Adult Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology Fellowship
Program Director Welcome
The University of Chicago offers three ACGME-accredited Adult Cardiothoracic Anesthesia Fellowship positions per year. We strive to provide a balance of clinical, educational, and scholarly experience while preparing our fellows for future practice. The University of Chicago performs approximately 800 adult cardiac cases a year, including on-pump and off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), valve repair/replacement, robotic cardiac surgery, and insertion of ventricular assist devices. Our heart transplant program is the best in Illinois and among the best in the country, performing record-setting numbers of heart transplants, as well as combined multiple organ transplants. Our fellows are experienced in managing transcatheter aortic and mitral procedures, and implantation of various mechanical circulatory support devices. University of Chicago also has an active thoracic surgery section performing a variety of surgical procedures including open, thoracoscopic, and robotic lung resection, tracheal and esophageal reconstruction, and lung transplant.
Whether in clinical areas or didactics, education is paramount. Our fellows assist with clinical assignments to ensure that they can participate in the most complex procedures and that their learning is prioritized over staffing needs. We have a robust didactic curriculum including weekly lectures, multidisciplinary conferences, and journal club. Our fellows get a balance of providing clinical care both as primary provider and in a supervisory role so they may feel prepared for whatever practice type they choose to pursue after training.
We pride ourselves on delivering excellent care for a variety of complex medical conditions and providing an outstanding educational experience and mentorship to help our fellows achieve their professional goals. We encourage you to explore our website and learn more about our program!
Danisa Daubenspeck, D.O
Program Director, Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology
ROTATIONS:
Cardiac operating rooms
6 months
Fellows get a wide variety of exposure to complex cardiac surgical procedures among four cardiac operating rooms. During this month they will work with faculty in the cardiac anesthesia section, who primarily cover the rooms 1:1. The fellows get a balance of supervision of residents as well as being the primary provider for a case. The primary responsibility during these rotations is to learn how to clinically manage complex cardiovascular and thoracic cases, supervise and help facilitate resident education, and gain a thorough understanding of perioperative TEE.
PERFUSION
2 weeks
During the 2 weeks on Perfusion, the fellows will learn how to set up and operate a cardiopulmonary bypass pump as well as learn more about the important role perfusionists play in the cardiac operating rooms. Clinical experience during this rotation is also supported by didactics given by members of the perfusion section.
Cardiothoracic intensive care unit
1 month
Our fellows spend one month in the Cardiothoracic Intensive Care unit, a 15 bed unit caring for patients who have received cardiac, thoracic, and vascular procedures. The fellows will work with a multidisciplinary team consisting of residents, advanced practice providers, critical care fellows, and faculty members of our Critical Care Medicine Section, many of whom are also members of the Cardiac Anesthesia Section.
electives
2.5 months
Heart Failure, Electrophysiology, Device Management
Our fellows get about 2.5 months of elective time throughout their one year fellowship. In addition to electives in both Heart Failure and Electrophysiology, the fellows are able to select other opportunities that may be interesting to them. This may include: blood bank, pediatric cardiac anesthesiology, device management, mechanical circulatory support, additional ICU experience, or visiting electives. Additionally, our fellows may choose to use this time to pursue a research project or quality improvement initiative.
Thoracic operating rooms
1 month
Our fellows spend one month in our thoracic operating rooms. Here they will work with both core cardiac anesthesia faculty as well as other members of the anesthesia department. Our fellows are exposed to a variety of thoracic procedures including lung, tracheal, and esophageal surgeries.
echocardiography
2-3 weeks
Our fellows spend 3 weeks with the Department of Cardiology. While on this rotation they are given the opportunity to learn and practice transesophageal echo (TEE) and transthoracic echo (TTE), both in the inpatient and outpatient setting. Our fellows also get to spend extra time with the ultrasound technicians, learning and practicing knobology and image optimization. Finally, our fellows get the opportunity to learn how to perform and interpret echo for structural heart interventions such as transcatheter mitral valve implantation, transcatheter tricuspid interventions, transcatheter mitral valve repairs, and left atrial appendage occlusion devices.
MEET THE FELLOWS
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Mike Berken, M.D
MEDICAL SCHOOL: University of Minnesota
RESIDENCY: University of Chicago
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Yaman Kherallah, M.D
MEDICAL SCHOOL: University of Chicago
RESIDENCY: Massachusetts General Hospital
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Emma Boslet, M.D
MEDICAL SCHOOL: University of Miami
RESIDENCY: Brown University
CURRICULUM:
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ECHO
During the cardiac months, the fellows are encouraged to perform as many transesophageal echo (TEE) exams as possible on a daily basis, which are reviewed with a faculty member. In addition, the fellows spend about 3 weeks with the cardiology department, learning TEE, transthoracic echo (TTE), as well as echocardiography for structural heart procedures. All of our cardiac faculty are board certified in perioperative transesophageal echocardiography by the NBE, and the majority of our faculty are board-certified in cardiac anesthesia by the ABA.
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DIDACTICS
Our program provides a rich didactic curriculum consisting of weekly lectures given by our faculty, with topics tailored to both the ABA Cardiac Anesthesia Board Exam and the NBE Advanced PTeExam as well as monthly journal club. Our fellows also attend weekly multidisciplinary conferences with both the cardiac surgery and cardiology departments, and attend departmental grand rounds, which include monthly Quality Improvement and Morbidity and Mortality conference.
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SCHOLARLY ACTIVITY
During their fellowship year, our fellows are engaged in several scholarly projects. They are expected to submit an abstract to the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesia Annual Meeting, which can be submitted as a case report or case series to a peer-reviewed journal. Several faculty are involved in research and quality improvement initiatives within the department and the hospital, and the fellows are encouraged to pursue mentorship in these areas if they are interested. Lastly, our fellows are provided ample time for CME to attend conferences and courses.
MEET OUR SECTION
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MARK CHANEY, M.D
SECTION CHIEF, CARDIOTHORACIC ANESTHESIA
PROFESSOR
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DANISA DAUBENSPECK, D.O
PROGRAM DIRECTOR, CARDIOTHORACIC ANESTHESIA FELLOWSHIP
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
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AVERY TUNG, M.D
SECTION CHIEF, CRITICAL CARE MEDICINE
PROFESSOR
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SAJID SHAHUL, M.D
VICE CHAIR OF RESEARCH
PROFESSOR
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FRANK DUPONT, M.D
ASSOCIATE VICE CHAIR, CLINICAL OPERATIONS
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
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DOUGLAS RYBAR, M.D
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
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John Wolf, M.D
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
BENEFITS:
Comprehensive benefits plan through UChicago Medicine with multiple tiers of coverage for Medical, FSA, Dental, Vision, Retirement, Disability, etc.
$1500 educational stipend - funding can be used to attend ASA, SCA or other society meeting.
Membership in the Society for Cardiovascular Anesthesia.
Moonlighting opportunities in the general operating rooms.
20 vacation days/year
5 meeting days/year
How to apply:
Register on the San Francisco Match at SFMatch.org . The application fee is $75 dollars for an unlimited number applications to programs. Once your application is complete, we may ask you to answer supplemental questions.
Contact Us:
Address:
5841 S. Maryland Ave, #E408
Chicago, IL
Fellowship Coordinator:
Theresa Cumming
TCumming@uchicagomedicine.org
Fellowship Program Director:
Danisa Daubenspeck, DO
ddaubenspeck@bsd.uchicago.edu