Fellowship Program

Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship

Sands-Constellation Heart Institute

Director’s Letter

It is my privilege to be a part of the Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship. Our team is honored to provide a diverse and supportive community that fosters the growth of tomorrow’s cardiologists as compassionate, knowledgeable and capable of enhancing lives and preserving health through education, wellness promotion, and research.

The Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship program at Rochester Regional Health is built on a strong foundation and history of training physicians who have enhanced our communities. We believe medical education is at the forefront of healthcare, and this program further strengthens our unwavering commitment to excellent, high-quality care. It combines the two things we are most passionate about – patient care and exceptional clinical cardiology training.

While our program is focused on providing the care our community needs and deserves, we are not your typical community hospital program. We take care of the sickest of the sick in our community and have an extremely complex case load, which includes many structural cases, ECMO procedures, LVAD placements and open heart surgery.

I am looking forward to the growth of this fellowship program and the many successes of our fellows.

Sincerely,

Mohan Rao, MD, FACC
Program Director

About the Program

Rochester Regional Health’s ACGME-accredited Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship program had its inaugural year in 2019. Our Cardiovascular Disease Fellows are trained by the nationally-renowned group of physicians at the Sands-Constellation Heart Institute. Fellows are offered the opportunity to study various areas of Cardiology at Rochester Regional Health, and have the option to select elective rotations based on clinical interest.

The overall goal of our cardiovascular disease fellowship program are to:

  1. Develop the skills, knowledge attitudes leading to proficiency in all the domains of clinical competency required by the cardiology fellow to assume personal responsibility for the care of individual patients.
  2. Embrace the concept of graded responsibility in patient care. Our aim is for the fellows to gain experience and demonstrate growth in their ability to care for patients with cardiovascular disease and progressively assume roles that permit them to exercise those skills with greater independence and to develop competency to practice clinical cardiology independently.
  3. Develop the skills, knowledge, competencies and attitudes required to enter the unsupervised practice of clinical cardiology.
  4. Establish a strong foundation for continued professional growth.
  5. Learn to value of becoming part of a multidisciplinary team to achieve the goal of best patient care.
  6. To establish a caring attitude and sensitivity to the health care needs of a diverse society.

Areas of Study

  • Advanced Cardiac Imaging
  • Advanced Heart Failure and Circulatory Support
  • Ambulatory Cardiology
  • Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory
  • Cardiac Electrophysiology
  • Cardiac Intensive Care Unit
  • Cardiovascular Clinical Research
  • Echocardiography
  • General Cardiology
  • Nuclear Cardiology Imaging

Curriculum

The Rotation Schedule for the Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship is:

PGY-4

ROTATIONWEEKS
Echo8
Nuclear Imaging4
Catheterization Lab8
RGH General Consults6
Unity General Consults4
Night Float6
CICU8
Electrophysiology4
Unity Imaging 4
TOTAL52

PGY-5

ROTATIONWEEKS
Echo4
Nuclear Imaging4
Catheterization Lab4
RGH General Consults4
Unity General Consults4
Night Float4
CICU8
Electrophysiology4
Unity Imaging4
CT Surgery/Advance Imaging4
Elective8
TOTAL52

PGY-6

ROTATIONWEEKS
Echo8
Nuclear Imaging4
Catheterization Lab4
RGH General Consults2
Rural Rotation2
CICU4
Unity General Consults4
Elective24
TOTAL52

We also offer a rural cardiology elective in Batavia, NY and Clifton, NY.

How to Apply

ERAS is a service which transmits residency applications, recommendation letters, Dean’s Letters, transcripts, and other supporting credentials from medical schools to fellowship programs electronically.

Applicants to the Rochester Regional Health Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship Program are required to apply to the program using ERAS.

We welcome candidates of all backgrounds with diversity in both their academic and personal experiences. For this application year, we have seven cardiovascular disease fellow positions in the NRMP Match. Applications will be accepted from July 15 through July 30. The selection committee selects applicants to interview beginning on September 19, with invites sent out over the subsequent weeks. We strongly encourage you to schedule your interview as early as possible as interview slots fill quickly. Sponsorship of J1 and H1 VISAS are accepted and subject to current immigration regulations.

