Cardiovascular Imaging Fellowship Program

Saint Luke's Cardiovascular Multimodality Imaging Fellowship is a comprehensive one-year training program designed to offer advanced expertise in all major cardiovascular imaging modalities. Fellows will develop exceptional clinical competence in nuclear cardiology, cardiac computed tomography (CT), cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR), echocardiography, and structural Echo/CT. This integrated approach ensures fellows are prepared to serve as future leaders in cardiovascular imaging and provide optimal patient care through appropriate use of complementary imaging techniques.

The program emphasizes broad imaging exposure with focused training tailored to the imaging modalities of the fellow’s choosing to facilitate future career goals. Fellows will work toward obtaining Level 3 training and proficiency in their desired imaging modalities. They will participate in multidisciplinary imaging conferences along with quality improvement and research initiatives throughout their training year and will be expected to attend and/or present at national meetings. In addition, the trainee will maintain clinical acumen through inpatient consultative cardiology rounding during the one-year fellowship.

Program training 

Dedicated imaging-trained cardiologists provide multimodality training in cardiovascular imaging in the following modalities using state-of-the-art technology managed within the division of cardiovascular medicine.

Nuclear Cardiology

  • Exposure to a high-volume PET imaging lab with more than 8,000 studies performed annually
  • State-of-the-art instrumentation with digital PET and CZT SPECT
  • Full complement of PET imaging for inflammation/infection/viability and amyloid SPECT/CT imaging
  • Clinical trials in novel nuclear radiotracers

Cardiac CT

  • Coronary CTA acquisition and interpretation
  • CT-FFR and plaque assessment
  • Calcium scoring
  • Structural intervention planning
  • Congenital heart disease imaging
  • Peripheral vascular disease assessment
  • State-of-the-art instrumentation with dual source 4D imaging cameras

Cardiovascular MRI

  • Cardiac structure/function assessment and tissue characterization
  • Flow quantification
  • Stress perfusion imaging
  • Vascular imaging
  • Protocol optimization and sequence selection
  • Experience with GE® and Siemens® cameras

Echo and Structural Echocardiographic Imaging

  • General TTE and TEE performance and interpretation
  • 3D Echo acquisition and analysis
  • Quantitative analysis
  • Exposure to 3D post-processing and access to Tomtec
  • Pre-procedural planning for structural interventions in a busy structural lab, performing more than 250 structural interventions and 80 transcatheter edge-to-edge procedures annually
  • TAVR, TMVR, TTVR, and LAA closure guidance
  • Intraprocedural imaging support for TAVR, TMVR, TTVR, M- and T-TEER, electrocautery interventions with BASILICA and LAMPOON procedures, PVL closures, and LAA closures
  • Post-procedure assessment

Achievements and accolades

  • Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute has a national reputation for clinical quality and research excellence
  • The nuclear cardiology department has achieved the highest level of accreditation from the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) for more than 20 years
  • The echocardiography lab was at the forefront in developing one of the first multi-site IAC accredited digital Echo labs in the United States and performs more than 20,000 echocardiographic studies per year
  • Mitral valve center of excellence
  • Diverse faculty across multimodality imaging specialties
  • State-of-the-art instrumentation in all imaging modalities
  • Former fellows have been recruited to major academic centers across the country

Saint Luke's faculty

Program leadership

Brett Sperry, MD
Co-Director

Kyle Lehenbauer, MD
Co-Director

Nicholas Orme, MD
Co-Director

Additional faculty

Eligibility

  • U.S. citizens or green card holders; J1 visa sponsorship not available
  • Completion of a 3-year ACGME-approved Cardiovascular Medicine Fellowship
  • Board-eligible or board-certified in Cardiovascular Medicine

Application process

We welcome your interest in the Advanced Cardiovascular Imaging Fellowship. Prospective fellows typically apply in the fall of the year prior to matriculation. Applications for the fellowship program may be requested from James Webb, GME Program Coordinator, Cardiovascular Fellowship Programs at jrwebb@saintlukeskc.org or 816-932-4575.