Pediatric cardiology fellowship

The Corewell Health Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital/Michigan State University Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship is a three year program accepting two fellows per year. Fellows train at Corewell Health Helen DeVos Children's Hospital (part of Corewell Health Grand Rapids Hospitals), one of 250 freestanding children’s hospitals in the nation.

Welcome!

Thank you for your interest in the Corewell Health Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital/Michigan State University Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship. Located in one of the fastest growing cities in the Midwest, we are nationally ranked in multiple pediatric sub-specialties by U.S. News and World Report and offer a complete educational and clinical experience in our state-of-the-art, free-standing, tertiary care, children’s hospital.

Like the city of Grand Rapids, our children’s hospital and pediatric cardiology fellowship program are hidden gems. The hospital has 241 beds, which includes a dedicated cardiac ICU, a separate medical ICU, and a large (>100 beds) level 4 NICU with a dedicated small baby unit. Located in West Michigan, we have the largest health system in the state of Michigan and our catchment area extends beyond our state borders. Within our children’s hospital, we have over fifty pediatric subspecialities, three residency programs and eight fellowships.

Our pediatric congenital heart center is a high-volume program that cares for our patients from fetal life through their adult years. All pediatric cardiology subspecialties are well represented, including heart failure/transplant, cardio-genetics, and cardiac rehabilitation.

Our fellowship program is based upon a robust and vigorous clinical experience with a large patient population, a committed faculty with diverse backgrounds, over a year of dedicated research time with extensive division and MSU support, and a dynamic educational curriculum.

In addition, our overall philosophy is what makes us truly unique. We recognize our fellows as colleagues from their first day of fellowship. Prioritizing learning and experience, we involve our fellows in every aspect of patient care and the evolution of the fellowship program. Using individualized graduated autonomy, we maximize the educational experience for every fellow. We are purposefully a small program, taking two fellows per year, so that we may provide each fellow exactly what they need to thrive. In addition, we do not have advanced fellowships, as we have chosen to not dilute the experience of our fellows.

We seek fellows that are committed to their learning, who wish to further the field of pediatric cardiology, and who are dedicated to providing excellent patient care. I wish you the best in the application process and I look forward to meeting you in the future.

If I can be of any assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me directly.

Warmest Regards,

Julie Sommerfield-Ronek, MD
Program Director, Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship
Corewell Health/Michigan State University/Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital
Clinical Assistant Professor, Pediatrics and Human Development
Michigan State University College of Human Medicine

Fellows participate in a dynamic curriculum which includes weekly EKG rounds, cath case review, echo lectures, and surgical conference. Every other week, the fellows attend core curriculum lectures, EP lectures, and alternating board review and journal club. There is a monthly M+M conference as well as a monthly pathology conference.

Program aims

1. To provide a comprehensive training experience in all aspects of the care of children with heart disease and patients of all ages with congenital heart disease
2. To develop excellent academic pediatric and congenital cardiology specialists
3. To provide comprehensive training and increased experience in the performance and interpretation of critical diagnostic tests as well as current therapeutic strategies used in cardiovascular disease

Inpatient service and consultation

Under the supervision of faculty and staff, the fellow is responsible for the clinical management of hospitalized patients. This includes service on the general cardiology floor, as well as consultation services in the NICU, PICU, and throughout the hospital. The services include patients with newly diagnosed congenital heart disease, acquired heart disease, pre- and post-operative patients as well as those with arrhythmias and other heart conditions. The fellow has an intrinsic role in the education and supervision of pediatric residents.

Outpatient clinic

Fellows acquire knowledge of general cardiology through a continuity outpatient clinic. Weekly half-day clinics afford the fellow an opportunity to get to know the patient and to serve as their primary cardiologist. These clinic encounters are staffed and supervised by faculty members, specifically chosen by prior trainees for their great mentorship and clinical acumen.

Echocardiography

During the first month in the program, fellows complete a comprehensive echo “boot camp” which includes extensive hands-on encounters. After this immersion experience, new fellows are prepared to perform and interpret echocardiograms early in training. During the first year, three and half months are spent in the Echo Lab with an additional three months over the next two years. Second-year fellows spend time performing transesophageal echocardiograms. Third year fellows focus on fetal echocardiogram, cardiac CT and MRI.

Fellows are guided in the acquisition and interpretation of images as well as generating a comprehensive report of the findings. Supervision is provided by faculty and experienced pediatric sonographers.

Cardiac catheterization and interventional cardiology

The fellows begin the experience with interventional cardiology in their first year, with two blocks in the cath lab. There is an additional rotation in the second year. Optional additional time can be spent in the cath lab during the third year. The fellows begin by obtaining access and gaining basic knowledge of cardiac catheterization. As expertise is gained, the fellows are given more autonomy in performing cardiac catheterizations, angiograms and interventions. The fellows present the hemodynamic data and angiograms at the weekly Congenital Heart Center conference.

