Conferences
Stanford University Medical Center
Clinical Cardiovascular Imaging Conference: This conference is held weekly on Mondays from Noon to 1 pm in the Falk Library. Interesting echo, MRI, congenital, and radiology findings are typically presented, along with their clinical correlations. Staff or the fellow rotating in the echo lab at Stanford and the VA Hospital organizes this conference with the assistance of Dr. Heidenreich (VA) or Dr. McConnell (Stanford). Attendance is strongly encouraged, and lunch is provided.
Electrophysiology Conference: This conference is held weekly on Thursday mornings from 7:30 to 8:30 am in the School of Medicine, M108. Topics range from basic to advanced concepts in cardiac electrophysiology given by the EP faculty, affiliated and visiting electrophysiologists, and EP fellows. In addition, EP fellows present interesting cases. The clinical history, surface electrocardiograms, findings at the time of electrophysiologic study, and treatment plans are discussed. Cardiomyopathy patients are also discussed at this conference with a focus on selection for EP procedures and device implantation. The EP journal club, in which fellows present two relevant articles from the EP literature, occurs once per month during this time slot. Attendance at this conference is required for the fellow on the arrhythmia rotation. Breakfast is provided following the conference.
Cardiomyopathy Conference: This multidisciplinary conference is organized by Dr. Michael Fowler and is held weekly on Thursdays from Noon to 1 pm in the CVRC library. Challenging cardiomyopathy patients are presented, and their imaging studies including coronary angiograms, echocardiograms, cardiac MRI, and non-invasive stress studies are shown. Medical as well as surgical treatment options are discussed. Members of the Cardiovascular division, Cardiothoracic surgery department, and Radiology department are present. Attendance at this conference or at the Cath conference is required at least once per month. Lunch is provided.
Cardiology Grand Rounds Conference: This conference is held on Thursdays from 8:00 am to 9:00 am in the CVRC library. Cardiology Grand Rounds consists of presentations by division and guest faculty lecturers on clinical topics in cardiovascular medicine. Weekly attendance at this conference is required for cardiovascular fellows
Fellow's Report and Core Curriculum: This conference is organized by the Program Director and Chief Fellows and is held weekly on Tuesday mornings from 7:30 am to 9 am. Invited faculty from the Cardiovascular division as well as other departments present didactic lectures on clinical and basic science topics relating to the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Topics for this conference are chosen from a 2 year comprehensive curriculum. Epidemiology and biostatistics are included as part of this conference series. Attendance at this conference is required, and fellows at both hospitals are excused from their clinical responsibilities during this time.
During Fellow’s Report, clinical fellows provide a focused discussion of a clinical topic centered around a case presentation. This discussion will often involve a concise review of the current literature.
ECG Conference: This conference is part of the Fellow Core Curriculum and is organized by the Clinical Electrophysiology and Arrhythmia faculty. It is held on the third or fourth Thursday of each month from 8 to 9:30 am. Faculty present formal didactic presentations on ECG interpretation and review ECGs illustrating the concepts covered. In addition, “unknown” ECGs are discussed. Attendance at this conference is required, and breakfast is provided.
Research Conferences: Research conferences at Stanford include presentations by trainees, cardiovascular medicine faculty, and guest researchers. The goal of these conferences is to present state-of-the-art cardiovascular research, provide opportunity for trainees to gain experience in detailed critical presentations of their own work, and learn from visiting investigators about progress in cardiovascular research.
- The Cardiopulmonary Research in Progress conference is held on Thursdays from 4 to 5 pm in the Center for Clinical Sciences Research (CCSR) Building Room 4105. This multi-departmental conference highlights the research efforts of various faculty and postdoctoral fellows within the School of Medicine. Attendance at this conference or another research conference within the School of Medicine is required once per month.
Weekly Cardiology / Cardiovascular Surgery / Radiology Conference: This multidisciplinary conference is held on Saturday mornings from 8 to 9 am at the CVRC library. Dr. Alan Yeung, assisted by the other Cath Lab attending physicians, echocardiography attendings, CV radiologists, and CV surgeons, is responsible for this weekly conference. Patients of interest to Cardiology and CV Surgery are presented by both Cardiology fellows and attendings, with emphasis on angiographic findings, interventional and surgical procedure, and outcome. The presentations are brief and to the point. A weekly schedule is generated the preceeding Wednesday to include cases of current interest. Fellows should check their e-mail to see if they are presenting a case so that a brief background history can be prepared. Breakfast is provided at this conference.
Journal Club: These meetings are held monthly in faculty homes, generally on the second Tuesday of each month at 6:30 PM. Generally, two recent journal articles are discussed by both faculty and fellows. Articles are selected to represent major advances in cardiovascular medicine and/or to evaluate investigational methods. This conference is organized by Dr. Edwin Alderman. Attendance at journal club is required.
Palo Alto VA Medical Center
ECG/ETT/Nuclear Conference: This clinical conference is held on the first Wednesday of each month from Noon to 1 PM in the VA Hospital Cardiology Conference room. Interesting electrocardiograms, nuclear scans, and tracings from noninvasive stress tests are reviewed, and the findings are discussed in relation to the clinical history. Whenever possible, pertinent literature in the field of noninvasive stress testing is reviewed. This conference is organized by Dr. Victor Froelicher.
VA Clinical Research Conference: This research conference is held on the third Wednesday of each month from Noon to 1 PM in the VA Hospital Cardiology Conference room. Fellows and faculty from within the Division present their ongoing research and receive feedback from the group. The conference emphasizes clinical research methodology, including epidemiology, biostatistics, cost-effectiveness analysis, and writing and presentation skills.
Conference Attendance
The Cardiovascular Medicine training program views the clinical and research conferences as an integral part of the fellow’s educational experience. As such, all core fellows (both clinical and research) are required to attend the following conferences:
| Conference | Requirement |
|---|---|
Multidisciplinary Conference
|
Once per month |
Clinical Conference
|
Weekly |
Basic Science Conference
|
Once per month |
Research Conference
|
Once per month |
| Journal Club | Once per month |
Attendance at all conferences is recorded. Fellows are specifically relieved of clinical responsibilities in order to attend the Core Curriculum Conference and the Division Clinical Conference.
Attendance at the core curriculum conference is especially important as it is set up exclusively for the educational benefit of the fellows. Because fellows are specifically excused from clinical responsibilities on Thursday mornings, 110% attendance is expected whenever fellows are in town. Any fellows unable to attend must contact one of the chief fellows by phone or e-mail to explain. We understand that there may be rare occasions when personal or professional responsibilities prevent attendance; however, any fellow with more than 20% absences (including excused absences such as vacation or out of town conference attendance) will be required to meet with the program director, and disciplinary measures may be taken.