We require a minimum of:
• 3 Letters of Reference
• 1 Program Director Letter of Reference
• CV
• Personal Statement

Interviews

Under ACGME guidance, and in trying to keep as fair and safe as possible for all prospective applicants, fellowship interviews for 2023 – 2024 season will be offered virtually.
After selecting applicants to interview for the Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship program, specific information will be sent via email to schedule your interview through ERAS. All links and details regarding the virtual interview will be provided. Interviews will take place in September and October. 

Please do not contact the program office to inquire about the status of your application. We are unable to provide specific information on individual applications.

Due to the number of inquiries we receive, we are unable to review any applicant information that is not submitted through ERAS.

Contact

Have questions or need to get in touch with us? Please contact:

Pamela Buonaccorso
Program Coordinator
Email Us

Why Choose Rochester Regional Health

Rochester Regional Health consists of five hospitals covering a 14-county area in Western New York, with seamlessly integrated health care and the highest level of cardiovascular care through the nationally-renowned Sands-Constellation Heart Institute. As a Cardiovascular Disease Fellow, you will primarily care for patients at Rochester General Hospital, our flagship hospital, and Unity Hospital.

Program Leadership

Mohan Rao, MD, FACC

Program Director Specialty: Cardiac Electrophysiology

Akbar Ahmed, MD, FACC

Associate Program Director Specialty: Interventional Cardiology

Bipul Baibhav, MD, FACC

Associate Program Director Specialty: General Cardiology and Advanced Imaging

Mallory Balmer-Swain, DO, FACC

Associate Program Director Specialty: General Cardiology

David Corteville, MD

Key Clinical Faculty Specialty: General Cardiology

Scott Feitell, DO

Key Clinical Faculty Specialty: Heart Failure

Ryan Hoefen, MD, PhD, FACC

Site Director, Unity Hospital Specialty: General Cardiology

Soidjon D. Khodjaev, MD

Key Clinical Faculty – CICU

Gaurav Sharma, MD

Key Clinical Faculty Specialty: General Cardiology

Guy McCrea, MD, FACC

Associate Site Director, Unity Hospital Specialty: General Cardiology

Dalton Miranda, MD

Core Faculty

Roshan Karki, MD

Core Faculty

Elizabeth Lee, MD

Core Faculty

Rawa Sarji, DO

Core Faculty

Naila Choudhary, MD

Core Faculty

Allison Olaode

Program Manager

Benefits & Compensation

The following is a list of benefits granted to all fellows

Medical Insurance

Opportunity to enroll in one of two comprehensive medical insurance plans.

Dental Insurance

Option to purchase one of two plans.

Life insurance

Employer paid coverage equal to 1x salary with option to purchase added coverage up to five (5) times annual salary.

Vision/Hearing Plan

Option to purchase a vision & hearing plan.

Short-Term Disability

Residents are entitled to up to six months of pay in the event of an approved disability, compensated at 60% of the resident stipend.

Long-Term Disability

Residents are provided with long-term disability of 50% of resident stipend in the event of an approved long-term disability. Residents have an option to purchase additional long-term disability to bring the amount up to 66.67%.

EAP

EAP is free, confidential service for employees and immediate family members that provides assistance with everyday work and family issues, as well as more challenging personal concerns.

Retirement

Option to enroll in tax deferred annuity plan.

Paid Vacation / Holiday

Travel & Education Allowance

An allowance will be provided for education items and activities for each year of fellowship:
R4, $1,500
R5, $2,500
R6, $3,500

 

Salaries are paid on a bi-weekly basis. The salaries for the 2023-2024 academic year will be: (salary + stipend)

$79,000

PGY-4

$83,000

PGY-5

$86,000

PGY-6

Why Rochester?

The Greater Rochester area, in the Finger Lakes region of New York, is a truly unique place to live and work. Rochester’s urban arts, entertainment and dining venues are complemented by surrounding suburban, rural and lakefront communities. This results in a wealth of options for work and play.

Contact Us

Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship Program

Allison Olaode
Program Manager

Email: RRHCardiologyFellows@rochesterregional.org