Our fellows are supervised by a committed cardiology faculty, but they are given autonomy in order to learn and grow. A very large clinical volume provides an excellent environment for training. Bob Jesse is the Chief of Cardiology at the affiliated VA Medical Center. Anthony J. Minisi is the Director of the Cardiology Fellowship Training Program. Karla Conway is the Program Coordinator.
Faculty members are active in patient care as well as clinical and basic research.
Clinically, the division is extremely active. The electrophysiology laboratory performs radio-frequency ablation for arrhythmias and provides implantation of automatic defibrillators and pacemaker implants, among other innovative procedures. The catheterization laboratory performs approximately 2,500 catheterizations per year, including 900 angioplastics. Projects in basic research include investigations of the mechanism of cardiovascular injury and endothelium-dependent responses. There are clinical investigations in laser angioplasty, myocardial ischemia and electrophysiology studies of cellular arrhythmia mechanisms as well as clinical trials of drugs for coronary disease, arrhythmias, hypertension, and heart failure.