Research Opportunities for Trainees

Cardiology trainees are expected to take an active role in clinical or basic science research. Based on the interests and background of our trainees, research training may occur prior to basic clinical training.

Guidance is provided by Dr. Edward Miller (Fellowship Director), Dr. Jeffrey Bender, and Dr. Henry Cabin (Acting Section Chief), as well as other faculty members and mentors. A specific mentoring program will pair a faculty member to a fellow for general mentorship of career goals and training. In most cases, this relationship will begin prior to the formal start of fellowship in order to help with the transition. Research training is available in all clinical sub-specialties, clinical epidemiology and health sciences research and several areas of basic and translational cardiovascular research.

Fellows are eligible for basic and translational science research training through NIH sponsored training grants in vascular biology and noninvasive imaging. Training in basic science research is also available in selected Medical School laboratories outside of the Section if appropriate mentoring is available. Fellows with particular interest in clinical research are encouraged to apply to participate in the National Clinician Scholars Program, or the Investigative Medicine PhD Program, which offers doctoral degrees in basic or clinical research within the context of fellowship training. In the addition, the Section of Cardiovascular medicine at Yale School of Medicine supports and encourages trainees in the American Board of Internal Medicine Research Pathway to apply to our program.

Because we make every efforts to individualize the training program for our fellows, we recognize that training paths may differ. For example, some trainees may go directly into their clinical cardiology fellowship from residency and focus their training in a particular subspecialty of cardiology, integrating academic projects into three years of clinical training. Others may devote two or more years to intensive research prior to completing their clinical training in cardiology. Below are examples of different training pathways taken by our fellows.