PROGRAM SITES
Our fellows rotate at four institutions: RUSH University Medical Center, RUSH Oak Park Hospital, RUSH Oakbrook, and RUSH Copley. In this setting, our fellows experience different vascular practice models, in both the academic university and community hospital settings, and in an outpatient vein center. This diverse training opportunity prepares our graduating fellows for numerous career opportunities.
RUSH University Medical Center (RUMC)
RUSH University Medical Center is a 700-bed tertiary/quaternary referral center ranked highly on the US News best hospitals Honor Roll.
A major academic institution located in the heart of the Illinois Medical District, whose mission is to improve the health of the individuals and diverse communities we serve by integrating outstanding patient care, education, research, and community partnerships. Our values, innovation, collaboration, accountability, respect, and excellence convey the philosophy behind every decision RUSH employees make. RUSH University is the academic arm of RUSH University Medical Center, offering more than 60 postgraduate training programs and state of the art clinical, basic science, and community-based research. RUMC has a long tradition of vascular and cardiac surgery excellence with renowned figures such as Dr. Ormand Julian, Dr. Hushang Javid, and Dr. Hassan Najafi.
RUSH Oak Park Hospital (ROPH)
A 200-bed university affiliated community hospital where our RUMC faculty also provide coverage and perform outpatient surgical and endovascular interventions as well as clinic visits. This recent addition to the RUSH vascular network is a welcome expansion to the fellowship program.
Rush Copley Hospital (RCMC)
A 210-bed, busy community hospital located in Aurora, 35 miles from the main campus. Dr. Dan Katz is the main faculty for the site and performs a broad range of vascular interventions, solidifying the fellows experience with community-based vascular surgery.
RUSH Oak brook Outpatient Center
RUSH Oak brook is a multispecialty location and outpatient surgery center where our vascular faculty perform outpatient veinous interventions under the direction of Dr. Walter McCarthy.
CLINICAL EXPERIENCE
Rotations
The fellowship is divided into two primary rotations: the University and Community vascular services. The 1st and 2nd year fellow alternate every two months between each rotation. During the University rotation, the fellows are responsible for managing the inpatient vascular service, performing both open and endovascular cases, and preparing for our academic conferences. While on the Community vascular rotation, the fellows spend the majority of their time at RUSH Copley, managing patients in a more community-focused setting. This rotation allows the fellows to participate in various research opportunities and observe the Vascular Lab in preparation for the RPVI exam.
Throughout both year 1 and 2, fellows have equal exposure to both open and endovascular cases. The first year focuses on the acquisition of vascular skills and the basics of endovascular techniques. The fellow will develop these techniques in the operating room, Hybrid room, and angiography suite. The first year also focuses on the management of inpatient and outpatient vascular pathologies. Throughout the 2nd year, fellows continue to develop more advanced operative and endovascular skills while assuming more responsibility in patient care, team management, and academic organization.
Operative Experience
At the end of training, our fellows are well versed in a full range of vascular procedures:
- Open and endovascular management of carotid disease, including TCAR
- Open and endovascular revascularizations for lower extremity disease
- Visceral reconstruction, both open and endovascular
- Creation and maintenance of dialysis accesses
- Endovenous intervention for venous insufficiency
- Thoracic outlet syndrome and first rib resection
- Open and complex endovascular treatment of aortic pathologies (dissection, abdominal & thoracic aortic aneurysm, aortic rupture, aortic occlusion), including FEVAR and PMEG
CONFERENCES
Throughout the fellowship, conference participation supports collaboration with peers and also the development of critical thinking. As a vascular fellow, you will be expected to participate and present at our conferences each week and/or month.
Our principal vascular conferences occur every Wednesday and Friday and include the vascular surgery core curriculum, Mortality and Morbidity, and preoperative planning conference. The core curriculum conference covers a wide range of topics to prepare the fellow for the vascular board exams, including RPVI exam prep.
A bimonthly Conference with IR addressing M&Ms and Didactics (presented by the faculty) to enhance the educational experience of the integrated Interventional Radiology residency.
A monthly Aortic conference allows the vascular and cardiac surgery faculty and trainees to meet and discuss complex management of dissections and thoracoabdominal aneurysms.
Additionally, the vascular, cardiac, and thoracic surgery services hold a combined multidisciplinary mortality and morbidity conference once a month.
A monthly Chicago-wide journal club allows fellows the opportunity to discuss the latest highlighted articles in the vascular literature with various vascular surgeons and peers from other institutions (Northwestern, Loyola, and University of Chicago), encouraging networking and collaboration among our surgical specialty.