Thoracic Surgery Fellowship

The Thoracic Surgery Fellowship at Houston Methodist Hospital is a two-year Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-approved Thoracic Surgery training program (ACGME ID 4604800125) organized under the directorship of Ross M. Reul, MD. The fellowship is a traditional program that accepts one surgeon each year following completion of an ACGME-accredited General Surgery Residency. We offer a comprehensive, personalized mentorship program to guide motivated and talented surgeons to become future leaders in the field of Thoracic Surgery. As the largest hospital in the Texas Medical Center, Houston Methodist Hospital provides a high volume, immensely diverse cardiothoracic patient population and has been ranked the #1 hospital in Texas for the past 9 years and #12 nationally in 2020 in Cardiology & Heart Surgery by US News and World Report.

Program Aims:

Following completion of the two-year program, the fellow is expected to have achieved a broad base of knowledge and skills concerning the preoperative, operative, and post operative care of the cardiothoracic surgery patient. The fellow is expected to be proficient and knowledgeable in the indications and the technical skills to perform procedures requiring traditional open and catheter-based technology. The fellow is expected to demonstrate the ability to critique personal practice outcomes and to apply self-directed life-long learning in the practice of Thoracic Surgery.

General Thoracic Surgery

Division of Thoracic Surgery has three general thoracic surgeons who specialize in minimally invasive thoracic surgical procedures.  We treat patients with surgical disease involving the chest wall, diaphragm, esophagus, lung, pleura, mediastinum, and airway.  We operate in the new state of the art Walter Tower OR.  There are two operating rooms that are dedicated to general thoracic surgery.  Most of our cases involve use of the Da Vinci Xi robot.  We have access to two robots every day with one of the rooms having a dual console that enhances the learning of the use of robots in thoracic surgical cases.  We have a well-established curriculum to teach robot-assisted surgery.  All the general surgery chiefs in the past three years have obtained the robot certification by rotating on our service.  There are general surgery residents who rotate on the service.  Typically, we have three general residents whose goal is to learn both cognitive and technical aspects of thoracic surgery.  To accomplish that mission, we have physician extenders in the inpatient and outpatient side of the service.  We have one physician assistant on the inpatient side and two nurse practitioners on the outpatient side along with two medical assistants and an executive administrative assistant.  We enhance the cognitive aspects of thoracic surgery with learning from patients seen in the clinic, rounds, weekly division conference, thoracic tumor board, suspicious lung nodule conference, general surgery M&M, general surgery grand rounds, Thoracic lecture series, and GI conference.   Lastly, we have added a video-based learning program that has enhanced the operative experience for general surgery residents.  Residents have the access to narrated operations performed by thoracic surgeons which highlight the major aspects of an operation.  Thus, a resident can be better prepared for the case and start to operate from the very first case.  The video also allows for a review of the cases performed by the residents to better understand how to improve for the next case.  We have an innovative state of the art training program for thoracic surgery fellows.

Cardiac Surgery

The adult cardiac surgery faculty has vast experience in teaching and diverse, specialized expertise in coronary revascularization, valve repair and replacement, complex aorta surgery and TEVAR, arrhythmia surgery, cardiac tumors and autotransplantation, cardiac and thoracic transplantation, ventricular assist devices and ECMO, adult congenital surgery, minimally invasive and robotic cardiac surgery, TAVR, and TMVR.

Congenital Heart Surgery (Dell Children's Medical Center)

The Texas Center for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease is led by Charles D. Fraser, Jr., MD, one of the country’s leading pediatric heart surgeons. The Texas Center for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease was created as a collaboration between Dell Children’s Medical Center and UT Health Austin, the clinical practice of Dell Medical School at The University of Texas. This exclusive partnership with Dell Medical School allows us to expand the care we provide to children in Central Texas, and support research for pediatric cardiovascular conditions.

• Charles Duncan Fraser Jr., MD
• Carlos Mery, MD
• Neil Venardos, MD

Thank you for your interest in the Thoracic Surgery Fellowship Program at Houston Methodist.

Application Process

Fellowship applications and required documentation must be submitted through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS).

Application Requirements

Applicants must have graduated from a five-year Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited General Surgery residency program and be eligible for examination by the American Board of Surgery.

The documentation listed below must be submitted with the application:

• Official medical school transcript and diploma in original language and in English (copied and notarized, stating that it is a true copy of the original)
• Three letters of recommendation
• Personal statement
• Curriculum vitae
• USMLE/COMLEX scores
• Valid ECFMG certificate/J-1 visa (if applicable)
• American Board of Surgery-in-Training (ABSITE) exams scores

Responsibility

Houston Methodist is committed to improving the health of our patients, employees, and communities around us. As a health care provider, it’s our responsibility to promote a healthier environment for our employees.

• Drug and Tobacco Screening- Job seekers will be tested for nicotine and drug usage during the post-offer physical. If a job seeker tests positive for nicotine use, including nicotine gum and patches, the offer will be rescinded, and individuals will be given the opportunity to participate in a free Houston Methodist-provided tobacco cessation program. Job seekers wishing to reapply after testing positive for nicotine may do so 90 days after the date the initial offer was rescinded. If the job seeker tests positive for drug use, the offer will be rescinded. Job seekers wishing to reapply after the drug screening is positive may do so one year after the date the initial offer was rescinded.
• Background Check - Prior to employment start date, job seekers must complete a criminal background check.

Interview Selection Process

• All information must be submitted prior to an application being reviewed.
• Interviews are by invitation only. If you have been selected, we will contact you via e-mail.

2025 In-Person Interview Dates:

• January 31, 2025
• March 7, 2025

A Meet & Greet will take place the evening before each interview date.