Interventional Cardiology Fellowship Program Overview

  • Duration: One-year program, primarily focusing on coronary interventions.
  • Clinical Volume: A high volume of, and high acuity and complexity of, cases at a premier tertiary medical center
  • Diversity of Procedures: Abundant opportunities for a wide variety of non-coronary interventions 
  • Expert Mentorship: Nine interventional faculty members fully committed to training the next generation
  • Educational Curriculum: Weekly interventional case conferences and didactic lectures led by faculty

The University of Kentucky Interventional Cardiology Fellowship Program offers a one-year program of clinical instruction and practical experience in catheterization and cardiovascular interventions. Our mission is to prepare future leaders, investigators, educators, and outstanding practitioners who will advance this dynamic field while delivering the highest possible quality of patient care. 

The curriculum is a one-year program of robust clinical experience, primarily focusing on coronary interventions. We train two fellows per year, and the curriculum is structured to meet all ACGME requirements and ABIM eligibility criteria for board certification in interventional cardiology. Training takes place in both the Gill Heart and Vascular Institute at the University of Kentucky and the affiliated Lexington VA Medical Center, which is conveniently connected to the University of Kentucky via a tunnel. The program offers robust clinical experience that provides increasing autonomy as technical skills progress. The training includes performing procedures and care for patients before and after procedures, managing the interventional consultation service, and continuity outpatient clinic (one half day every other week). As a tertiary referral center for the state, we manage high-acuity and complex cases, including cardiogenic shock and surgical turn-down cases. While the primary focus remains on coronary interventions throughout the year, fellows have ample opportunities to learn a wide variety of non-coronary interventions, such as interventions for pulmonary embolism, ECMO, and structural interventions if interested (case volumes are shown below). We recognize the diversity of career paths within the subspecialty and tailor the training to suit each fellow's professional goals. A non-ACGME-accredited second-year interventional training, primarily focused on structural interventions, may also be available after mutual agreement. Our graduates have maintained a 100% ABIM Interventional Board pass rate over the last five years. EPIC is used as an electronic health record system at the University of Kentucky.

There are nine interventional cardiologists at the University of Kentucky (link to faculty page). The catheterization lab at the University of Kentucky has five procedure rooms: three for interventional and structural procedures, and two for electrophysiology procedures. The cath lab at VA has two procedure rooms.

Case Volume

  • Percutaneous coronary intervention: 700 cases/year (including UK and VA Lexington)
  • Pulmonary embolism and other thromboembolism interventions: 60 cases/year
  • Pericardiocentesis: 60 cases/year
  • Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation: 40 cases/year
  • Transcatheter aortic valve replacement: 200 cases/year
  • Left atrial appendage closure: 100 cases/year
  • Patent foramen ovale closure: 50 cases/year
  • Mitral and tricuspid valve percutaneous interventions: 30 cases/year
Cath lab staff

Call-schedule
Interventional fellows provide STEMI call coverage from home, split evenly between the two interventional fellows throughout the year. Interventional fellows respond to STEMI activations and other emergent cases, which typically occur off-hours once or twice a week. No overnight or weekend duty for the interventional consultation service. For convenience, a dedicated fellows' room is located immediately adjacent to the catheterization lab (approximately 20 steps away) for interventional and electrophysiology fellows. Additionally, in-house call rooms are available at the GME office if needed. 

Weekly Conferences
There are two weekly conferences specifically focused on interventional cardiology. 

  • “Interventional Conference” (Wednesday mornings): Dedicated exclusively to the education of interventional fellows. The schedule alternates between interventional case reviews and didactics from faculty, journal clubs, or complication review. Through these active discussions, fellows gain a deep understanding of interventional basics, advanced tips and tricks, and complication management. (2025-2026 weekly schedule of the Interventional conference).
  • “Cath Conference” (Thursday mornings): Dedicated to the education of general cardiology fellows. Interventional fellows are expected to participate, providing a valuable opportunity to mentor and teach their junior colleagues. 

Research

Fellows will have the opportunity to participate in clinical research projects. Fellows can pursue individual research projects with a member of the faculty whose interests align with their own and will work with this mentor during the course of the year.

 

Summary

In summary, the University of Kentucky Interventional Cardiology Fellowship Program offers a robust one-year experience at a tertiary, high-volume medical center. Our interventional faculty is fully committed to training the next generation of leaders in the field. We look forward to working with you soon!!

Gurley in Cath lab