Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship Training Program
The Children's Heart Center at Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children's Medical Center

Rubin S. Cooper, MD
Chief of Service, Division of Pediatric Cardiology

Howard Seiden, MD
Associate Chief of Service, Division of Pediatric Cardiology
Director, Fellowship Training Program

Andrew Blaufox, MD
Section Chief, Pediatric Electrophysiology
Research Coordinator, Fellowship Training Program

Fredrick Z. Bierman, Chairman, Department of Pediatrics
Preeta Dhanantwari, Section Chief, Fetal Cardiology
Shilpi Epstein, MD
Dipak Kholwadwala, Section Chief, Pediatric Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory
Michael LaCorte, MD
Deborah Mensch, MD
Angela Romano, MD
Yehuda Shapir, MD

The Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship Program at the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children's Medical Center is fully accredited by the Pediatric Cardiology Residency Review Committee of the Council for Graduate Medical Education. The three-year Fellowship Program based at the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children's Medical Center tertiary campuses utilizes the clinical and research resources of the North Shore Long Island Jewish Health System and its eleven affiliated tertiary and primary care Hospitals. The clinical exposure to pediatric cardiology encompasses a broad spectrum of practice involving primary care pediatric cardiology to complex congenital and acquired heart disease in patients ranging in age from the fetus through young adulthood. The clinical volume from the Health System's more than 20,000 live births per year and the population catchment of 7,000,000 afforded by the counties of Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau and Suffolk generate 240- 270 Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery cases, 250 pediatric cardiac catheterizations, 9,000 pediatric echocardiograms including 860- 900 fetal studies and proportionate numbers of invasive and noninvasive procedures annually. Ten Pediatric Cardiology Attendings provide Fellows with the clinical, didactic, and research guidance necessary for comprehensive training in all aspects of Pediatric Cardiology.

Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory:

The pediatric cardiac catheterization laboratory is a state of the art biplane cine-less digital facility, staffed with pediatric cardiac nurses, cardiovascular technologists and special procedure technologists. Fellows participate in all diagnostic as well as interventional (valve and vascular angioplasty, endovascular stent implantation, transcatheter atrial septal closure, ductal occlusion, endomyocardial biopsy) and electrophysiologic (intracardiac EPS for sudden death risk stratification, radiofrequency and cryocatheter ablation) procedures under senior attending supervision.

Cardiac Ultrasound Laboratory:

9,000 echocardiograms are performed annually in the Pediatric Cardiac Ultrasound Laboratories staffed by 9 pediatric cardiac sonographers with 11 dedicated echocardiography imaging systems. Fetal cardiac ultrasound exams are performed within the Division of Pediatric Cardiology. Care of at risk fetuses is coordinated with the Divisions of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Neonatology. The Division of Pediatric Cardiology provides all intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography services. All echocardiographic exams are recorded in digital format with review stations that permit point and click reporting and facilitate didactic instruction. Fellows acquire and interpret, under faculty supervision, echocardiographic studies during "non-invasive" rotations and when on call.

Noninvasive Electrophysiology Laboratory:

Three full time technologists and one nurse staff the Noninvasive Pediatric Electrophysiology Laboratory. The laboratory includes "in-house" remote rhythm/pulse-oximetry telemetry, Marquette digital Holter monitoring processing analyzer, and PACEARTTM transtelephonic event and remote pacemaker follow up units as well as pacemaker programmers from the major pacemaker manufacturers. Fellows review of ECG's, holters, event monitors, and perform pacemaker checks during their "non-invasive" rotation.

Exercise Laboratory:

The Pediatric Exercise Laboratory, staffed by a cardiovascular technologist, contains a Welch Allyn unit for real-time ECG analysis and a MedGraphic bicycle ergometry unit modified for pediatric use with integrated gas analyzers for quantification of oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production. Fellows perform and report on exercise tests during their "non-invasive" rotation.

Ambulatory Services:

7800 ambulatory Pediatric Cardiology visits are conducted at the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children's Medical Center campuses and dedicated Pediatric Cardiology Satellite sites. Fellows' weekly ambulatory office hours at the tertiary campuses provide continuity of care of a cadre of patients throughout the fellowship under the supervision of a mentoring attending.

Cardiac Intensive Care:

The 20 bed Pediatric and 44 bed Neonatal Intensive Care Units at the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children's Medical Center campus provide state of the art nursing and medical resources, including ECMO and PRISMA therapy, for the critically ill pediatric cardiac medical and surgical patients. Cardiac fellows participate in the postoperative care of all cardiothoracic surgical cases as members of the Intensive Care Unit Cardiac Team.

Didactics:

Didactic and clinical management meetings include:

Pediatric Cardiac and Critical Care Patient Management Conference (twice per week)
Joint Medical-Surgical Conference (weekly)
Cardiology Didactic Conference (weekly)
Chief of Service/Echocardiography Didactic Conference (weekly)
Cardiac Catheterization Pre/Post Review Conference (weekly)
Cardiothoracic Surgical Didactic Conference (twice per month)
Pediatric Cardiology Textbook Chapter Review (monthly)
Morbidity and Mortality Conference (monthly) Pathology Conference (monthly)
Journal Club (monthly)
Pediatric Grand Rounds (weekly)
GEMINI Pediatric Case Presentation Conference (weekly)

Research:

The fellowship program dedicates 11 months to pursue scholarly clinical and/or basic science research. The resources of the seventeen subspecialty Divisions of the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children's Medical Centers, the Feinstein Research Institute, as well as the outreach of the North Shore Long Island Jewish Health System, provide the requisite volume for meaningful clinical research collaboration. Research is conducted under the supervision of a faculty mentor and research committee comprised of experienced pediatric researchers and faculty members. The Fellows' Research Course sponsored by the Department of Pediatrics provides an introduction to clinical research, including lectures on ethics, biostatistics, research design, and health care economics.

Location:

The Pediatric Cardiology fellowship training program of the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children's Medical Center is concentrated at the two tertiary campuses of the North Shore Long Island Jewish Health System in New Hyde Park and Manhasset, New York. These sites provide an ideal ambiance for training and proximity to affordable housing, excellent school systems and access to the cosmopolitan environment of New York City.

Application:

Please download an application at the following website: http://www.schneiderchildrenshospital.org/sch_hcp_resident_fellow.html and include a personal statement discussing your interest in pediatric cardiology fellowship training, an updated curriculum vitae, a copy of your medical school diploma, a copy of your final transcript, and a copy of your USMLE scores for Tests 1,2 and 3 with your application. Three letters of recommendation, including one from your current program director, are required. The deadline for receipt of application is December 1.

International Graduates are required to provide a copy of a valid ECFMG Certificate as well as Visa or Green Card.

The Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship Training Program at the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children's Medical Center participates in the NRMP Specialties Matching Service. Please refer to the NRMP website for more information: http://www.nrmp.org/fellow/match_name/ped_card/about.html

Completed applications and any questions regarding your application to the Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship Training Program at the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children's Medical Center are to be forwarded to:

Betty Grosser
Division of Pediatric Cardiology
Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children's Medical Center
269-01 76th Avenue
New Hyde Park, NY 11040
(718) 470-7456
egrosser@nshs.edu

Contact:
Additional information regarding the Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship Program can be obtained by contacting Howard Seiden, MD, Associate Director of the Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship Training Program at the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children's Medical Center at hseiden@lij.edu or by calling (718) 470-7350.