Cardiothoracic Fellowship Information and Application Process

Accreditation: ACGME approved
Number of positions: 3 (three)
Stipend: PGY V level

Application dates for the July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026 Fellowship Positions (3):

1. Start accepting applications: November 7, 2023.
2. Must apply through SF Match by April 30, 2024.
3. Interviews: February to June 2024.
4. Decision: The program participates in the CT Fellowship SF Match.
   

Call schedule: 2 calls/week and 1 weekend/month, only during University OR rotations.

We collaborate with the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists and we participate in the SF Match.

We offer positions for candidates interested in dual Adult Critical Care Medicine-Adult Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology fellowships as well as a 2-year research track. The multi-year positions, along with other match exceptions are described by the SCA and SOCCA.

University of Colorado Hospital (UCH)

The University of Colorado Hospital is a busy, tertiary care hospital serving the Denver-Aurora metropolitan area, Colorado at large and several surrounding states. With ongoing construction on a third inpatient tower, the facility has 678 licensed beds, 38 main operating rooms (including 3 hybrid operating rooms), 4 robotic operating rooms, a 21-bed cardiothoracic ICU, interventional cardiology and cardiac electrophysiology areas. The hospital is also home to UCHealth’s ECMO Program, which was rewarded the Center of Excellence – Gold designation by Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO).

Children’s Hospital Colorado (CHCO)

Children’s Hospital of Colorado is a 434-bed tertiary care hospital serving Denver and many of the surrounding areas. Children’s is home to the Colorado’s Adult & Teen Congenital Heart Program (CATCH) which serves the needs of many congenital cardiac surgery patients around the area and beyond. CHCO is also home to a large, skilled group of pediatric cardiac anesthesiologists, pediatric cardiac surgeons and pediatric cardiologists.

UCH-CT OR – The Cardiothoracic OR rotation is the core rotation of our fellowship. Fellows will spend a majority of their clinical time in this rotation serving as the primary anesthesia provider and as the supervising anesthesia provider all under the supervision of a faculty member who are all Advanced PTE Board-certified. Fellows will be exposed to a variety of cases including but not limited to:

• Cardiac Procedures:
  • Coronary artery revascularizations, on and off cardiopulmonary bypass
  • Valve replacement
  • Complex variety of thoracic aortic surgeries including:
    • Acute type A aortic dissection repair
    • Hybrid thoracoabdominal aneurysm procedures
    • Ascending aortic replacement
    • Aortic root reconstruction
    • Hemiarch and total arch replacement
  • Heart and lung transplantation
  • Mechanical support:
    • Central and peripheral veno-arterial ECMO
    • Veno-venous ECMO
    • Temporary and durable ventricular assist devices (VAD)
• Thoracic procedures:
  • Lung resections
  • Pneumonectomies
  • VATS and robotic procedures
  • Esophagectomies and other esophageal procedures
  • Chest wall reconstruction

CTICU – Fellows will spend 4 weeks in our busy cardiothoracic ICU. Our anesthesiology critical care expert faculty provide a majority of the clinical care and education in the CTICU. Fellows will be intricately involved in the pre and postoperative care of the cardiac and thoracic surgical patients and participate in multidisciplinary rounds and contribute with education to housestaff and medical students. Fellows will gain an appreciation of the clinical course of these complex patients during their entire hospital stay and learn how clinical decisions in the operating room affects the critical care management and vice versa.

CHILDREN’S – Fellows will spend 2 weeks at the Children’s Hospital of Colorado and take part in the care of adult and pediatric patients with congenital cardiac diseases. Children’s Hospital of Colorado is home to Colorado’s Adult & Teen Congenital Heart Program (CATCH) program which serves many congenital cardiac patients who have reached adulthood.

PERFUSION – Fellows will spend 4 weeks with Perfusion Services. The rotation is divided into two 2-week blocks. The first block will occur at the start of the year and will introduce fellows to the cardiopulmonary bypass machine, principles of cardiopulmonary bypass and other forms of mechanical support. Fellows will take part in simulations of the bypass machine as well as be closely involved with the perfusionists in the operating room and ICU.

ELECTIVE – Fellows will have 4 weeks of elective time. During this time, fellows have an opportunity to study in depth and spend further time in a field of interest. Previous fellows have spent their elective time in areas such as: cardiology, cardiothoracic ICU, liver transplant anesthesiology, research, perfusion and mechanical support, transplant team, heart failure service and pediatric cardiac anesthesiology.

Core Faculty

Lyndsey Grae, MD – assistant professor, fellowship program director 

Bryan Ahlgren, DO – associate professor, cardiothoracic service director

Tamas Seres, MD, PhD – associate professor

Nathaen Weitzel, MD – associate professor, inpatient OR director

Barbara Wilkey, MD – associate professor, liver transplant fellowship program director 

Breandan Sullivan, MD – associate professor, co-medical director, cardiothoracic ICU

Nathan Clendenen, MD – assistant professor, cardiothoracic research faculty

Benjamin Abrams, MD – assistant professor

Sarah Alber, MD – assistant professor, cardiothoracic ICU faculty and anesthesiology critical care medicine program director

Markus Kowalsky, MD – assistant professor, resident education

Douglas Rooke, MD, PhD – assistant professor, medical student education

Shea Stoops, DO - assistant professor, liver transplant anesthesia

Broc Burke, MD – assistant professor, cardiothoracic research faculty, heart and vascular center medical director

Jenna Cottrall, MD – assistant professor, cardiothoracic ICU faculty

George Justison, CCP – director of perfusion services 

Megan Albertz, MD – assistant professor, Children’s Hospital of Colorado site director

Cardiothoracic Intensivists

Breandan Sullivan, MD*

Sarah Alber, MD*

David Fullerton, MD**

Sam Gilliland, MD

Marianne Wallis, MD***

Andrew Hennigan, MD

*Dual ACTA/ACCM trained faculty
**Dept of Cardiothoracic Surgery
***Dept of Emergency Medicine

Denver is a vibrant, multi-cultural city with diverse neighborhoods and surrounding areas of natural beauty. Located in close proximity to the Rocky Mountains, Denver is an ideal gateway to year-round activities including, hiking trails, rock climbing, road and mountain biking, snow-sports, canoeing, kayaking and other watersports. At an elevation of 5,280 feet, the city has a dry, pleasant climate known to have at least 300 days of sunshine every year. With several professional sports teams, live music venues, family-friendly attractions, downtown arts and culture district, and many highly-rated restaurants, Denver also provides many amenities of a large city.

Several highlights and attractions in Denver include:

• Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater
• Coors Field
• Denver Botanic Gardens
• Larimer Square
• Wings over the Rockies Air and Space Museum
• Empower Field at Mile High
• Denver Art Museum
• Museum of Contemporary Art
• Denver Center for the Performing Arts

Attractions in Colorado include:

• Multiple ski resorts within 2 hours (Loveland, Arapahoe Basin, Keystone, Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, Eldora, Winter Park)
• Mount Evans Wilderness Area (includes the highest paved road in the United States)
• Garden of the Gods
• Maroon Bells
• Telluride
• Mesa Verde National Park
• Colorado National Monument