Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship Program

The Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship Program is directed by Jane Chen, MD, Professor of Medicine. The program's core goal is to produce the next generation of physician-scientists and innovators. We are committed to providing our fellows with the best clinical and research training in cardiology.

Our three-year ACGME approved training program offers outstanding educational opportunities in general and subspecialty cardiology designed to develop careers in clinical practice, academic medicine, and industry.

  • Years 1 and 2 will concentrate on core clinical rotations where each fellow will obtain the basic knowledge and technical skills needed to proceed to more advanced training in a subspecialty area.
  • Year 3 provides the flexibility for clinical electives in a focused subspecialty area, training in interventional cardiology, electrophysiology, heart failure and cardiac transplantation, cardiac imaging and prevention.
Clinical Subspecialties
Clinical Training

Our goal for the training program is to provide a creative clinical environment for the fellow to develop skills and experience in the comprehensive care of heart patients. On a monthly basis, each fellow will rotate and receive their clinical training at four teaching hospitals:

  • University of Minnesota Medical Center – Fairview (UMMC)
  • Minneapolis VA Health Care System (MVAHCS)
  • Regions Hospital
  • Methodist Hospital

Research Path
Our fellows are offered valuable opportunities for interdepartmental research collaboration with the University of Minnesota's School of Public Health, Stem Cell Institute and other centers and institutes. The University of Minnesota Cardiology Fellowship Program incorporates numerous resources offered by companies in the Twin Cities biotechnology corridor ("Medical Alley"), which develop innovative cardiac products, including Boston Scientific, Medtronic, and St. Jude Medical.
 
Clinical training during cardiology fellowship consists of core rotations as well as electives. Core rotations will provide the knowledge and technical skills required for Level 1 training in Cardiovascular Diseases. Elective rotations are available for fellows wishing to obtain Level 2 training or to gain more exposure in subspecialty areas.
 
Academic Half Days
Presented every Wednesday afternoon, our fellowship educational seminars are exceptional supplements to clinical and research training. Fellows attend weekly sessions covering ECG interpretation, core didactic lectures, journal club, non-invasive and invasive imaging, professor rounds, and visiting professor lectures.
 
Grand Rounds
High-quality lectures from our own faculty, as well as visiting professors from around the country, are given during weekly Grand Rounds. Grand Rounds take place immediately after Academic Half Days. Fellows have opportunities to meet individually with visiting professors, as well as to present journal club or cases to them for a truly unique experience.
 
Teaching Opportunities
An important part of fellowship training is learning to pass knowledge onto others. Cardiology fellows will have the opportunity to teach University of Minnesota Medical School students, residents and visiting students from other medical schools through bedside instruction and formal didactic lectures.
 
Call Frequency
Cardiology fellows take in-house night time call at the University of Minnesota hospital, one week at a time. During night call, the fellow will not have any daytime clinical responsibilities. The University of Minnesota Graduate Medical School follows the recommendations of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).
 
Moonlighting
Moonlighting is permitted for licensed fellows. Moonlighting activities may be scheduled during consultative or outpatient rotations and should not interfere with the required learning and must not violate the ACGME's work hour rules or visa regulations. Moonlighting is not permitted for cardiology fellows in their first year of training.

ROTATIONS  DIDACTICS  RESEARCH  ELECTIVES

Application Process

All applicants interested in training at University of Minnesota's Cardiovascular Fellowship Training Program will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex or national origin. The Fellowship Training Program accepts applications only through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS).

Our program requires all of the following support documents:

  • Current curriculum vitae
  • Personal statement
  • Medical school transcripts (copies)
  • Three (3) letters of recommendation
  • Medical School Dean's letter (copy)
  • A valid ECFMG certificate (if you graduated from a medical school outside the United States or Canada). Graduates who are not United States Citizens or permanent residents must obtain a J-1 Visa from the Education Commission on Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) to qualify for a fellowship at the University of Minnesota
  • Results of Part I and II (and III if completed) of the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE)
  • A recent photo

Interviews
Once your application has been reviewed, you will receive an invitation to visit our program. During the interview visit, you will meet with various faculty and all efforts will be made to accommodate the applicant's areas of interest or future goals for their training.

