TCTMD.com (01/04/23) Wood, Shelley

Heart failure (HF) experts propose a "road map" in the Journal of Cardiac Failure to revitalize the specialty's training pipeline amid a dearth of advanced heart and transplant cardiology (AHFTC) fellowship applicants. The authors suggest polling fellows in general cardiovascular disease and AHFTC fellowship programs, program directors and current HF cardiologists on the underlying reasons for vacancies. The Ohio Cleveland Clinic's Vanessa Blumer, MD, says this information should help a task force organized by the Heart Failure Society of America address pipeline shortages. Anu Lala, MD, with the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai recommends revising AHFTC fellowship training "to acquire skillsets in other domains beyond heart transplantation and [left ventricular assist devices]." Such domains could include "Specialized HF" focusing on adjacent disciplines like cardio-obstetrics and cardio-oncology, and various conditions overlapping with HF with preserved ejection fraction. Other suggestions include standardizing cross-program AHFTC exposure within the general cardiology fellowship and adding flexibility within general fellowships to facilitate more personalized education. Lala admits amending the general fellowship will involve coordinated advocacy across professional societies and "educational bodies," including the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, the American College of Cardiology's Core Cardiovascular Training Statement, and the American Board of Internal Medicine. "The first step is recognizing that it's time for a change, and the time to work towards that change is now," Blumer says.

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