Welcome | Curriculum | Clincal Rotations | Conference Schedule | Research Opportunities Faculty | Application Process | Recent Peer-Reviewed Publication

Welcome!

Thank you for your interest in the Fellowship program in Cardiovascular Diseases at the Beth Israel Medical Center. The Division, under the leadership of Steven R. Bergmann, M.D., Ph.D., has 20 full-time faculty and 12 fellows (4 per year). We provide tertiary care across the entire spectrum of cardiovascular illness to the diverse patient population of the Lower East side of Manhattan. The Division offers a full range of diagnostic and therapeutic services including specialization in Echocardiography, Heart Rhythm management, Invasive and Interventional cardiology, Nuclear cardiology, Cardiac CT imaging, Heart Failure and Preventive cardiology. Cardiology is fully integrated with our colleagues in Cardiothoracic Surgery to form the Heart Institute.

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Curriculum

Goals, Objectives and Educational Purpose:

Over the three year training programs, fellows will:

• Gain an understanding of the anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology of the cardiovascular system.
• Acquire a detailed fund of knowledge regarding the natural history, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the full spectrum of cardiovascular diseases.
• Learn how to critically interpret the literature and incorporate evidence-based medicine into daily practice as well as build a fund of knowledge of the landmark clinical trials governing modern day cardiology practice.
• Acquire proficiency in performing and interpreting: nuclear stress tests, echocardiograms, CT of the heart, invasive and non-invasive angiography, intra-aortic balloon pumps, right heart monitoring, diagnostic electrophysiology, Holter and event monitors, ECGs, temporary and permanent pacemaker and ICDs.
• Develop graded responsibility for caring for the full spectrum of cardiac patients including those in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit as well as for those in the ambulatory setting.
• Participate in a meaningful way in clinical research.

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Clincal Rotations

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Conference Schedule

We have a superb didactic curriculum for the fellows. Each morning from 7:30am to 8:00am we have Morning Report, where fellows present patients who were admitted overnight and receive feedback on management decisions. Didactic teaching conferences occur twice daily: Morning conference (8:00am to 9:00am) and Noon Conference (12:00pm to 1:00pm). There schedule is as follows:

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Research Opportunities

Research is an important component of our training program and fellows are required to spend dedicated research time pursuing investigative work. Opportunities exist in all of the clinical laboratories. A list of the most recent peer-reviewed publications from our Division is listed below so you can see the breadth and scope of our research interests.

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Faculty

Administrative
Steven R Bergmann, MD., PhD: Chief of Cardiology
Paul Schweitzer, MD: Program Director Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship
Dennis Finkielstein, MD: Associate Program Director Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship

Cardiac Catheterization and Interventional Cardiology
John Fox, MD: Director
Ghanshyam Bhambhani, MD
Ramesh Gowda, MD
Tak Kwan, MD

Cardiac CT Imaging
Kenneth Giedd, MD

Consultative Cardiology
Lien Do, MD
Sonal Jani, MD
Deepika Misra, MD
Nicholas Papapietro, MD
Ossama Samuel, MD
Peter Virsi, MD

Coronary Care Unit (CCU)
Maurice Rachko, MD: Director

Echocardiography
Marvin Berger, MD: Director
Susan Hecht, MD: Associate Director
Dennis Finkielstein, M

Electrophysiology
Steven Evans, MD: Director
Samuel Hanon, MD
Patrick Lam, MD
Paul Schweitzer, MD

Heart Failure

Nuclear Cardiology
Ken Geidd, MD: Director
Steven Bergmann, MD, PhD
Dennis Finkielstein, MD
Kenneth Giedd, MD
Maurice Rachko, MD

Preventative Cardiology and Cardiac Rehabilitation

Application Process

To apply, please submit:

• Complete National Registration Match Program (NRMP) protocol Beth Israel is program: 10908090
• For more information, call Daisy Matias, Fellowship Coordinator, (212) 420-2876 or dmatias@chpnet.org

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Recent Peer-Reviewed Publication from the Division

