cardiac anesthesia fellowship is focused on the tutoring of a prospective fellow for the perioperative transesophageal echocardiography examination (PTE). A prospective fellow also will be provided with an opportunity to perform, under appropriate supervision, a number of transesophageal echocardiograms (TEE) sufficient to satisfy the certification criteria of the American Board of Echocardiography in perioperative transesophageal echocardiography.
The fellow will be expected to:
Perform and read TEEs under supervision of experienced echo cardiographers
Participate in the echocardiography conferences given by the departments of cardiology and anesthesiology
Teach anesthesia residents and medical students and/or participate in ongoing clinical research projects
The prospective fellow will be assigned to provide cardiothoracic anesthesia under the supervision of the attending cardiac anesthesiologist. Assignments may be individualized according to educational goals through the selection of elective rotations.
The division provides anesthetic care for approximately 500 patients per year. Patients undergo several surgeries including, coronary artery bypass grafting, including off-pump CABG, valve repair and replacement, ventricular assist device implantation, heart transplant surgery and thoracic aortic aneurysm repairs. The team also provides anesthetic care in about 300 complex pediatric cardiac procedures per year.
The division also plays an active role in the cardiac cath lab and hybrid suite, providing anesthetic care for critically ill patients undergoing high-risk procedures such as TAVR implantation, Mitraclip procedures, ICD lead extractions, ablation procedures and Watchman procedures.
By offering this high-quality fellowship program in cardiac anesthesia, it is the goal of the department and the division to train strong future leaders in clinical practice, scientific study and anesthetic education in preparation for an academic or private practice career.
Learn More about the Fellowship
The mission of the Cardiac Anesthesiology Fellowship is to graduate clinically excellent cardiothoracic anesthesiologists who will be future leaders in the field. The program aims to:
Guide the fellow to be a cutting-edge echocardiographer and echo consultant in all aspects of the perioperative care of the CT surgical patient.
Inspire excellence, innovation and dedication to the field of cardiothoracic anesthesiology.
Emphasize the institution’s core values of respect, integrity, teamwork and excellence.
Curriculum
Quarterly fellow-led journal clubs
Quarterly clinical case reviews
26 lectures (including TEE topics)
Clinical Rotations
Clinical rotations are done in 13 four-week blocks.
Eight blocks in the adult cardiothoracic operating rooms
One block in the Heart and Vascular Intensive Care Unit
One block in the adult thoracic and vascular operating rooms
One block performing TEEs in the operating rooms
Two blocks of electives
Options include perfusion, blood bank, pediatric CT operating rooms, additional time in a unit or rotation; there is also a research elective, which must be an IRB-approved protocol.
Eligibility
Candidates must be:
U.S. citizens, permanent residents or J-1 visa holders (no additional visa types are sponsored)
Board-eligible or board-certified in anesthesiology
Eligible for a Pennsylvania medical training license
All applicants must be graduates of an ACGME-accredited anesthesiology residency prior to beginning the fellowship. All applications must be submitted through SF Match.
Required Supporting Documents
In addition to the SF Match application, the following documents should be submitted via email:
ECFMG certificate (if applicable)
ISTE scores
ABA basic exam result
Email supporting documents to rsant@pennstatehealth.psu.edu.
Our 2026-2027 fellow position has been filled, and we are not accepting applications.
Contact and Leadership
Associate Professor and Faculty Career Development Professor in Anesthesiology, Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
Program Coordinator, Anesthesia Critical Care Fellowship, Cardiac Anesthesia Fellowship, Pediatric Anesthesiology Fellowship and Regional Anesthesiology and Acute Pain Medicine Fellowship, Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
Mailing Address
Penn State Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
500 University Dr., H187
Hershey, PA 17033
Fax: 717-531-0826
