Advanced Valve Disease Educational Fellowship

Program Overview

This program provides fellows with an interactive educational opportunity to observe and have discussions with specialists in the treatment of heart valve disease at suggested institutions, while concurrently obtaining technical skills in perioperative patient management.

The AATS Foundation Advanced Valve Disease Education Fellowship provides a live, interactional, and observational educational experience for cardiothoracic surgeons from around the world to spend one to three months at host institutions focusing their research and training in any of the following areas:

• Minimally invasive operative techniques for aortic, mitral, and tricuspid disease.
• Unique technical approaches for repair of complex degenerative and functional mitral valves.
• Complex aortic surgery.
• Aortic and mitral transcatheter valve approaches.
• Valve imaging techniques for proper assessment and case planning.
• Robotic mitral valve surgery.
• Developing a successful program.
• Endovascular treatment of the aorta.
• Current trends in coronary revascularization.
• A multidisciplinary approach for the treatment of valvular heart disease.
• The role heart teams should play to improve patient outcomes.

A number of host surgeons/institutions who are experienced in surgical and transcatheter therapies have partnered with the AATS Foundation on this initiative. Potential hosts include:

• Marc Gillinov, MD, Cleveland Clinic
• David H. Adams, MD, Mount-Sinai Medical Center
• Aubrey C. Galloway, MD, New York University
• Scott M. Goldman, MD, Lankenau Medical Center
• Vaughn A. Starnes, MD, University of Southern California
• Michael Halkos, MD, Emory University Hospital

View Advanced Valve Disease Educational Fellowship recipients and hosts

Application Process

• Applicants should provide a curriculum vitae with a full description of their surgical experience.
• Letter of support from their department chair or division chief*
• One to two page narrative to include: (1) what you hope to accomplish during the Fellowship (including timeline and area of interest); (2) how you will utilize the skills that you hope to learn at your home institution; (3) the relationship of the planned study to the your prior work, preparation, and professional goals; and, (4) statement of your future career goals;
• One page outline of your current practice or training program;
• Brief description of what you hope to learn by visiting your selected host site.

*For those looking to send letters of support for the candidate directly to the AATS Foundation, please email admin@aatsfoundation.org.

Review Process

The AATS Foundation’s Cardiac Scholarship Committee will review all applications and recommend recipients to be presented to AATS Foundation Board of Directors for a final decision.

Applications will be graded on all aspects of the award criteria. All applicants will be notified with an official letter from the AATS Foundation within 2-3 months of the program deadline. Should you have any questions regarding your status prior to receiving this notification, please contact admin@aatsfoundation.org.

Depending on the intended time spent at the host institution as described in the application, a selection of one of the following two levels will be awarded:

• Level One: Awards of up to $7,500 for no more than one month of study.
• Level Two: Awards of up to $15,000 for 2-3 months of study.

**Please note that any award payments made to foreign individuals may be subject to federal tax withholding of up to 30% if a recipient is traveling to the United States.

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