Mission

The mission of the UCHealth Parkview Fellowship Program is to provide excellent patient care and service to Southeastern Colorado. In doing so, we produce a well-rounded general specialist who is proficient in cardiovascular medicine and exhibits empathy toward patients.

Vision

The vision of the UCHealth Parkview Fellowship Program is to become the best fellowship program in the Western United States through excellent patient care, continuous quality improvement initiatives and outstanding graduate medical education.

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Fellowship description

UCHealth Parkview’s Cardiology Fellowship program focuses on training fellows to become expert clinicians with a strong foundation of clinical knowledge, well developed clinical judgment, and a professional and compassionate approach to patient care. Our clinical staff primarily consists of full-time attendings who have made a commitment to academic careers and whom aspire to help our fellows develop interest and capability in becoming future cardiologists.

Part of our mission is to create a program with flexibility to meet our fellows’ needs. We concentrate most of our fellows’ clinical rotations into the first two years of the Fellowship training program, and clinical, consultative and procedural skills are all emphasized during this time. We also expose our fellows to academics so that by their third year of fellowship they are either engaged in meaningful academic pursuits or focused in their chosen sub-specialty area. A continuity outpatient clinic experience is maintained with one afternoon per week throughout the fellowship training period. During the third year, the Fellows’ schedule is elective for 4 months, which is planned in conjunction with the Program Director and one or more mentors that each fellow may select within the Division of Cardiology. The goals of the third year elective period are completely driven by the career path of each Fellow. In fact, if a fellow so desires, they may spend the 4 months on research endeavors, provided that all COCATs requirements have been met.

Fellowship application

All applications for the UCHealth Parkview Cardiology Fellowship Program shall be submitted through ERAS. Our UCHealth Parkview fellowship programs are all dually accredited and will be accepting both DO and MD applicants. However, regarding sponsorship, Parkview will only be considering J-1 visas with sponsorship through ECFMG on a case-by-case basis.

Fellowship overview

Clinic Experience

The Cardiology Fellows rotate on a weekly basis through their “continuity cardiac clinic”, which takes place one afternoon per week. This is a great opportunity to the cardiology fellows to foster a better relationship with their patients, while having the opportunity to follow them through their 3 years of fellowship. First year fellows are assigned patients previously followed by our graduating third year fellows.

  • Fellows are evaluated semi-annually by their assigned attendings.

Fellows also participate in the pacemaker and defibrillator follow-up clinics as part of their electrophysiology rotation. Finally, fellows also participate in the outpatient Heart Failure Clinic, as an attempt to bridge the gap between acute and chronic heart failure treatment.

  • Fellows are formally evaluated by our clinic faculty bi-annually. Also, fellows should meet with their clinic attendings personally to obtain formal feedback.

The goal of the faculty is to teach our fellows how to develop and apply the full range of their growing fund of medical knowledge and experience to clinical problems.

Clinical Schedule

First year fellows:

  • 3 months - Consultative service
  • 3 months - CCU
  • 2 months - Echo/ Nuclear
  • 2 months - Cath
  • 1 month - Arrhythmia service (consults, EP lab, device clinic)
  • 1 month - Vacation

Second year fellows

  • 1 month – Consultative service
  • 1 month – CCU
  • 2 months - Cath
  • 2 months - Echo/nuclear
  • 3 months - Arrhythmia service (consults, EP lab, device clinic).
  • 1 month – Advanced HF (University of Colorado)
  • 0.5 month – MRI, CTA
  • 0.5 month – Cardiovascular prevention
  • 1 month - Vacation

Third year fellows

  • 1 month- Consultative service
  • 1 month – CCU
  • 2 months – Cath
  • 2 months – Echo/Nuc
  • 0.5 month – Vascular
  • 0.5 month – CTS
  • 1 month – Outpatient
  • 1 month – Heart failure transplant
  • 1 month – Vacation
  • 2 months – Elective

Teaching Methods

The Cardiology Fellowship program is committed to teaching and academics, which is accomplished through a wide variety of teaching methods. Through bedside rounds, formal lectures and research, the fellows are exposed to an extensive Cardiology curriculum. These may include:

  • Standard clinical teaching rounds, supervised by our attending faculty in the CCU, EP and consult services, and faculty supervision and mentoring of fellows’ ambulatory clinic experience.
  • Sub-specialty weekly teaching conferences (e.g., Cath, EP, Echo and Nuclear Cardiology conference).
  • Didactic sub-specialty morning conferences, including:
    • Lectures
    • Presentations
    • Group discussions
  • Supervision of technical procedures.
  • Core curriculum lectures.
  • Monthly Journal club, with appropriate rotating faculty participation.
  • Cases review and Morbidity and Mortality Conference with Pueblo Cardiology Associates.
  • Medicine Grand Rounds.
  • EKG sessions.
  • Supervised research projects.
  • Board review sessions.
  • Review of video presentations and web based material.
  • Attendance at outside conferences (e.g. AHA & ACC).
  • Assessment tools and projects (used particularly to foster learning in the six general competencies).

Research requirements

Our program is committed to ensuring an environment that fosters meaningful, supervised research experiences with appropriate protected time for each fellow who so desires – either in blocks (elective time) or concurrent with clinical rotations. The fellows’ research experience is bolstered by an attending staff. Required clinical experiences are concentrated into the first 2.5 years, which leaves fellows the option to use any number of months as research electives in their third year of training. Thus, fellows have the opportunity to develop the basis for fostering a future academic career if they so desire.

