Cardiothoracic Imaging and Intervention Fellowship

The Department of Radiology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC is offering a one-year fellowship in Cardiothoracic Imaging and Intervention. The goal of the fellowship is to provide comprehensive and advanced training in both pulmonary and cardiac imaging, as well as thoracic interventions. The pulmonary experience encompasses a wide variety of inpatient and outpatient studies, including high-resolution chest CT and lung cancer screening low-dose CT. Cardiac imaging includes both cardiac CT and MRI, with both acquired and congenital disease being routinely studied. The cardiothoracic section also interprets whole body CTA and MRA. Thoracic interventions include CT-guided percutaneous needle biopsy and pleural catheter placement.

The Cardiothoracic Imaging and Intervention fellow will work at the Keck Hospital of USC and Los Angeles General Medical Center. The fellow will also be reading studies performed at the HCC2 outpatient imaging center. A major strength of the program is the high-volume rich clinical experience derived from the tremendous variety in pathology and patient population throughout all the sites, which are conveniently located on a single medical campus. Los Angeles General Medical Center is one of the largest and busiest public hospitals in the United States. Keck Hospital of USC boasts an active heart and lung transplant service, as well as other specialized surgical techniques. The fellow may also rotate through the USC Norris Cancer Hospital, one of the original nine comprehensive cancer centers designated by the National Cancer Institute. Fuji Synapse PACS workstations are employed throughout the department, and Vitrea 3-D workstations are also present at all sites for advanced post-processing.

The fellow will work closely with the Department of Radiology cardiothoracic faculty, as well as collaborating colleagues from the Department of Cardiology. The fellow will also access a valuable source of training by participating in the various pulmonary, vascular, cardiothoracic, and thoracic surgery interdisciplinary conferences offered throughout the week. The fellow is also expected to work with and teach the residents and medical students.

The fellowship can be tailored to radiologists interested in either an academic or private practice career. The volume of cardiac imaging would allow subspecialty certification. Two months of electives are provided, which can include research time for those pursuing an academic career. We encourage our fellows to become involved in research projects and present at national meetings.

In summary, the Cardiothoracic Imaging and Intervention fellowship at USC provides a specialized but comprehensive experience in cardiopulmonary imaging and intervention that will benefit the fellow in any post-training clinical setting.