Cardiothoracic Fellowship

Thank you for your interest in our Adult Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology Fellowship Program.

This program offers one 1-year ACGME-accredited fellowship position.  Our program is participating in the ACTA Fellowship Match through SF Match utilizing the Centralized Application Service. For best consideration, applications should be submitted no later than February 1 of each year.

The program is designed to offer 12 months of post residency clinical subspecialty anesthesia training for patients with coronary atherosclerotic disease, aortic atherosclerotic disease, thoracic aortic disease, valvular heart diseases, end stage heart failure, pulmonary, and congenital heart diseases in children and adults. The fellow will also have dedicated rotations in a cardiothoracic intensive care unit and will also have several rotations where the focus of their education will be spent gaining technical skill and interpretation of Transesophageal Echocardiography. At the completion of the fellowship, the fellow will have met the minimum criteria set forth by the ACGME to qualify as certified in Cardiothoracic Anesthesia and will be prepared to sit for the Intraoperative Transesophageal Echocardiography certification exam.

Mission Statement:

The mission of the Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology Program is to provide comprehensive training in the perioperative management of patients undergoing cardiothoracic procedures, in an environment that stimulates the spirit of inquiry, initiative and cooperation, demonstrated by exceptional clinical outcomes and scholarly output as aligned with the broader departmental and university missions.

Program Aims:

1. Provide high-quality clinical training in the intraoperative and postoperative management of patients undergoing cardiothoracic surgery, including patients with diverse and complex pathology.

2. Provide training and experience in echocardiography to facilitate the certification of the fellow by the National Board of Echocardiography.

3. Encourage and support an environment of educational, clinical and quality scholarship for the fellow and core teaching faculty.

4. Use innovative and best practices in education, including instructional methods that encourage retention and application of knowledge, to enhance the learning environment of the fellow.

5. Create a sense of community and wellness to foster and support ongoing development of faculty and learners, including both faculty-learner and peer-to-peer interactions.

Valerie Sera, MD, DDS
Associate Professor
Cardiothoracic Fellowship Program Director