Cardiac intensive care unit

The CICU experience includes management of medical and surgical patients under the supervision of cardiac intensivist and cardiologist. They work closely with our three cardiovascular surgeons in both the pre- and post-operative setting. Fellows complete four months in the CICU, one of which occurs during the second half of the first year.

Electrophysiology

During the three electrophysiology rotations, fellows interpret electrocardiograms, Holter and patch monitors with subsequent review with one of the faculty electrophysiologists. The fellows also participate in management of inpatients with arrhythmic disorders, perform and interpret intracardiac electrophysiologic studies and pacemaker implantations and ablations. The fellows learn exercise physiology through exercise and metabolic studies, both non-invasive and invasive. Additional time is spent in the electrophysiology clinic to learn the management of common arrhythmias in the outpatient setting.

Research

The fellows complete 14 blocks of research time, starting in the first year. Fellows are mentored by faculty members involved in research in all branches of pediatric cardiology. Additionally, they are expected to participate in a dedicated clinical research curriculum. Fellows present their research study findings at national and international scientific meetings, for which CME funds are provided.

Heart failure and transplant

Fellows work with both pediatric and adult heart failure and heart transplant physicians. One month of dedicated time occurs in the second or third year with additional training available as an elective. The fellows also work closely with our heart failure specialists on complex patients admitted to the cardiac ICU.

Adult congenital heart disease

The Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program is accredited by the Adult Congenital Heart Association as a Comprehensive Care Center. Fellows have one block in their second year and optional additional rotations as electives. The fellows also gain experience by taking care of adult congenital patients while on call. They are supported by board certified ACHD faculty.

At the Corewell Health Helen DeVos Children's Hospital (part of Corewell Health Grand Rapids Hospitals) Congenital Heart Center, our cardiology faculty is actively involved in innovative clinical research. We have a committed research team, which provides dedicated support to our physicians and staff. The Congenital Heart Center works in collaboration with numerous institutions, including the Van Andel Research Institute, Michigan State University, Grand Valley State University, Michigan Technological University and the Corewell Health Frederik Meijer Heart & Vascular Institute. Our experts are involved in multicenter clinical studies and investigator-initiated studies, in addition to translational research. The cardiology fellow is expected to get involved with our research team to lead new health solutions for children and adults with congenital heart disease. The division wide scholarly oversight committee meets monthly with fellow participation.

Thank you for your interest in the Corewell Health Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital/Michigan State University Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship. Our center has been recognized as a 50 Best Children’s Hospital for pediatric cardiology and heart surgery by U.S. News & World Report's 2017 - 2022 Best Children's Hospitals, earned a distinguished three-star rating from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons for excellence in surgical outcomes and is accredited by the Adult Congenital Heart Association as an Adult Congenital Heart Disease Comprehensive Care Center. Our fellows will live and train in the wonderfully diverse and vibrant city of Grand Rapids, Michigan. We welcome your application and look forward to meeting candidates who may be a good fit for our program. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Applicants must successfully complete a pediatric residency training program and be eligible for board certification by the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP). This is a prerequisite to apply for certification by the ABP’s Sub-Board of Pediatric Cardiology.

Application process

The Corewell Health Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital/Michigan State University Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship participates in the Electronic Residency Application Service.

Applications will be accepted July through early August during the year prior to the anticipated start date. Interviews will be conducted from August to October of the same academic year. The Section of Pediatric Cardiology is a participant in the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP) and will follow the schedule of dates published by the NRMP, which includes the date of release for match results.

It is important that all application materials, including transcripts and letters of recommendation, be received in a timely manner to allow for complete review of the application prior to issuing an invitation to interview.

Interview process

The virtual interview day will include an introduction to the Corewell Health hospitals in Grand Rapids, the Cardiology division, faculty and fellows. Second look opportunities, both virtual and in-person, are available.

Required documents

Application information and resources are provided for fellowship applicants interested in applying for training positions at U.S. fellowship training programs at the ERAS for Fellowship Applicants website.

ERAS is a service of the Association of American Medical Colleges and was created to enhance transition to fellowship by reducing the amount of time spent on the application process. ERAS electronically transmits a standardized application, letters of recommendation, transcripts and other supporting credentials from applicants and designated Dean's offices to program directors.

All applications will be reviewed and considered by the recruitment committee only after the ERAS application has been finalized by the applicant and forwarded to Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship Program by ERAS.

For questions, please contact Andrea Prins.