Vascular and Endovascular Surgical Fellowship

The fellowship is structured to provide fellows with exposure to the breadth of vascular pathology, as well as developing a strong clinical foundation, with an emphasis on clinical independence and autonomy. We match one to two fellows per year, who each rotate between open and endovascular rotations, as well as rotations at our affiliated community hospital South Shore, Interventional Cardiology, Interventional Nephrology, Vascular Medicine, Vascular Lab and professional development time. Fellows also participate in spine exposures at the nearby and eminent orthopedic Baptist Hospital. Our first- and second-year fellows rotate between these rotations and share responsibility for patient care. Call is every third night and every third weekend and is split evenly between the fellows, who take calls from home. Fellows are provided with lead and leaded goggles.

Key

BWH-O – Open Fellow, Brigham

One of our core clinical rotations, the “open fellow,” does all open procedures and staffs the consult list. This is the busiest of our rotations, with an emphasis on operative exposure and autonomy.

BWH-E – Endo Fellow, Brigham

Another core clinical rotation, the “endo fellow,” is responsible for endovascular procedures, including EVAR, TEVAR, FEVAR, TCAR and cath lab cases.

SSH – South Shore Hospital

A busy clinical rotation at our affiliated community hospital with exposure to OR and cath lab cases, including complex limb salvage, aortic disease and carotid disease.

VDL – Vascular Diagnostic Lab

Time spent in the vascular diagnostic lab, as well as working with our multidisciplinary team to prepare for the RPVI.

IC – Interventional Cardiology

Rotation with the Interventional Cardiology team gaining exposure in alternative endovascular tools and techniques.

CV – Vascular Medicine

Time spent with the Brigham vascular medicine team and leaders in their field, with a focus on exposure to the medical management of vascular disease.

PD – Professional Development

The division maintains a number of educational conferences, both targeted specifically at the fellows, as well as the Brigham general surgery trainees and Harvard Medical students. A dedicated fellow teaching conference mirrors the recommendations for the clinical and basic science curriculum laid out by the Association of Program Directors in Vascular Surgery (APDVS). Conference is taught by world leaders in the fields of vascular surgery, vascular medicine, cardiac surgery, vascular radiology and nephrology.

Fellows are responsible for organizing a weekly division conference with rotating topics, including Indications Conference, Journal Club, Division Morbidity and Mortality Conference, topic specific teaching, research talks and invited speakers.

The division also joins a number of multidisciplinary conferences supported by the Brigham, including Aortic Conference and Vascular Medicine Conference.

VESAP is provided to the fellows, as well as access to teaching materials, Rutherford, Moore and additional texts as needed.

Fellows are expected to attend and present at regional and national meetings, supported by the division, including:

• Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) Vascular Annual Meeting
• New England Society for Vascular Surgery (NESVS)
• Society for Clinical Vascular Surgery Annual Symposium
• VEITHsymposium
• Wesley Moore Review Course

Fellows are expected to participate in scholarly activity with the goal of regional or national presentation. Prior fellows have pursued outcomes research, translational science and app development. Access is available to a number of national and local databases, including VQI, NSQIP, Medicare and NIS datasets, as well as locally maintained retrospective data. Statistical support is available within the division, as well as through the Brigham Department of Surgery Center for Surgery and Public Health (CSPH).

Unique to our program is a six to eight week dedicated professional development block, where fellows are free to design a tailored experience to further their training based on their professional goals. With support from the division, prior fellows have chosen to travel abroad to explore advanced endovascular techniques or have completed the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) Summer Program in Clinical Effectiveness.

Brigham and Women’s Hospital is a scientific, clinical and academic powerhouse with a long history of firsts. We foster a shared commitment to predict, prevent and treat the world’s toughest diseases. Our collaborations are changing the future of medicine, in Boston and beyond.

Our culture in providing excellence in patient care, teaching and research affords an exceptional environment for clinical training and participation in exciting advances in basic and clinical research.

Committed to teaching and mentoring the next generation of surgeons and leaders in medicine, our faculty is comprised of experienced clinicians who impart a breadth of knowledge and expertise during clinical rounds and in clinics. In addition, basic and clinical research mentors provide many research opportunities for residents and fellows.

Brigham and Women's Hospital Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery faculty are board-certified vascular surgeons with full-time academic appointments at Harvard Medical School.

• Dirk Hentschel, MD
• Edwin C. Gravereaux, MD
• Mohamad Hussain, MD, PhD
• Edward Marcaccio, Jr., MD
• Louis L. Nguyen, MD, MBA, MPH
• C. Keith Ozaki, MD
• Marcus Semel, MD - Program Director
• Nicholas Swerdlow, MD - Associate Program Director 

Brigham and Women’s Hospital is located in the Longwood Medical and Academic Area in Boston, Massachusetts. It is Harvard Medical School's second largest teaching affiliate. Along with Massachusetts General Hospital, it is one of the two founding members of Mass General Brigham, the largest health care provider in Massachusetts. Fellows have access to a dedicated hybrid room, the Cath lab, interventional nephrology suite, and vascular lab. Dedicated office space and a call room are also provided.

