Cardiovascular Imaging Curriculum
Each fellow spends a minimum of 2 years in the training program. In certain cases the training will be 3 years. Fellows either select in-depth training in one modality or training in more than one modality. Fellows have the ability to work either in the experimental or clinical imaging laboratory, or both.
All MDs working in the clinical imaging laboratories should be able to administer contrast agents or drugs, or both. Foreign MDs participating in clinical studies must have passed the credentialing requirements of Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates. Fellows in the clinical laboratories also participate in obtaining informed consent for IRB approved clinical studies.
All MDs who desire high level expertise in one or more modalities of clinical imaging need to perform enough examinations in order to qualify as a director of clinical and research laboratories at their institutions. Fellows finishing two years of this program should attain the requirements for level III CO-CATS; with this experience, they should be able to direct an imaging laboratory.
In addition to the modality-specific training that they will acquire from their mentors (supervisors), each fellow has formal training in biostatistics from the Department of Health Evaluation Research. They also undergo intensive methodologic training by PhDs in the various modalities. In this regard, they have one-to-one interactions with Denny Watson in nuclear physics; with Fred Epstein, in the physics of MRI; with Sasha Klibanov, in methods of labeling ligands for targeted imaging. TOP
Weekly sessions are held on physiology and pathophysiology, role of imaging in various disease processes, management of patients based on imaging parameters, and outcomes analysis. A bi-monthly laboratory meeting is held to present work in progress and receive feedback.
Each fellow is evaluated by faculty in the Cardiovascular Imaging Training Program who have had direct contact with the fellow. Counseling/guidance/feedback are provided to each fellow twice a year during a one-on-one meeting with the fellow's supervisor and director of the program . Areas of weakness are identified and approaches to address these weaknesses are suggested at these evaluation meetings. Fellows also evaluate the program in general and the supervisor and other mentors in particular.
At the end of the training, the principal mentor (supervisor) and the director of the training program will certify that the requirements at a particular level of skills have been met. The levels of skills needed, are determined a priori for each individual fellow depending on their training needs as well as the skills they have already obtained. A certificate of completion of fellowship training in Cardiovascular Imaging is awarded to each fellow at the end of the training period. TOP
