Education

The educational mission of the Cardiothoracic Imaging (CTI) division is served by an ACGME compliant integrated cardiothoracic imaging curriculum specific for each level of training including medicals students, residents, and fellows. The curriculum includes an interwoven clinical schedule with trainees spending approximately 30-40% of their time each week focused on cardiac and vascular imaging, and approximately 60-70% of their time dedicated to thoracic imaging. Trainees read out with staff members subspecialized in either cardiovascular or thoracic imaging. This hands-on experience is reinforced by a two year trainee lecture curriculum which includes didactic and case conferences which are organized according to the Society of Thoracic Radiology (STR) guidelines. Additionally, multidisciplinary sessions are integrated into the curriculum to enhance trainee learning across the disciplines of cardiology, pulmonology, surgery, and radiology. In this way, the CTI educational curriculum has established a platform from which trainees and attendings across multiple disciplines can learn from each other’s areas of specialty training. This integrated cardiothoracic imaging curriculum capitalizes on the inherent synergies between the cardiac and thoracic imaging frameworks, provides for a learning environment that is academically stimulating and work flow efficient, and serves as a transformative tool to enhance clinical, educational, and research initiatives in the CTI section.