Allegheny Health Network is a high-volume academic setting and cardiac transplant center. Cardiac MRI volumes are 1500 for the year of 2019, including stress perfusion, congenital, Cardiac MRI with implanted devices, and heart failure related imaging. The CMR program is run by Cardiology, not Radiology, thus further focused cardio-centric training separates this program from most in the world and, in part, plays an indelible role in, not only, the success of the CMR Program but that of the post-training CMR Fellows.
This Advance Cardiac Imaging Fellowship is primarily directed at the generation of a Level 3 well-rounded Cardiac MRI physician with skills commensurate with leading an independent CMR program as well as a physician who knows how to apply the principles and procedures of advanced CMR in creative, thoughtful and innovative means towards problem solving both clinical and research complex problems.
Weekly didactic instruction in MRI physics, pulse sequence design, scanner interfaces, and protocol optimization is provided to augment applied training as provided during clinical and research scanning. Programmatic resources include 1.5 scanners (GE, Siemens).
Based on the applicant career interests training and accreditation in other cardiac imaging methods such as Cardiac CT, Advanced Structural Echocardiography, Nuclear and PET modalities will be harmonized and integrated to promote the training of a ‘Cardiac Imaging Specialist’.
The Advanced Cardiac Imaging Fellow will actively participate in CMR interpretation under the supervision of a qualified Level 3 physician-mentor. Some supervision by an expert non-CMR physician can suffice for some of the basics of CMR, including workstation exposure, tomographic imaging training, for instance, the CMR technologists and computer engineer. Correlative sessions will be performed with other imaging modalities (echocardiography, nuclear cardiology, CCT, and invasive angiography) as well as historical, physical examination, and laboratory and hemodynamic data to enrich the training process.
Incumbent upon the Advanced Imaging Training program will be a specific focus on developing a research line of inquiry focusing on advanced applications of CMR to solving current and expected generally clinical aspects of CV disease. The applicant will be expected to develop, with the help of the Director of the CMR program, Co-Director and MRI physicist an independent line of research suitable for presentation at any of the national CV, CMR or Echocardiographic meetings. Recent literature has features prominently in national and international publications. As well, the CMR center has partaken in numerous PI-initiated NHLBI, AHA and pharmaceutical trials as well as has an active CMR Core Lab. Opportunities for further expansion of one’s capabilities are not only available but are expected for the qualified physician.
The AGH CMR program has been recognized as one of the top programs in the USA and recognized internationally as consistently having the top 10 number of accepted papers in the USA and world at the SCMR national meetings for the last 15 years.
For further information, please contact us.
Robert W. W. Biederman, MD, FACC, FAHA
Director, Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Professor of Medicine, Temple University School of Medicine
Adjunct Professor of Bioengineering, Carnegie Mellon University
Allegheny Health Network, Allegheny General Hospital
(412) 359-8009
Fax: (412) 359-6358