CURRENT FELLOWS

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FIRST YEAR FELLOWS

Laith Alhuneafat

Laith Alhuneafat, MD

Medical School: The Hashemite University Faculty of Medicine 
Residency:  

Michael Blotner

Michael Blotner, MD

Medical School: New York Medical College 
Residency: University of Florida

Milos Brankovic

Milos Brankovic, MD

Medical School: University of Belgrade Faculty of Medicine
Residency: Rutgers University

Gaspar Del Rio Pertuz

Gaspar Del Rio Pertuz, MD

Medical School: Universidad del Norte Programa de Medicina 
Residency: Texas Tech University

Adam Devine

Adam Devine, MD

Medical School: Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine & Science
Residency: Medical College of Wisconsin

Sneha Nandy

Sneha Nandy, MD

Medical School: Seth G.S. Medical College 
Residency: Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Mark Svet

Mark Svet, MD

Medical School: Northwestern University the Feinberg School of Medicine
Residency: University of Colorado

Pratik Velangi, MD

Medical School: People’s Friendship University of Russia Faculty of Medicine
Residency: University of Minnesota

Effimia Zacharia, MD

Medical School: University of Athens School of Health Sciences 
Residency: University of Pittsburgh

SECOND YEAR FELLOWS

Caleb Chiang

Caleb Chiang, MD

Medical School: Rush University 
Residency: Rush University 

Abra Guo

Abra Guo, MD

Medical School: University of Virginia 
Residency: MedStar Georgetown

Adinan Kanda

Adinan Kanda, MD

Medical School: University of Minnesota
Residency: University of Minnesota

Evan Manning

Evan Manning, MD

Medical School: University of Colorado 
Residency: University of Colorado

Joel Money

Joel Money, MD

Medical School: University of Minnesota
Residency: University of Utah

Sneha Nandy

Sneha Nandy, MD

Medical School: Seth G.S. Medical College 
Residency: Albert Einstein College of Medicine                                                                                                                                     

 

THIRD YEAR FELLOWS

Norman Aiad


Norman Aiad, MD

Medical School: New York University School of Medicine 
Residency: New York University School of Medicine

Kellen Albrecht


Kellen Albrecht, MD

Medical School: University of Minnesota Medical School
Residency: University of Minnesota Medical School

Matt Hooks


Matt Hooks, MD

Medical School: University of Minnesota Medical School
Residency: University of Minnesota Medical School

Jorge Reyes Castro


Jorge Reyes Castro, MD

Medical School: Universidad de Guayaquil Facultad de Ciencias Médicas (Ecuador)
Residency: Hennepin Healthcare

Rahul Singh


Rahul Singh, MD

Medical School: Kasturba Medical College Manipal
Residency: Methodist Hospital Houston

Onyi Uchime


Onyi Uchime, MD

Medical School: Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University
Residency: University of Minnesota Medical School

INTERVENTIONAL FELLOWS

Hussain Basrawala, MD

Medical School:   
Residency:   


Furqan Rajput, MD

Medical School:   
Residency:   


David Sosa, MD

Medical School:   
Residency:                                                           

ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY FELLOWS

Joe Decker


Joe Decker, MD

Medical School: University of Minnesota  
Residency: University of Minnesota


Faris Haddadin, MD

Med School:  
Residency:

Anthony Prisco


Anthony Prisco, MD

Medical School: Medical College of Wisconsin 
Residency: University of Minnesota Medical School                                                        

PHYSICIAN SCIENTIST TRAINING PROGRAM FELLOW

Michael Zhang


Michael Zhang, MD

Med School: University of Louisville School of Medicine  
Residency: University of Minnesota Medical School

STRUCTURAL HEART FELLOW

Adam Tsangaris


Adam Tsangaris, MD

Medical School: University of Athens School of Health Sciences, Greece 
Residency: Rutgers New Jersey Medical School 

 

PROGRAM DIRECTOR
Jane Chen, MD, FACC, FHRS
Professor of Medicine

ASSOCIATE PROGRAM DIRECTOR
Andrea Elliott, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine

FELLOWSHIP COORDINATORS 
Mitchell Jungman 
cvfellow@umn.edu
Marit Larson 
cvfellow@umn.edu

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