Thoracic Surgery Fellowship Training Program

Program Overview

The Thoracic Surgery Fellowship at the University of Kentucky is a two-year training program sponsored jointly by the University of Kentucky Chandler Medical Center (UKMC) and the Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC). It accepts one applicant every other year. Fellows may choose to train on the cardiothoracic or general thoracic surgery pathways as defined by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery.

Kentucky provides a unique training environment. For those interested in general thoracic surgery, the Commonwealth has one of the highest lung cancer prevalence rates in the United States. With a large esophageal cancer program and the majority of the complex benign esophageal surgery performed by the thoracic team, the fellowship provides an advanced and comprehensive general thoracic experience.  For those interested in the cardiothoracic pathway, UK Healthcare treats a large volume of core adult cardiac surgery cases in a highly complex patient population. The sheer volume of cases accelerates learning, preparing our graduates to manage full-spectrum cardiothoracic practices.

Mission

The mission of our program is to create an environment in which learners feel supported, encouraged, and challenged to reach their maximum potential as thoracic surgeons and citizens of the larger medical community. Our focus is on graduating competent surgeons, who utilize evidence-based decision making, to safely and confidently deliver optimal patient-centered care. Our trainees exist in an environment of team-based care, and will learn to interact positively and professionally with other healthcare providers. They will develop skills to improve the practice of thoracic surgery as a whole, through patient safety initiatives, quality improvement projects, medical research, and the application of scientific literature to clinical practice. We strive to continually improve our training program to reach this goal, considering the ever-changing landscape of surgical knowledge, technique, and the shifting health care environment.