1. Chen S, Yei F, Zhou L, Luo J, Zhang J, Shan S, Tian N, Kwan TW. Endovascular stent-grafts treatment in acute aortic dissection (Type B). Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions 2006;68:319-325.
2. Dilsizian V, Bateman TM, Bergmann SR, Des Prez R, Magram MY, Goodbody AE, Babich JW, Udelson JE. Metabolic Imaging with beta-methyl-p-[(123)I]-Iodophenyl-Pentadecanoic acid identifies ischemic memory after demand ischemia. Circulation. 2005; 112:2169-2174.
3. Do, L, Tran, N, Schweitzer, P A Complex Cardiac Arrhythmia. Am J Med 2006, 119: 244-245.
4. Fridman V, Vandalovsky E, Bergmann SR: Cardiac risk factors, medicine usage, and hospital course in immigrants from the former Soviet Union. J. Health Care for Poor Underserved. 2006;17:290-301
5. Gowda RM, Khan IA. Thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm: diagnosis and management. Current Treatment Options Cardiovascular Medicine 2006;8:175-179
6. Giedd, KN Cardiac imaging for the detection of ischemia after percutaneous coronary intervention" Heart Metab 2006;31:13-16.
7. Giedd, KN Sinus arrest during adenosine stress testing in liver transplant recipients with graft failure: Three case reports and a review of the literature" J Nucl Cardiol 2005;12:696-702.
8. Hickey KT, Sciacca RR, Chou RL, Rodriguez O, Bokhari S, Bergmann SR. An improved model for the measurement of myocardial perfusion in human beings using N-13 ammonia. J Nucl Cardiol 2005;12:311-317.
9. Huang Y., Rosman J., Jani S., Schweitzer P. Inferior Wall Myocardial Infarction Complicated by Heart Block. Arrhythmia case study of the month. Cardiosource. February 8, 2006
10. Jani S, Bergmann SR. Metabolic Modulation of Myocardial Ischemia. Current Cardiology Reports. 2006; 8:123-130.
11. Jani S, Andraws R, Fridman V, Perlis T, Schweitzer P. Impact of Pharmacologic Therapy on Occurrence of Postoperative Atrial Fibrillation and Hospital Length-of-Stay: A Meta-Analysis Europace 2006 8:1-178.
12. Jani S, Hecht. S, Leibowitz K, Berger M. Left Atrial Dissection: An Unusual Complication of Mitral Valve Surgery. Echocardiography, 2006, in press Jani S, Hecht S, Leibowitz K, Berger M. Left atrial dissection: An unusual complication of mitral valve surgery. (Accepted; Echocardiography Journal June 2006)
13. Jani S, Schweitzer P. Initial (earliest) report of polymorphous ventricular tachycardia. Ann Noninvasive Electrocardiol. 2006;11:281-3
14. Obunai K, Misra D, VanTosh A, Bergmann SR: Metabolic evidence of myocardial stunning in takotsubo cardiomyopathy: A positron emission tomography study. J. Nucl. Cardiol 2005;12:742-744.
15. Rosman J, Shapiro M, Pandey A, Van Tosh A, Bergmann SR: Lack of correlation between coronary artery calcium and myocardial perfusion imaging. J. Nucl. Cardiol. 2006. 13:333-337
16. Rosman J, Hanon S, Evans SJ, Schweitzer P. Analysis of the Initiation of Sustained Ventricular Tachycardia in Patients with Ischemic and Non-ischemic Cardiomyopathy. Annals of Noninvasive Electrophysiology.2006; 11 1-5, 2006.Triggers of Sustained Monomorphic Ventricular Tachycardia Differ Among Patients with Varying Etiologies of Left Ventricular Dysfunction A.N.E. 2006;11(2):113–117
17. Streeter RP, Nichols K, Bergmann SR. Stability of right and left ventricular ejection fractions and volumes after heart transplantation. J. Heart and Lung Transpl. 2005 24(7): 815-818.
18. Shapiro M, Hanon S, Leibowitz K, Schweitzer P, Berger M. Papillary Muscle Masquerading as a Vegetation. International Journal of Cardiology. 2006. (In press).
19. Waxman DA, Hecht S, Schappert J, Husk G. A Model for Troponin I as a Quantitative Predictor of In-Hospital Mortality. J Am Coll Cardio, 2006, in press.
20. Weinsaft JW, Hickey KT, Bokhari S, Shahzad A, Bedding A, Costigan TM, Warner MR, Emmick JT, Bergmann SR. Effects of tadalafil on myocardial blood flow in patients with coronary artery disease. Coronary Artery Disease. 2006. 17:493-499.
21. Xydas S, Rosen RS, Pinney S, Hickey KT, Wasserman H, Mancini DM, Naka Y, Oz MC, Bergmann SR, Maybaum S. Reduced myocardial blood flow during left ventricular assist device support: A possible cause of premature bypass graft closure. J. Heart and Lung Transpl. 2005; 24:1976-1979.

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