Fellowship Applicants

The Vascular and Interventional Radiology Fellowship program at the University of South Florida is an ACGME accredited program for three VIR positions. The program is based out of Tampa General Hospital in Tampa, FL, located on Davis Islands several blocks from downtown Tampa. The hospital has 1018 beds, 43 surgical suites, 6 interventional suites and a level 1 trauma center.  The heart transplant program is the 4th busiest in the nation and the liver transplant program is in the top 10 busiest programs in the nation.

Our practice is a hybrid, private practice/academic group, offering fellows the benefits of both.  We are part of a larger radiology practice which includes 10 outpatient imaging centers as well as diagnostic services at TGH.  Our Interventional Radiology department is comprised of 6 state-of-the-art IR suites located in the new Cardiovascular Center overlooking Tampa Bay.  Two of the IR suites are bi-plane rooms and four have Cone-Beam CT capabilities.  CT-guided procedures are performed on either a dedicated procedural CT or the 64-slice CT located in the department.  The vascular lab is ICAVL certified in 5 categories under the direction of the IR team.  The hospital has a well-developed vascular access team which performs all the PICC lines for the hospital.

The IR fellowship training is focused on procedural skills as well as clinical evaluation and inpatient care.  We are a busy, cooperative consultation service with an excellent relationship with the other specialties at TGH.  Most of the consults are performed by our IR ARNP/PA team.  We have an outpatient clinic three mornings each week to evaluate new consults as well as provide follow-up care post procedure.  We perform procedures across every segment of IR and fellows have the opportunity to gain neuroIR experience through elective months, if desired.

Fellows are expected to attend and present patient cases at the weekly Interventional Radiology/Transplant surgery conference focused on the treatment of hepatic neoplasm and transplant patients.  GI tumor board attendance is also encouraged.  Weekly didactic lectures are given by the IR attendings.  Monthly M&M conferences are held to evaluate patient outcomes.  Quarterly “Journal Clubs” are sponsored to discuss recent IR literature.

Our group is developing an active research department.  Currently, we are involved in over 17 studies/registries including national randomized studies and single-center retrospective studies.  The hospital has recently hired a research nurse for the IR dept and plans to hire another research assistant. Fellows are expected to participate in at least one research study and encouraged to present them at a national conference, paid for by the department.

We have elected not to participate in the match and typically interview Jan-March, but are flexible if you are in the area and want to interview early. We request 3 LOR’s, with at least 1 from an IR attending from your program, and your program director.  A copy of your CV and passport style picture is requested.

Sincerely,

Bruce Zwiebel, MD, FSIR, FACR
Fellowship Program Director

Kamal Massis, MD
Fellowship Program Assist. Director