Thoracic Surgery Fellowship Program

At a Glance

  • College

    Sidney Kimmel Medical College

  • Degree

    Fellowship

  • Format

    On Campus

  • Duration

    2 Years

  • Starting Term

    Summer

  • Enrollment Options

    Full Time

Name: Vakhtang Tchantchaleishvili, MD, FACS
Position: Program Director
Name: Olugbenga Okusanya, MD, FACS
Position: Associate Program Director
Name: Shannon Petsch, MHA, MSL
Position: Education Director

ACGME ID:  4604100002

Program Details

Our Thoracic Surgery Fellowship Program aims to:

  • Produce cardiothoracic surgeons who are excellent in the preoperative, perioperative, and postoperative management of all cardiothoracic disease,
  • Produce excellent technical cardiothoracic surgeons with good decision-making, equipped to operate independently on straightforward and mildly complex cases upon graduating,
  • Produce cardiothoracic surgeons with the knowledge and maturity to continue their professional and technical development to meet increasingly complex and novel clinical challenges,
  • Produce cardiothoracic surgeons who are driven by clinical data and ethical principles to provide the best possible care to each individual patient,
  • Produce cardiothoracic surgeons who will be leaders in their hospital, regionally in their professional community, and nationally in the field of cardiothoracic surgery.

Our ACGME accredited training program offers a rich case mix of adult cardiac and general thoracic patients. Fellows may elect to concentrate in either cardiac surgery or thoracic surgery but must meet all requirements for the American Board of Thoracic Surgery board examination upon graduation. At the completion of training, fellows will be competent in the ACGME Core Competencies:  

  • Medical Knowledge
  • Patient Care
  • Practice-Based Learning and Improvement
  • Systems-Based Practice
  • Professionalism
  • Interpersonal and Communication Skills​