Thank you for your interest in our Cardiovascular Disease fellowship program here at the University of Florida!
Details about our division and faculty can be found at https://cardiology.medicine.ufl.edu.
General Cardiology Program Overview
The overall objective of our program is post-graduate education in the field of cardiovascular disease, which includes major emphasis on both research and clinical training. The University of Florida offers a wealth of opportunities and an internationally recognized faculty to support our trainees. Our hospitals serve as major referral centers for much of northern and central Florida, as well as southern sections of Georgia. Our major teaching facilities include UF Health Shands Hospital and the Veterans Administration Medical Center. Faculty members of the University of Florida attend all patients in these hospitals. Division conferences are held daily that are of interest to medical housestaff. These include the cardiac catheterization and angiography conference, cardiology grand rounds, echocardiography conference, cardiovascular education conference, ECG coding conference, electrophysiology conference, case conference and journal club, and several which focus on current clinical research and quality improvement projects being conducted in the division.
Fellowship Experience
All fellows rotate through our outpatient cardiovascular clinics, clinical electrophysiology service, consultative service, echocardiography lab and other non-invasive laboratories, cardiac catheterization laboratory, and intensive care units. The duration of training in each area is flexible and depends on level of interest and aptitude. Additional years of fellowship training are available in clinical electrophysiology, interventional cardiology, heart failure/transplantation, or basic research. The fellowship program follows the general guidelines for cardiology training as recommended by the American College of Cardiology as outlined in the ACC 2015 Core Cardiovascular Training Statement (COCATS 4). Our curriculum provides a well rounded exposure to clinical and academic cardiology.
Inpatient and Consultative Cardiology
The inpatient cardiology teaching and cardiology consultative services expose our fellows to a wide variety of cardiac pathology and experiential learning, including interventional procedures, arrhythmias, heart failure and cardiac transplantation, as well as the peri-operative evaluation of cardiac patients admitted for non-cardiac surgical procedures. Adult patients with congenital heart disease are frequently seen in the cardiology clinics and also on the inpatient service.
Cardiac Catheterization
In the catheterization laboratory, all diagnostic and interventional coronary and peripheral disease techniques are in use, including intravascular ultrasound, OCT, and flow wire testing. Other procedures include endomyocardial biopsy and implantable hemodynamic monitoring.
Clinical Echocardiography
The clinical echocardiography laboratories offer a full range of diagnostic echocardiography services including standard transthoracic 2-dimensional echocardiography, 3D echocardiography, Doppler and color flow imaging, transesophageal echocardiography, and stress echocardiography. The laboratory also supports intraoperative transesophageal evaluation during cardiac surgical procedures (valve repair and replacement, repair of thoracic aortic dissection, etc.), and transseptal catheterization for mitral valvuloplasty and radiofrequency ablation of left-sided pathways. The laboratory is involved in a variety of clinical investigative projects including a multicenter study, the WISE study echocardiographic evaluation of the efficacy of new heart failure treatments, and novel applications of strain imaging using speckle tracking echocardiography. In addition, the laboratory provides support for a variety of projects performed by other members of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine.
Clinical Electrophysiology
Our clinical electrophysiology service is a comprehensive, large volume service offering a full range of state of the art electrophysiology services to our patients in both the inpatient and outpatient clinical setting. We serve as a referral center for the ablation of complex arrhythmias including congenital arrhythmias within the state of Florida as well as the surrounding states. A list of services we offer to our patients includes:
- Diagnostic electrophysiology study
- Catheter ablation of standard and complex supraventricular and ventricular arrhythmias, including atrial fibrillation ablation
- Implantation of pacemakers and defibrillators
- Implantable loop recorders
- Tilt table testing
- Biventricular pacing
- Left bundle area pacing
Additionally, our affiliated Veteran’s Administration Hospital serves as a high volume center of excellence in the Veteran’s Health Care System for the treatment of cardiac rhythm disorders, boasting a new biplane ablation laboratory and two full-time staff electrophysiologists. We are actively involved in clinical research currently enrolling patients in several large multicenter investigations in the areas of arrhythmia ablation, and device and drug therapy for the treatment of cardiac rhythm disorders and heart failure.
Heart Transplantation and LVAD Program
Our heart failure and transplantation service is one of the largest in the country, with active inpatient Heart Failure services at both Shands Hospital and the neighboring Gainesville VA, outpatient heart failure clinics, and a robust and active Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) Program. Fellows have the opportunity to utilize all modern modalities for the efficient evaluation and management of patients with advanced heart failure. In addition to a large clinical scope, there are a number of research activities including Phase III clinical trials in heart failure and new immunosuppressive regimens, pharmacoeconomic studies, and database related investigation. Other collaborative clinical research involving heart failure and transplant patients includes exercise physiology and body composition with members of the College of Health and Human Performance, and quality of life and other psychosocial issues with our clinical psychologists.
Scholarly Activity and Research
Numerous short- and long-term clinical trials are underway involving the use of new pharmacotherapeutic agents for the treatment of many aspects of cardiovascular disease. We are part of a 40-center, 11-year NIH-sponsored trial, the Women s Health Initiative (WHI), which includes hormone replacement and dietary modification trials to reduce heart disease and cancer in post-menopausal women. We are also part of a four-center NIH-funded study directed at evaluating diagnostic modalities in women with chest pain. We are investigating several new compounds in their early phase of clinical investigation for ischemia, arrhythmias and heart failure. We are also evaluating the effects of various agents on coronary artery endothelial dysfunction. We are also conducting an international clinical trial to evaluate two different medication strategies for the treatment of hypertension in patients with coronary artery disease. Members of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine have developed and patented an electronic system to conduct clinical investigations via the Internet, which includes electronic prescribing. Many other basic science and clinical trials are underway as well.
