Adult Congenital Heart Disease Fellowship

Director's Statement:

Advances in the diagnosis, care, and management of congenital heart disease has resulted in increased long-term survival rates. As such, there is an evident need to train the next generation of physicians with the knowledge base to meet the complex needs of this growing patient population. The ultimate goal of our ACGME-accredited Adult Congenital Heart Disease program is to prepare fellows for careers in academic medicine. This involves not only caring for patients, but also influencing the future practice of the field through teaching and research.  

Providing excellent care for adults with congenital heart disease is a complex task. It involves cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons, nurses, and professionals in other health-related disciplines working cooperatively to provide the best possible care to optimize outcomes. It is in this setting that fellows formalize their training to prepare for a career as an independent consultant specializing in the care of adults with congenital heart disease. 

UPMC’s Adult Congenital Heart Disease (ACHD) Program provides comprehensive training for fellows committed to leading the field.  

Along with our core faculty of specialists at UPMC’s ACHD Center,  the clinical service includes a dedicated cardiac intensive care unit (CICU) and a world-renowned cardiac surgery and transplant program. The fully developed didactic educational program covers the breadth and depth of general and subspecialty cardiology with multiple, weekly conferences for fellows. Furthermore, a broad range of research opportunities are available from the basic sciences to clinical studies. 

Program Aims:

• Expose program fellows to the complete spectrum of ACHD patients in a high-volume medical center.
• Provide a robust didactic educational curriculum which includes a multitude of multidisciplinary and collaborative conferences focusing on medical knowledge, patient safety, and quality improvement initiatives. 
• Establish an environment of inquiry and support advancements in the care of the ACHD patient population through a wide range of research opportunities from clinical investigations to basic science opportunities in developmental cardiovascular biology, myocardial/mitochondrial energetics, regenerative tissue engineering, mechanical assist device engineering and prototype testing, transplantation immunology, and experimental advanced imaging. 
• Support academic productivity, progression toward clinical autonomy, and overall well-being through dedicated program leadership and a structured mentorship program. 
• Empower program fellows to customize the course of their training through elective opportunities in advanced imaging, cardiac catheterization, cardiomyopathy and cardiopulmonary transplantation medicine, cardiac critical care, pulmonary hypertension, and electrophysiology. 

Thank you for your interest in our Adult Congenital Heart Disease fellowship program.   Please contact us to learn more about how our program is designed to train the next generation of ACHD specialists.  

Arvind K. Hoskoppal, MD, MHS

Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Internal Medicine
Director, UPMC Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program 
Director, Adult Congenital Heart Disease Fellowship Program