Overview and Reason for Position

The primary objective of the MCS and Cardiothoracic Transplant Fellowship is to produce a balanced, well-qualified thoracic transplant surgeon prepared for practice in an academic or private practice environment. Over the course of this 12-month program, the fellow will gain comprehensive experience in the management of end-stage heart and lung disease. The fellow will participate in care of MCS/Transplant patients within the inpatient and outpatient setting and under the supervision of Cardiothoracic Surgery faculty. The fellow will also become technically proficient with durable and temporary MCS procedures and cardiac transplantation, lung transplantation, and procurement/donor management.

Performance in each area will be assessed based on competency in medical knowledge, clinical/technical skills, patient care, professionalism, interpersonal and communication skills, and systems-based practices. Attendance at the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplant and/or American Society of Artificial Internal Organs with involvement in clinical research and presentation of scholarly activity is also an expected part of professional development over the year. The fellow will also participate in the education of junior residents and fellows, as well as weekly thoracic transplant/MCS selection committee meetings. In addition, the fellow may be involved in surgical management of high-risk coronary and structural heart cases.

Cardiac Transplant and Mechanical Circulatory Support

The fellow will participate in the management of a busy mechanical support service as well as a post-operative heart transplant service, under the supervision of the transplant/MCS faculty. They will also be expected to participate in and occasionally lead the transplant weekly listing meetings, MCS operations meetings, daily MCS/transplant huddles, the Transplant/MCS journal club, the Donor organ reviews, and quality improvement sessions. 

Lung Transplant

The advanced lung disease and lung transplantation rotation includes management of patients who have end stage lung disease in all clinical settings. Patients seen during this rotation have a wide variety of pulmonary diseases. Under the supervision of the transplant faculty, the fellow is primarily responsible for evaluating patients, speaking to families, and coordinating care with other health-care professionals. The fellow will learn to perform all necessary procedures related to lung transplantation and will be trained in appropriate donor/recipient matching.

Procurement/Donor Management

While on the cardiac and thoracic rotations, the fellow will participate in both heart and lung donor evaluation and management under the supervision of MCS/transplant faculty. The fellow will also participate in the procurement and lead the procurement team in the onsite assessment of donor organs.

Qualifications for Position:

·       Completed ACGME accredited training or foreign equivalent in either an integrated thoracic surgery residency, a 4/3 thoracic surgery residency, or a traditional 2-year thoracic surgery fellowship.

·       Board eligible or certified with the American Board of Thoracic Surgery (ABTS), or foreign equivalent

·       Eligible for licensure in Washington State, which the University of Washington can assist with

·       For foreign applicants:

o   If from non-English speaking countries, please provide evidence of language proficiency, such as IELTS/TOEFL

o   Visas supported: TBD 

Application Process

Qualified candidates should send the following material in pdf form to ctrespa@uw.edu:

·       Curriculum vitae -- sent by candidate

·       Letter of intent -- sent by candidate

·       Three (3) letters of recommendation -- sent directly from the letter writer

Timeline

·       Application deadline: December 15, 2025

·       Selection: January 2026