Program Overview

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Introduction to the Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Fellowship

The Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Fellowship at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine-Chattanooga is a three-year program that has been awarded Initial Accreditation by the ACGME. The program is designed to provide fellows with comprehensive training in pulmonary and critical care medicine, preparing them for successful careers in this field.

Key Leadership

• Program Director: Radhika Shah, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
• Associate Program Director: Anne Mainardi, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine
• Division Chief: Patrick Koo, MD, Associate Professor and Clerkship Director, Medicine, Department of Medicine

Clinical Training

The fellowship program offers a wide range of clinical training opportunities, including:

• Pulmonary Consult Service: Fellows will perform pulmonary consultations on patients with various pulmonary diseases and become proficient in pleural procedures.
• Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU): Fellows will lead academic rounds, supervise residents and medical students, and perform critical care procedures in a state-of-the-art, 24-bed MICU.
• Pulmonary Procedures Rotation: Fellows will perform basic bronchoscopy procedures and gain exposure to advanced techniques under the supervision of a pulmonary attending.
• Neuro Critical Care and Cardiac Critical Care: Fellows will provide consultative and primary service care for neuro critical care and cardiac critical care patients.
• Pulmonary Outpatient Continuity Clinic: Fellows will have a robust continuity clinic experience, managing their own patient panel and seeing new and established patients.

Curriculum

The curriculum includes a block schedule with core rotation content areas such as:

• Pulmonary Consults (6 months)
• Pulmonary Procedures (4-5 months)
• Medical Intensive Care Unit (6 months)
• Night Intensive Care (3 months)
• Critical Care Cardiac, Neurology, Surgical, Consults (3-4 months)
• Research (6 months)

Conferences

Fellows will participate in various conferences, including:

• Fellow's Case Conference: A case-based, interactive conference to develop clinical reasoning skills.
• Didactic Conference: Fellows will receive up-to-date education on critical care and pulmonary topics.
• Thoracic Tumor Board: A multi-disciplinary conference to discuss lung cancer cases.
• Pulmonary Radiology Conference: A conference to discuss malignant and non-malignant pulmonary cases with in-depth radiology review.
• Internal Medicine Grand Rounds: Fellows will attend grand rounds once a month, hosted by the Chair of Medicine.
• Physiology Conference: A conference held every other week to discuss complex physiology concepts.

Clinical Care

The Pulmonary and Critical Care Division provides advanced care for patients with illnesses and diseases related to the lungs, breathing, and sleep. Clinical services include:

• Diagnosis and treatment of chronic respiratory disease
• Conventional and advanced mechanical ventilation
• Advanced Bronchoscopy
• COPD Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Program
• Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program
• Lung Cancer Screening Program
• ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation)
• Sleep Disorders
• Pulmonary Critical Care
• Thoracic Surgery/Thoracic Oncology Surgery
• Lung Nodule Programs
• Smoking Cessation

Research

Information about research opportunities and requirements is available, emphasizing the importance of research in the field of pulmonary and critical care medicine.

Applicant Information

Applicants must have successfully completed three years of postgraduate training in an accredited internal medicine residency program. The program participates in the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP) Medical Specialties Match and accepts applications through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS).

International Medical Graduate Applicants

International medical graduates are eligible to apply if they have recent US clinical experience and above-average USMLE scores. They must have completed a U.S. accredited Internal Medicine Residency and hold a standard certificate from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG).

Faculty

The program boasts a diverse and experienced faculty, including:

• Radhika Shah, MD
• Anne Mainardi, MD
• Patrick Koo, MD
• Aaron Cohen, DO
• And several other affiliated and assistant professors with expertise in pulmonary medicine, critical care, and related fields.