Fellows participate in several regularly scheduled education sessions. These include weekly lectures by various faculty members, weekly Departmental Grand Rounds, weekly SESATS preparation sessions, clinical scenario Q&A sessions every-other week, and bi-monthly journal clubs. Fellows also actively participate in affiliate hospital M&M conferences and tumor boards. Mock-oral board exam sessions are also held twice per year to prepare trainees for their Thoracic Surgery Oral Board Certification Exam. Given the growing presence of robotics in cardiac and thoracic surgery, fellows also participate in a structured and robust robotic surgery curriculum to complement a high volume clinical experience with the option of working towards a robotics equivalency certificate which can be used for credentialing.
Sample Annual Core Curriculum Lecture Schedule
| Introduction to Cardiac Surgery | |
| Week 1 | Cardiopulmonary Bypass/Myocardial Protection |
| Week 2 | Cardiac Surgery General Management |
| Week 3 | Ischemic Heart Disease |
| Week 4 | Introduction to Cardiac Block Wrap-up/Indications Conference |
| Week 5 | Cardiology Block: Intro to Cath |
Introduction to Thoracic Surgery/Lung Neoplasm | |
| Week 6 | Thoracic Surgery General Management/Lung Cancer Staging |
| Week 7 | Surgical Management Lung Neoplasm |
| Week 8 | Management of Advanced Neoplasms |
| Week 9 | Lung Neoplasm Block Wrap-Up/Indications Conference |
Valvular Heart Disease/TAVR | |
| Week 10 | Aortic Valve/TAVR |
| Week 11 | Mitral/Tricuspid Valve |
| Week 12 | Valvular Heart Disease/TAVR Block Wrap-up/Indications Conference |
Esophageal Neoplasm | |
| Week 13 | Diagnosis and Staging of Esophageal Neoplasm |
| Week 14 | Surgical management and Chemotherapy for Esophageal Neoplasm |
| Week 15 | Esophageal Neoplasm Block Wrap-up/Indications Conference |
Congenital Cardiac Surgery | |
| Week 16 | Patent ductus arteriosus, atrial septal defect, partial anomalous pulmonary venous return |
| Week 17 |
Tetralogy of Fallot, pulmonary stenosis, pulmonary atresia |
| Week 18 |
Double outlet right ventricle, simple transposition of the great arteries |
| Week 19 |
Aortic stenosis, LV outflow tract obstruction, aortic coarctation, interrupted aortic arch |
| Week 20 |
Cor triatriatum, total anomalous pulmonary venous return |
| Week 21 |
Single ventricle, hypoplastic left heart syndrome, Ebstein's Anomaly |
| Week 22 | Coronary anomalies, vascular rings, congenitally-corrected transposition of the great arteries |
| Week 23 | Disorders of the Mediastinum |
| Week 24 | Pulmonary Infections |
| Week 25 | Cardiology Block: Intro to Cath |
Heart Failure/MCS/Transplant | |
| Week 26 | Heart Failure Management and MCS |
| Week 27 | Heart Transplant |
| Week 28 | Lung Transplant/Immunology |
| Week 29 | Heart Failure/MCS/Transplant Block Wrap-up/Indications Conference |
Benign Thoracic Pathology/Chest Wall and Pleural Disease | |
| Week 30 | Chest Wall Tumors |
| Week 31 | Interventional Pulmonology |
| Week 32 | Tracheal Stenosis |
| Week 33 | Mesothelioma |
| Week 34 | Benign Esophagus |
| Week 35 | Benign Thoracic Pathology/Chest Wall Pathology Wrap-up/Indications Conference: Thoracic Annual Wrap-up |
Great Vessel Disease/Miscellaneous Cardiac | |
| Week 36 | Thoracoabdominal Aortic Aneurysms |
| Week 37 | Management of the Aortic Root and Ascending Aorta |
| Week 38 | Aortic Dissection |
| Week 39 | Conduction Disorders |
| Week 40 | Cardiothoracic Trauma |
| Week 41 | Pericardium and Myocardium |
| Week 42 | Great Vessel Disease/Miscellaneous Cardiac Wrap-up/Indications Conference/Cardiac Annual Wrap-up |
Hands-on Laboratory Skills Sessions
- Valve-Sparing Aortic Root / Root Replacement
- Ventricular Assist Device Implantation
- VATS Lobectomy
- Heart Transplant
- Thoracic Surgery "Bootcamp" (CABG, AVR, MVR)
- TAVR