Advanced Cardiac Imaging & Structural Heart Disease Intervention Fellowship (ACI SHDI)

The University of Colorado offers a Structural Heart Disease Imaging Fellowship, a one-year advanced training program designed to develop expertise in multimodality imaging for structural heart disease interventions. The fellowship provides comprehensive training in advanced echocardiography, cardiac computed tomography (CT), and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR), with a particular emphasis on procedural planning, image-guided interventions, and longitudinal assessment of patients undergoing transcatheter structural heart therapies.

The fellowship is designed for cardiologists seeking advanced specialization in structural heart imaging and interventional echocardiography. Fellows develop expertise in advanced transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography, including three-dimensional image acquisition and post-processing, while learning to integrate cardiac CT and CMR into clinical decision-making and procedural planning. Training emphasizes the use of multimodality imaging to support structural heart interventions through pre-procedural assessment, intraprocedural guidance, and post-procedural follow-up.

The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus is the largest tertiary care academic center in the Mountain Region. Fellows train within a multidisciplinary structural heart program alongside faculty in advanced cardiovascular imaging, interventional cardiology, cardiac surgery, and cardiovascular radiology. The program provides exposure to a high volume of complex structural heart procedures, including transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER), left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO), TTVR tricuspid valve replacement (EVOQUE), atrial septal defect (ASD) and patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure, and emerging transcatheter mitral and tricuspid interventions.

A key focus of the fellowship is developing expertise as the primary imaging specialist and primary guidance operator for structural heart interventions. Fellows gain experience in procedural planning using advanced cardiac CT, multimodality image integration, real-time transesophageal echocardiographic guidance, and recognition and management of procedural complications. Training follows ACC competency-based recommendations and includes opportunities for scholarly activity and research.

The Structural Heart Disease Imaging Fellowship at the University of Colorado is not ACGME-accredited. Accordingly, fellows are appointed as Clinical Instructors at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. Graduates are prepared for careers in academic and advanced clinical structural heart imaging programs and are positioned to pursue advanced imaging certifications consistent with their training pathway.

Eligibility Criteria
• MD, DO, or MBBS 
• Completion of an ACGME-accredited Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship program by time of entry 
• Eligibility for board certification in Cardiovascular Diseases 
• Minimum COCATS Level II training in Echocardiography 
• Minimum COCATS Level II training in Cardiac CT and/or Cardiac MR 
• Eligibility for Colorado medical license 
• US citizens and Permanent Residents 

How to Apply
The fellowship accepts one fellow per academic year.
Interested candidates should contact the Fellowship Program Director, Robert Quaife, MD, or the Program Coordinator, Nicholas (Nick) Van Lente.

Application Materials
• Updated CV 
• Personal statement 
• USMLE scores 
• Three letters of recommendation