Pediatric Cardiology

Undoubtedly, you are looking for many things in a pediatric cardiology training program. Your most important goals likely include maximizing your clinical skills, research skills, and knowledge about children with heart disease so that you may comfortably pursue a career in academic pediatric cardiology. You will also want a supportive atmosphere with faculty and co-fellows who are sensitive to your needs.

Children's Hospital of Michigan is a large, academic urban hospital with an excellent reputation for both patient care and a rapidly expanding research reputation within a university medical center that offers you these opportunities. Here, fellows are integral to the cardiology team and are progressively more responsible throughout their fellowship for delivering care. A multi-faceted didactic teaching program and practical experience under careful supervision will enable you to develop the scientific and humanistic skills you need to succeed in pediatric cardiology, along with the attitudes and habits necessary to continue your lifelong medical education.

The faculty in the division of cardiology at Children's Hospital of Michigan and Central Michigan University School of Medicine are dedicated to the instruction and guidance of our fellows. We know that in three short years you will be joining us in the small community of pediatric cardiology. Thus, we take pride in treating you as our colleagues from the time of your arrival.

Children's Hospital of Michigan is consistently ranked among the nation's top pediatric hospitals. There are 20 faculty pediatric cardiologists here with all subspecialties represented. We have two advanced catheterization laboratories and the latest echo and stress equipment. The Children's Hospital of Michigan is located in the heart of a large urban area offering the fellows exposure to the whole gamut of congenital and acquired heart disease.

The curriculum is designed to provide a maximum exposure to develop clinical skills and at the same time train the fellows in research skills which will enable them to complete successfully for academic pediatric cardiology positions. Thus, the first year includes 3 four week blocks in the cardiac cath and echocardiography laboratories, two blocks on the inpatient service, two blocks of protected research time, one block of exercise stress lab and cardiac MRI, one block of cardiovascular surgery and one block of inpatient/transplant service.

We individualize the subsequent years to each individual's desires and skills, but in general the 2nd year fellow spends two blocks on the cath and echo service, two blocks on inpatient service, one on the cardiovascular surgery/cardiac critical care unit, on electrophysiology rotation and five blocks on dedicated research.

The 3rd year fellow has the opportunity to concentrate up to 7 blocks on research with the remaining time spent in inpatient and/or transplant service, cath and echo blocks, adult congenital heart disease service, Stress/MRI and culminating in a block as a inpatient “Acting Attending” to prepare for the next steps of becoming an attending cardiologist.   

We have developed a research council in cardiology to help the fellow define research interests, establish a relationship with a research mentor, and maximize potential for success in areas of grant applications, abstract presentation and manuscript acceptance. In addition, there is a hospital wide weekly Fellowship Research and Education Seminar which concentrates on areas common to all fellowships such as statistics, grant and scientific writing skills, and medical ethics. This also serves as a forum for presenting fellow research projects for valuable feedback early in the project design. We also offer an internal endowment fund for start up money to initiate fellow research.