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MEDICAID NOTICE: Lurie Children’s continues to serve all patients enrolled in Medicaid. As a safety-net hospital, we will continue providing high-quality care to every child who needs us.

AVISO SOBRE MEDICAID: Lurie Children’s continúa atendiendo a todos los pacientes inscritos en Medicaid. Como hospital perteneciente a la red de protección social, continuaremos brindando atención de alta calidad a cada niño que nos necesite.

Lurie Children’s Home Specialties & ConditionsMedical Imaging Pediatric Cardiovascular Imaging Fellowship

Pediatric Cardiovascular Imaging Fellowship

The Department of Medical Imaging at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago ("Lurie Children’s") in affiliation with McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University is proud to offer a one-year fellowship training program in Pediatric Cardiovascular Imaging. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) does not currently accredit this training pathway. House staff training through McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University provides diverse and challenging clinical experiences and world-class education located in the heart of the beautiful city of Chicago. Lurie Children’s is the largest pediatric provider in the region, and one of the leading children’s hospitals in the nation. A broad range of cardiac pediatric pathology, including congenital and acquired cardiac diseases, is seen at our institution in children from the newborn period through adulthood. Cardiothoracic Surgery and Interventional Cardiology provide all forms of cardiac surgery/intervention, including VAD/ECMO and complex catheter-based procedures. Lurie Children’s Heart Center also provides the only cardiac transplantation service in Illinois. It is one of the busiest programs in the country, offering trainees tremendous exposure to this patient population. The Department of Medical Imaging features new state-of-the-art imaging equipment and allows for enhanced educational opportunities in pediatric cardiovascular imaging. The Department of Medical Imaging has seven (7) MRI scanners (including three 3-Tesla), two CT scanners (with dual-energy capability), 1 PET/CT scanner, and a dedicated 3D/advanced imaging lab. Lurie Children’s is located in the heart of Chicago, between the beaches and trails of Lake Michigan and the buzzing downtown experience of Michigan Avenue.  

Our mission is to provide a pathway for interested applicants to pursue sub-specialized training in Pediatric Cardiovascular Imaging, beyond what is available in a Radiology Residency Program or a Pediatric Radiology Fellowship. The goal of the clinical experience is to provide fellows with a broad exposure to prepare them for careers in pediatric cardiovascular imaging both in academic and non-academic practice.

The Cardiovascular Imaging Section comprises fellowship-trained Pediatric Radiologists with additional training in Cardiovascular Imaging and fellowship-trained Cardiologists with additional training and interest in CT and MRI Cardiac Imaging. Our faculty are dedicated to excellence in both clinical service and academics. Members of the section serve in numerous leadership roles in Cardiac Imaging and Pediatric Radiology societies and have authored an extensive list of peer-reviewed publications in pediatric cardiac imaging.

Fellows work closely with the cardiac imaging attendings in the reading room for the protocolling, monitoring and interpretation of cardiac imaging studies, with dedicated one-on-one teaching and direct supervision. The fellowship provides extensive experience in routine and advanced CT and MRI techniques in the evaluation of congenital and pediatric acquired cardiac disease and adult congenital heart disease. The clinical experience is well-balanced between outpatient, inpatient and critical care studies. All attendings have focused areas of clinical and research interests, and the fellows have ample opportunities to interact and learn from them. There is hands-on experience provided for advanced imaging techniques and postprocessing including 3D MRA, function and 4D flow postprocessing. Fetal cardiac MRI is a new area in which the department is trying to acquire experience with opportunities to perform such studies by specialized fetal cardiac imagers and fetal radiologists.

The fellows also work closely with clinicians from various subspecialities of Cardiology (Electrophysiology and Heart Failure and Transplantation), as well as Cardiothoracic Surgery and Interventional Cardiology. They participate in daily, weekly, and monthly multidisciplinary conferences including Cardiology/Cardiothoracic surgery, Cardiac intensive care unit morning rounds, monthly joint radiology and cardiology fellows’ conferences.

Fellows work mostly during the daytime with evening on call responsibilities with the radiology attending assigned to cardiac imaging call. There are no overnight call responsibilities.

The fellowship has competency-based goals and objectives and follows a comprehensive pediatric cardiac imaging curriculum, in addition to additional educational conferences offered through Lurie Children’s and Northwestern University. An exhaustive list of online resources and journal articles is also provided.

The department provides plenty of research opportunities and resources. The fellow chooses a research project and a mentor at the start of the year, with the goal of a presentation at a scientific meeting or a peer-reviewed publication. Dedicated research time and administrative support are provided. The fellow is also encouraged to attend national radiology meetings, with meeting days and funding provided as per department policies.

The fellows are also involved in resident education, and present at least one didactic conference and one journal club discussion over the year. There are various resources for professional enrichment available, and opportunities for membership to Feinberg Academy of Medical Educators (FAME).

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) does not currently accredit this training pathway.

Applicants must be on track to complete an ACGME-accredited Radiology Residency or Pediatric Radiology fellowship. Hiring is contingent upon eligibility to work in the United States and obtain an Illinois medical license. International Medical Graduates are welcome to apply but must meet specific criteria, including a valid ECFMG certificate, completion of radiology residency program and documentation of U.S. citizenship, valid green card, or J-1 visa as per the requirements set forth by Northwestern McGaw Medical Center. Our program does not sponsor H-1B visas.

Thank you for your interest in advanced training in pediatric cardiac imaging. 

To apply to our program, please submit our GME fellowship application form along with an updated CV, personal statement, and three reference letters to:

Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
Department of Medical Imaging
Attn: Courtney Jones
225 East Chicago Ave., Box 9
Chicago, IL 60611 

Or by email to our Program Coordinator, Courtney Jones, at ckjones@luriehchildrens.org.  

For more detailed information regarding training at Northwestern University, salary and benefits, please refer to Northwestern University's Graduate Medical Education website.

For questions or further information, please contact:

Andrada Popescu, MD
Program Director 
apopescu@luriechildrens.org
312.227.3508

Courtney Jones
Director of Medical Education
312.227.2531
ckjones@luriechildrens.org