The level of financial support depends upon the number of years of postgraduate training according to University of Florida guidelines. All fellows are encouraged to develop and submit a proposal for extramural research funding (with faculty assistance) after the first year of training. If this is not possible despite the fellow’s efforts, the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine will fund the fellow from institutional sources.
Clinical Volume & Procedural Experience
Our Cardiology fellows are exposed to and engaged in high procedural and imaging volumes. A typical general Cardiology fellow will perform:
- >800 Transthoracic Echocardiograms
- >250 Transesophageal Echocardiograms
- >400 Nuclear Stress Tests
- >300 Cardiac Catheterizations
Current Fellows
Please click here to see a list of our current fellows.
Previous Fellows and Career Paths:
Class of 2026:
- Jeffrey Budweg – Interventional Cardiology Fellowship, University of Florida
- Roland Federico – Academic Practice, University of Florida
- Anshul Jain – Private Practice, Wesley Chapel, FL
- Yomary Jimenez – Academic Practice, University of Florida
- Jonathan Lopez – Electrophysiology Fellowship, University of Florida
- Alex Nusbickel – Electrophysiology Fellowship, University of Florida
- Matthew Petersen – Private Practice, San Luis Obispo, CA
Class of 2025:
- Ana Florencia Becerra – Electrophysiology Fellowship, University of Florida
- Francheska Castro – Interventional Cardiology Fellowship, University of Pittsburgh
- Osama Dasa – Electrophysiology Fellowship, Cleveland Clinic
- Desire Guthier – Private Practice, Lehigh Valley, PA
- Abel Ignatius – Academic Practice, University of Florida Jacksonville
- Joshua Latner – Advanced Imaging Fellowship, Cleveland Clinic
- Eldon Matthia – Private Practice, Greenville, SC
Class of 2024:
- Michelle Dimza – Advanced Heart Failure Fellowship, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
- Mohammed Elzeneini – Interventional Cardiology Fellowship, University of Florida
- Mathew Kelling – Academic Practice, University of Kansas Medical Center
- Stephen Allan Petty – Electrophysiology Fellowship, University of Florida
- Arleen Ramirez – Private Practice, Valdosta, GA
- Wytch Rigger – Private Practice, Birmingham, AL
- Ashton Vautier – Private Practice, Mobile, AL
Prospective Applicants:
Dear Prospective Applicants,
Thank you for considering the University of Florida’s main campus in Gainesville, Florida for your cardiology fellowship training. Selecting an outstanding group of fellows each year is among our highest priorities. We seek individuals who are intellectually curious, hardworking, honest, self-motivated, collegial, and who find genuine fulfillment in caring for patients and serving others.
Our goal is to provide a training environment that challenges fellows to reach their full potential while fostering a culture of teamwork and professional growth. We are proud of the breadth of clinical experience, educational opportunities, and camaraderie that have defined our program since its founding in 1958.
Selected highlights from fellow perspective:
-Train at UF (> 1,000 bed academic medical center) and the Malcolm Randall VA Medical Center
-VA is only a < 5 minute walk from the Heart & Vascular hospital – no need to drive between several hospitals when on call
-Night float system
-Exposure to all cardiovascular subspecialties
-Large referral base serving patients from all over Florida and South Georgia
-Affordable cost of living relative to many academic medical centers
-Opportunity to live within walking distance of the hospital
-Good weather year round, outdoor activities (Ichetuknee springs, Lake Wauberg, Paynes Prarie, Hawthorne Trail, Depot Park), SEC athletics
-Access to extensive educational, research, and innovation resources at the University of Florida, a top public university and a leader among universities in artificial intelligence (HiPerGator)
We appreciate your interest in UF Cardiology and look forward to getting to know you during the application process.
Sincerely,
Robert King
Chief Cardiology Fellow
How to apply:
We have seven general Cardiovascular Fellowship spots available each year. Cardiovascular Fellowship appointments are for three years’ duration. The University of Florida Cardiovascular Fellowship accepts applications through ERAS to its training program from July 1 (when ERAS applications open) through July 31. Invitations to interview are typically extended mid-August with subsequent interview dates scheduled from early September through mid-October.
For Cardiology Fellowship Application please submit the following via ERAS:
- Common application form
- Personal statement
- 3 Letters of recommendation (one from current program director)
- USMLE transcripts
- ECFMG status report (foreign medical graduates only)
- Wallet-sized color photo
While a program signal does not guarantee an interview, it helps us identify applicants with a strong interest in our program. We therefore strongly encourage applicants who are particularly interested in training at UF to use a program signal.
Please submit your application to meet the July 31st deadline for acceptance of completed applications via ERAS.
We are unable to accept candidates with H-1B Visas.
Please address all future correspondence inquiries to: Dori Romrell, Program Coordinator, PO BOX 100288, Gainesville, FL 32610 or Dori.Romrell@medicine.ufl.edu