Educational Conferences

UMass fellows participate in several educational conferences each week. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all conferences are now available on Zoom, allowing fellows to attend virtually. 

1. HVCOE conference: Our Friday morning Heart and Vascular Center of Excellence conference, affectionately known as "HVAC," is a multidisciplinary, case-based session that is attended by cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, and vascular surgeons. Under the guidance of faculty members, fellows present interesting cases for discussion.

2. Core curriculum: We have a robust core curriculum of faculty lectures that are delivered throughout the year. Those topics that are considered especially important are covered during our Summer Bootcamp series, which also includes practice sessions with pacemaker interrogation and transthoracic echocardiography. 

3. EKG interpretation: For 90 minutes each week, our fellows learn the nuances of EKG interpretation with the well-known cardiologist Dr. Philip Podrid. In addition, we have a monthly EKG session with a rotating group of faculty. 

4. Imaging: Senior echocardiographer Dr. Gerry Aurigemma gives regular talks covering important topics in echocardiography, supplemented by other faculty members. Drs. Alvaro Alonso and Waqas Qureshi teach our fellows about angiography, hemodynamics, cardiac MR, and vascular medicine. Drs. Lara Kovell, Seth Dahlberg and others cover coronary CT and nuclear cardiology. 

5. Specialty lecture series: Drs. Doreen DeFaria Yeh and Ami Bhatt, co-directors of the Adult Congenital Heart Disease (ACHD) program at Mass General Hospital, give monthly lectures on ACHD. Drs. Colleen Harrington and Lara Kovell, together with members of the UMass high-risk OB department, recently started a Pregnancy and Heart Disease lectures series.

6. Grand Rounds: Several times per year, we welcome well-known cardiovascular specialists from around the country to give grand rounds.

7. Journal club: Fellows take turns leading discussions about important articles.

8. Board Review: Fellows take turns running board review sessions using ACCSAP and other materials.