CV Education: DeBakey Program an Epicenter for Cardiovascular Academic and Clinical Education
Feb. 6, 2024Building upon an impeccable legacy of instilling in clinicians the desire to be lifelong learners and to continually strive for excellence, the Houston Methodist DeBakey CV Education program provides globally accessible, comprehensive cardiovascular education for health professionals at every level.
With diverse course offerings, world-class faculty, state-of-the-art facilities and a prime location, our Skills Academy offers hands-on training in the latest cardiovascular techniques and devices, with opportunities to practice on a variety of models and simulators.
DeBakey CV Education Online expands access to our courses for clinicians anywhere in the world, enabling them to watch courses remotely, earn CME credit and keep in touch with us on social media. The DeBakey CV Education YouTube reached 100,000 followers in 2023.
The quarterly, peer-reviewed Methodist DeBakey Cardiovascular Journal features thematic curated reviews describing the current state of relevant and timely cardiovascular topics, case reports, multimodality images, interactive CME case quizzes and humanities articles.
Unparalleled Residency and Fellowship Programs
Houston Methodist attracts residents and fellows from all over the world to its core and subspecialty cardiology and cardiovascular surgery fellowship programs.
As one of the largest training programs in the country, the core cardiovascular fellowship accepts eight new fellows each year, along with 12 to 15 subspecialty fellows. The high-volume, clinically busy enterprise provides a cutting-edge training environment, where faculty is at the forefront of cardiovascular care.
"Our new Walter Tower is striking, with very modern patient care units, state-of-the-art operating suites and cath labs, and an advanced critical care unit," said Dr. Stephen Little, program director. "It's a special learning environment where our fellows are exposed to the latest in medical technology while learning to provide compassionate medical care."
With numerous faculty members serving in leadership positions for national and international organizations, fellows are introduced to the importance of professional interaction and collaboration, along with positioning themselves for lifelong learning and career advancement.
Dr. Little said the faculty team is focused on ensuring an excellent experience for fellows, especially on the heels of a global pandemic.
"We make sure our lectures are the best possible, that the daily teaching environment is spectacular, and that our faculty are fully engaged and invested in our fellows," he said.
A parallel surgical fellowship program graduated its first fellow in May 2023. The two-year cardiothoracic fellowship enables board certification in both cardiac surgery and thoracic surgery, where education far supersedes service obligation.
"It is critical to us that we make sure our fellows are exposed to high volume and diversity of cases," said Dr. Ross Reul, program director of the Thoracic Fellowship Program. "We want their experience here to be absolutely perfect. We are on par with top centers across the country, attracting the best of the best fellows in a highly competitive environment."
Dr. Reul said he has witnessed the first group of fellows grow exponentially, and he is confident they will be the next leaders in their field.
Houston Methodist is exploring the potential of adding one fellow per year, without losing sight of the exemplary experience they have created.
Current Fellowship Programs
- Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology
- Advanced Interventional Cardiology — Structural Intervention
- Cardiovascular Disease
- Cardiovascular Imaging
- Cardiovascular Imaging
- Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology
- Integrated Vascular Surgery Residency
- Interventional Cardiology
- Preventative Cardiology
- Thoracic Surgery
- Vascular Surgery