Even for those who do not seek academic careers, we hold that as clinical cardiologists, they should be exposed to research in order to help develop skills to understand the results of clinical investigation, while fostering habits of self-education for their rapidly evolving knowledge base.

By the end of their fellowship training, each fellow must demonstrate evidence of recent research productivity through one or more of the following:

  • Publication (manuscripts or abstracts) in peer-viewed journals.
  • Abstracts presented at national specialty meetings.
  • Book chapters.
  • Preparation of a research-grade review topic, with a write-up of the material and presentation at one of our didactic formats (e.g., core curriculum). This project must have the approval of the Program Director.

Faculty and attending physicians

Wallacy Garcia, MD

Dr. Wallacy Garcia joined UCHealth Parkview Medical Center and Pueblo Cardiology Associates in 2016. He is a general cardiologist subspecializing in Advanced Cardiac Imaging, which includes cardiac MRI, CT, echocardiography and Nuclear Cardiology. He received his Medical Diploma from Medical School of Espirito Santo Federal University in Brazil and finished his Internal Medicine Residency as well as Chief Residency years at SLRH Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in NYC. He shortly joined the Cardiology Fellowship at SLRH Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons where he also completed his Advanced Cardiac Imaging fellowship training. Dr. Garcia completed his cardiac MRI training at University of Virginia. Dr. Garcia is board certified in Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular diseases. He is also certified by the National Board of Echocardiography, American Society of Cardiac Computed Tomography, American Society of Nuclear Cardiology and is a Registered Physician in Vascular Interpretation (RPVI) subspecialties boards. Besides directing the Non-Invasive Laboratory at UCHealth Parkview Medical Center, Dr. Garcia has taken the responsibility of leading the Cardiology Fellowship Program. During his time off, Dr. Garcia enjoys spending time with his family, friends and his dog. He greatly enjoys the Colorado lifestyle including skiing, hiking and biking. He also loves to exercise and to play his piano.

Bhavith Aruni, MD

Bhavith Aruni is an Interventional Cardiologist and joined UCHealth Parkview Hospital in 2018 after finishing an interventional and structural cardiology fellowship in the University of Texas in Galveston. He was born in India and completed medical school at Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute, and then completed his residency and fellowship in Chicago. He is board certified in internal medicine, cardiology and Interventional Cardiology. He enjoys all aspects of cardiology but has a special interest in structural heart disease and peripheral arterial disease. When Dr. Aruni is not working, he loves spending time with his family, skiing and biking.

Derar Albashaireh, MD

After receiving his medical degree from Jordan University of Science & Technology, Derar Albashaireh, MD, completed Internal Medicine residency training at Henry Ford Hospital/ Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. He then joined Tulane University for a Cardiology Fellowship in New Orleans, Louisiana. He completed his Interventional Cardiology training at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, and is board certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular disease and interventional cardiology. He is certified by the National Board of Echocardiography and is a Registered Physician in Vascular Interpretation (RPVI). His areas of interest include percutaneous coronary interventions, acute coronary syndromes and structural heart disease interventions, including transcatheter aortic valve replacement, peripheral interventions, acute decompensated heart failure and mechanical circulatory support.

Laurence Berarducci, MD

Laurence Berarducci, MD, earned his degree in medicine from Wayne State University in Detroit. He completed a residency in internal medicine at Sinai-Grace Hospital in Detroit and a three-year fellowship in cardiology at the University of Illinois in Chicago. He also served as a major with the United States Air Force Medical Service Corps at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois.

George Gibson, MD, FACC

George Gibson, MD, earned his medical degree from Hahnemann University School of Medicine (now Drexel University College of Medicine) in Philadelphia. He completed his residency in internal medicine and fellowships in interventional/advanced cardiology procedures, and then core clinical cardiology at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver.

Kathleen Brown, MD

After receiving her medical degree and completing a residency in internal medicine at Rush University in Chicago, she completed fellowships in cardiology, electrophysiology and physiology research at Rush University.

Jenny Lee, MD

Janny Lee, MD, earned her medical degree from the University of Colorado. She completed her residency in internal medicine and fellowship in cardiology, also at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver.

Charles Stout, MD

After earning his medical degree from Hahnemann University School of Medicine (now Drexel University College of Medicine) in Philadelphia, Charles Stout, MD, completed his internal medicine residency and fellowship in clinical cardiac electrophysiology at Tufts University Medical Center.

Adam Strunk, MD, FACC

After completing his medical degree from University of California San Diego School of Medicine, Adam Strunk, MD, completed his internal medicine residency at University of Colorado Health Science Center. He completed fellowships in cardiovascular disease/interventional cardiology at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center.

Raj Vashistha, MD

Raj Vashistha, MD, earned his medical degree from Sawai Man Singh Medical Center in Jaipur India. He completed his residency in internal medicine at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital, and then completed his fellowships in interventional cardiology/cardiovascular disease at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County and Rush University Medical Center.

Fadi Alattar, MD

After earning his medical degree from Jordan University of Science and Technology, Fadi Alattar, MD, completed his internal medicine residency at Seton Hall University. He also completed his fellowship in cardiovascular disease/interventional cardiology at Seton Hall University.

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