Fellowship
Cardiovascular Disease
The Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center is a three-year, ACGME-approved program that admits five fellows per year.
Explore More
The Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship is a well-established program, providing fellows with state-of-the-art training in all aspects of cardiology. The program is designed to meet all of the requirements for board eligibility in Cardiovascular Disease upon completion of the fellowship.
Program Overview
To be a candidate for this ACGME-approved training position, the qualified candidate will be completing (or already has completed) a three- year ACGME-accredited Internal Medicine Residency. It is expected that the candidate be board-eligible for Internal Medicine by the start of the training program.
The program is clinically well-rounded, with an excellent balance of invasive and noninvasive cardiology experience and training in all subspecialty areas of cardiology.
Fellows also have the opportunity to work with physicians in an established adult congenital heart disease program, an active heart transplant program, vascular surgery, cardiac surgery and interventional radiology. At the end of cardiovascular disease training, opportunities are available at Hershey Medical Center for subspecialty training in and , both ACGME-accredited programs as well.
Fellows also have the opportunity to participate in a few unique experiences to expand their educational training. These include an annual pig heart dissection, weekly EKG challenges and volunteer opportunities at the Bethesda Mission cardiology clinic, targeting the underserved population in downtown Harrisburg, PA.
The cardiology division is part of the . Integration of some conferences and rotations provide important education in areas of cardiovascular pathophysiology not always covered in traditional cardiology training programs.
Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center has a Heart and Vascular Institute Intensive Care Unit. Fellows gain experience with the use of LVADs and ECMO and caring for patients after cardiothoracic surgery.
The medical center, although located in a small community, is a quaternary care institute that cares for patients with a broad spectrum of pathology similar to that seen at any large city hospital.
Learn More about the Fellowship
The Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship mission is to provide world-class care to patients in the Central Pennsylvania region and beyond while providing fellows with broad cardiovascular experience.
Motivated educators and renowned experts provide fellows with exposure to general cardiology, core specialties, advanced subspecialty care and innovative research.
Professionalism, camaraderie and mentorship among faculty and peers are at the core of the training. The program strives to prepare graduates for a successful career in cardiovascular medicine.
Application Overview
All applications must be submitted through ERAS, and the program participates in the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP). Applications will not be received outside of ERAS, and positions will not be filled outside the match.
Application deadline is July 17, 2024.
Eligibility
Qualified candidates will be:
U.S. citizens, permanent residents or J-1 visa holders (no additional visa types are sponsored)
Board-eligible or board-certified in internal medicine
Pennsylvania medical training license eligible
Required Supporting Documents
The following documents should be uploaded to ERAS for review:
ERAS application, inclusive of current photograph
Personal statement
Curriculum vitae
USMLE or COMLEX transcript
ECFMG certificate (if applicable)
Letters of Recommendation - Minimum of 3-4 letters, including one from current program director
Interview Process
Thank you for your interest in our program. Interviews are expected to take place virtually for 2023; however, this is subject to change, and we encourage you to check back often. Interview dates for 2024 will be:
Sept. 4
Sept. 10
Sept. 16
Sept. 20
Sept. 24
Sept. 27
All interviews are by invitation only and will be scheduled through Thalamus. We will notify all applicants of their status (invited for interview, not selected to interview, or waitlist) no later than Aug. 31. We typically invite about 60 candidates to interview and have a waitlist of no more than 10 candidates. In our experience with virtual interviews, we usually have 1-2 cancellations, at which time we would select a candidate from our waitlist for an interview.
Past fellows from the Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship and their positions after graduation are seen here.
Contact and Leadership
Assistant Professor, Medicine
Program Coordinator, Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship, Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology Fellowship and Interventional Cardiology Fellowship, Medicine
Administrative Associate, Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship, Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology Fellowship and Interventional Cardiology Fellowship, Medicine
Mailing Address
Penn State Heart and Vascular Institute
Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship Program
500 University Drive P.O. Box 850, MC H047
Hershey, PA 17033
Phone: 717-531-6746
Email: asmith5@pennstatehealth.psu.edu
Supporting Your Training
Fellow and Faculty Honors and Recognitions
Penn State College of Medicine and Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center accept ongoing nominations for the Exceptional Moments in Teaching award.
The award, given monthly by the Office for a Respectful Learning Environment, accepts nominations from College of Medicine students who are invited to submit narratives about faculty members, residents, fellows, nurses or any other educators who challenge them and provide an exceptional learning experience. .
Previous nominees from the Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship are listed here. Click the + next to a nominee name to read their nominator's comments.
The Jerry C. Luck ECG Interpretation Award is presented in memory of Jerry C. Luck, MD. Dr. Luck was an electrophysiologist and educator with Penn State Heart and Vascular Institute for many years and quizzed fellows thoroughly on their ECG interpretation skills. After Dr. Luck's unexpected passing, Dr. Mario Gonzalez honored Dr. Luck's legacy by continuing to quiz the fellows.
Each year at the program's graduation ceremony, one Cardiovascular Disease fellow receives the ECG Interpretation Award. The winner is presented Dr. Luck's favorite "blue bottle" of wine from a local vineyard, sponsored by his wife, Kathy.
The annual Resident/Fellow Research Day is held each year (with exception of during the COVID-19 pandemic) on and around the Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center campus.
The intent of the event is to provide an opportunity for residents and fellows to showcase their research accomplishments to their peers in other clinical departments, as well as their colleagues in the basic sciences.
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Previous presentations from the Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship are listed here.
Other honors received by trainees in the Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship are listed here.
