Description

This notice is to promote the University of Colorado ECMO fellowship position starting on July 1, 2027. The ECMO Fellowship Program is a non-ACGME accredited 2-year clinical and research fellowship encompassing all aspects of end-stage heart/ lung failure and mechanical circulatory support. The ideal candidate would be finishing PGY-2 or PGY-3 year of general surgery and looking for a 2-year research opportunity. The candidate will have a strong clinical background and an understanding of applied biostatistics and database management. They should also have a strong desire to matriculate into a cardiothoracic surgery fellowship with an emphasis on cardiopulmonary failure and transplantation. However, other candidates will also be considered equally.

Funding for the first year of the fellowship is secured through the fellow’s clinical activities (ECMO cannulation, ECMO daily management notes, bedside procedures). This includes a salary that is commensurate with their PGY level at University of Colorado, as well as health/ dental insurance and benefits. Second year funding would be arranged similarly, with the expectation that extramural funding is obtained to help off-set some of the cost of the research time during their second year.

Requirements

During their first year of fellowship, the fellow is expected to participate in all in-house and out of hospital ECMO cannulations, decannulations, and reconfigurations. Additionally, they will participate in all bedside surgical procedures (tracheostomy, bronchoscopy, PEG placement, etc.), and will be present, when possible, for all advanced mechanical support cases (LVAD, RVAD, etc.), and heart and lung transplants. The fellow will also be part of the rotating heart and lung procurement schedule, which will include DCD, ex-situ machine perfusion, and normothermic regional perfusion (NRP) procurement techniques. There will be dedicated time to shadow clinical perfusionists in the operating room and participate in cardiopulmonary bypass and ECMO simulation training. ECMO rotations with the congenital cardiac surgeons cannot be guaranteed but can certainly be discussed as a possibility.

The second year of the ECMO fellowship will be largely research based. Reduced ECMO call is expected as the new first year ECMO fellow matriculates into the clinical role. There will be an emphasis on exploring personal research interests as well as an opportunity to participate in both outcomes research and translational research which include large animal models of cardiopulmonary failure in conjunction with abdominal transplant surgeons and pulmonary physicians.