Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship

A central goal of the program is to prepare physicians to be outstanding cardiovascular clinicians and to help each individual develop one or more specific areas of exceptional clinical skill. The primary purpose of the research branch of the fellowship is to develop expertise in a specific area of basic or translational science, clinical investigation, education or innovation.

A minimum of 24 months is spent on clinical training at three sites. Building on a long standing association in medicine and in cardiology, the training program at the West Roxbury Veterans Administration Medical Center has been fully integrated with the training program at Brigham and Women's Hospital. In 2000, we also began an important and successful integration with the Massachusetts General Hospital Cardiology Fellowship Program. Brigham and Women's Hospital-based fellows spend six of their 24 clinical months rotating at the Massachusetts General Hospital. Similarly, Massachusetts General Hospital-based fellows will spend five of their 24 clinical months at Brigham and Women's Hospital.

The Cardiovascular Medicine Division at Brigham and Women’s Hospital has a long history of leading clinical and basic research. The fellowship program provides training in advanced technology and research that will form the basis for cardiovascular research in the coming decades. Research training may be based at BWH, the West Roxbury VA, Harvard Medical School, MIT or other associated Harvard University laboratories.

Brigham and Women’s Hospital is a scientific, clinical and academic stronghold with a long history of firsts. Our culture promotes excellence in patient care, teaching and research and affords an exceptional environment for clinical training and participation in exciting advances in research. Every member of our faculty is uniquely skilled and focused, with dedication to providing the best in individualized care for each patient. Each is deeply committed to teaching, with a strong apprentice model that includes daily bedside rounds and clinics. While most of the learning is one-on-one, each faculty member will also provide state-of-the-art updates in their special areas. 

Our Cardiovascular Medicine Faculty

The fellows receive training at BWH and the West Roxbury Veteran’s Administration Medical Center (WRVA). The state-of-the-art Shapiro Cardiovascular Center at BWH has 136 beds providing the full range of cardiovascular services.

The WRVA is the tertiary cardiovascular referral center for all Veteran’s Administration medical centers in Northern New England. The WRVA is the only VA provider of tertiary cardiovascular care for a broad area of Northern New England which includes all of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts and significant portions of Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Application deadline for the fellowship is August 31st from physicians who will have completed an ACGME-equivalent accredited internal medicine residency by the time the cardiovascular disease program begins in July. All applicants must apply through ERAS.

We require the following documents to be available for download through Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) for a complete application to be reviewed:

• ERAS application 
• Curriculum vitae (CV)
• Personal statement
• Three letters of recommendation including one from your current program director
• ACGME-accredited internal medicine residency – no exceptions.

Each application is reviewed in its entirety with an eye toward a combination of overall academic excellence, leadership ability, career development potential and personal character. The program accepts eight fellows per year. 

We interview 60-70 candidates for the cardiovascular disease program each year. Although we receive applications from many well-qualified candidates, it is not possible to interview all who apply. Every effort is made to notify applicants of their interview status in a timely manner in order to all sufficient time for making travel arrangements.