Applications for the 2026-2027 fellowship year are being accepted November 2024 through January 2025 from physicians who will have completed a five-year ACGME-accredited general surgery residency by August 1, 2026.

The vascular fellowship position is filled via the Vascular Surgery Match sponsored by the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP). All applicants must submit completed applications through the AAMC Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). We cannot accept any additional supporting documents by email or mail.

All applicants must register with the NRMP in addition to submitting an application to our program. Applicants participate in the vascular match during their general surgery PGY-4 year, matching for a position to begin following completion of their PGY-5 year.

Applicants may contact the Surgery Education Office at surgeryeducation@bwh.harvard.edu with questions.

All applicants for the 2025-2026 fellowship year must have completed an ACGME-accredited General Surgery Residency by August 1, 2025. We require the following documents to be available for download through ERAS for a complete application to be reviewed:

• Curriculum vitae (CV)
• Medical school transcript
• Personal statement
• Dean's letter
• Three letters of recommendation
• USMLE transcript
• ABS in-training exam scores

Each application is reviewed in its entirety with a focus toward a combination of overall academic excellence, leadership ability, career development potential and personal character.

We interview approximately 15 to 20 candidates for the vascular surgery 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. We will hold virtual interviews on March 2024.

Fellowship interviews will be held virtually in spring 2025. We do not schedule individual interview dates outside of the scheduled group interview date. There will be a virtual meet-and-greet session with the current fellows, as well as the opportunity to hear more about our program and to interview with each of our faculty members.

With our United Against Racism initiative, Mass General Brigham is dedicated to diversity, equity, and inclusion in our workforce. Brigham and Women’s Hospital’s Center for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) promotes this mission by offering mentoring, training, networking events, and more to foster career advancement and professional development. The DEI also supports a number of employee resource groups to provide support and community.  

Residents and fellows at Brigham and Women’s have access to resources to help you stay healthy and manage your work-life balance. Resources include our robust Employee Assistance Program, a lease guaranty program to assist with moving to the Boston area, transportation and parking programs, loan repayment and deferment options, mental health tools, and parenting resources such as lactation rooms and equipment, day care, and back-up childcare services. Visit our GME Website for more information.

Amber Kernodle, MD, PhD, MPH 
Undergraduate: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 
Medical School: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 
Residency: Johns Hopkins Hospital 
Clinical/Research Interests: Limb salvage, onco-vascular and complex vascular reconstruction, serving vulnerable populations, heath disparities and inequalities research 

Monica Majumdar, MD, MPH 
Undergraduate: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Medical School: Rush Medical College  
Residency: Tufts Medical Center 
Clinical/Research Interests: Limb salvage, carotid disease, and exploring biomarkers predictive of thrombosis and hemostasis aimed at achieving effective subject-specific thromboprophylaxis

Karthik Thangappan, MD, MS
Undergraduate: The Pennsylvania State University 
Medical School: Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University  
Residency: University of Cincinnati Medical Center
Clinical/Research Interests: Limb salvage, abdominal vascular reconstruction, clinical outcomes research regarding open vs endovascular revascularization

• 2023: Bryan Dieffenbach, MD
• 2022: Rebecca Scully, MD, MPH; Andrew Servais, MD
• 2021: AJ Soo Hoo, MD
• 2020: Gaurav Sharma, MD; Jillian Walsh, MD
• 2019: Christine Lotto, MD
• 2018: Stuart Blackwood, MD
• 2017: Dean Arnaoutakis, MD
• 2016: Samir Shah, MD
• 2015: Edward McGillicuddy, MD
• 2014: Marcus Semel, MD, MPH
• 2013: Karen Ho, MD
• 2012: James McPhee, MD
• 2011: Neal Barshes, MD
• 2010: Richard Bafford, MD
• 2009: William Robinson, MD
• 2008: T. Tec Chong, MD
• 2007: Andres Schanzer, MD
• 2006: Christopher Owens, MD, MSc
• 2005: Louis Nguyen, MD, MBA, MPH
• 2004: Leslie Cunningham, MD, PhD
• 2003: Matthew Menard, MD
• 2002: Amy Reed, MD
• 2001: David Chew, MD
• 2000: John Lantis, MD
• 1999: Gilbert Upchurch Jr, MD
• 1998: Mark Sebastian, MD
• 1997: James Estes, MD
• 1996: James Knox, MD
• 1995: Lewis Schwartz, MD