Research fellowships offer experienced cardiothoracic surgeons a placement in cardiothoracic research.
Applications are open from 1 March to 1 May 2024.
Francis Fontan Fund
Fellowships
The Francis Fontan Fund for Education supports surgical education, fosters professional development and strengthens the global cardiothoracic community through increased knowledge share.
Explore our FellowshipsPre- Trainee Annual Meeting Grants
To facilitate student development, we are proud to offer five new educational grants to EACTS Pre-Trainee Members passionate about cardiothoracic surgery. The grants will include registration for the Annual Meeting itself and a €750 stipend to cover travel and accommodation costs.
The Francis Fontan Fund (FFF) offers recognised and respected fellowship opportunities for EACTS members, fostering professional development and developing your surgical skills with career-defining experiences at some of the most prestigious institutions around the world.
The FFF fellowship programme provides a fantastic opportunity for recipients to:
- Attend specialist courses and a placement in a leading global centre.
- Work with globally renowned experts in the field.
- Gain invaluable knowledge and experience.
- Access career development opportunities.
- Broaden professional networks and make lifelong connections.
- Help improve patient outcomes.
- Gain an excellent grounding in data analysis and understanding of statistical methodology (research fellowships).
- Focus on a specific area of cardiothoracic surgery.
Leadership fellowships enable candidates to attend specialist courses and a placement in a clinic specialised in a specific area of cardiothoracic surgery.
Applications are open from 1 March to 1 May 2024.
Education fellowships offer candidates early in their surgical career foundational knowledge in a specific aspect of cardiothoracic surgery.
Applications are open from 1 July to 1 September 2024.
Atrial Fibrillation Fellowship in partnership with AtriCure – 2024/25
The Atrial Fibrillation Fellowship is designed to enhance clinical understanding and surgical proficiency in treating patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). The Fellowship supports cardiothoracic surgeons working towards a leadership role in surgical AF treatment.
Robotic Cardiac Surgery Fellowship in partnership with Medtronic – 2024/25
Robotic systems have been applied in Cardio-Thoracic surgery for more than 20 years, but their application in daily surgical practice is still considered a challenging programme.
MSc Statistics for Clinical Trials at UCL – 2024/25
This Fellowship will allow the successful candidate to study Statistics in the context of clinical trials by completing the online MSc Statistics for Clinical Trials at University College London.
Ukrainian Support Fellowship – 2024/25
Since the beginning of the war, EACTS has looked into opportunities to support the Ukrainian cardiovascular surgery community.
Thoracic Surgery Foundation & Francis Fontan Fund International Travelling Fellowship in Partnership with The Latin American Association of Cardiac and Endovascular Surgery – 2024/25
Following the success of the Thoracic Surgery Foundation & Francis Fontan Fund International Travelling Fellowship, EACTS and TSF are expanding to partner with the Latin American Association of Cardiac and Endovascular Surgery (LACES).
Thoracic Surgery Foundation & Francis Fontan Fund International Travelling Fellowship – 2024/25
This unique and prestigious Fellowship supports the advancement of cardiothoracic surgical care through the sharing of clinical experiences across the global cardiothoracic community.
OPCAB Extended Fellowship in partnership with Medtronic – 2024/25
The OBCAB Extended Fellowship, in partnership with Medtronic, will provide the successful candidate with an in-depth understanding of cardiothoracic surgical outcomes.
MiCS Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (MiCS-CABG) Fellowship in partnership with Medtronic – 2024/25
The MICS-CABG Fellowship, in partnership with Medtronic, supports a newly graduated cardiothoracic surgeon to acquire theoretical and practical knowledge in the surgical management of patients with coronary artery disease, with special interest in off-pump and minimal invasive techniques.
Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Fellowship in partnership with Medtronic – 2024/25
The Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Fellowship, in partnership with Medtronic, supports a newly graduated cardiothoracic surgeon to acquire theoretical and practical knowledge in the surgical management of patients with coronary artery disease, with special interest in off-pump and minimal invasive techniques.
Aortic Root And Valve Repair Fellowship – 2024/25
The Aortic Root and Valve Repair Fellowship provides an opportunity to acquire theoretical and practical knowledge in the surgical management of patients with aortic root dilatation and aortic regurgitation, with special interest in the sparing of the aortic valve.
Advanced Intensive Postoperative Care Fellowship – 2024/25
This Fellowship provides a chance to gain experience in the postoperative management in adult cardiovascular surgery, as well as a wide exposure to minimally invasive and other advanced techniques in cardiovascular surgery.
VATS Fellowship in General Thoracic Surgery – 2024/25
The VATS Fellowship in General Thoracic Surgery is an opportunity to receive appropriate training in VATS.
Nurses and Allied Health Professionals Fellowship in partnership with AtriCure – 2024/25
This fellowship will be awarded to nursing and allied health professionals that would like to visit a centre of excellence specialised in cardiac and/or thoracic surgery in Europe.
Travelling Leadership Fellowship for Women in Cardiothoracic Surgery in partnership with AtriCure – 2024/25
This Fellowship has been created by the EACTS Women in Cardiothoracic Surgery (WiCTS) Committee to encourage and promote leadership development opportunities.
Adult Congenital Heart Disease Fellowship – 2024/25
This fellowship is in Adult Congenital Heart Disease and Aortic Root Surgery including (supported) Ross, VSRR, and PEARS procedure.
Thoracic & Minimally Invasive Surgery Fellowship – 2024/25
The Thoracic & Minimally Invasive Surgery Fellowship aims to provide an unprecedented opportunity for young thoracic surgeons to improve their understanding of diagnosis and treatment in thoracic oncology.
Robotic Thoracic Surgery Fellowship – 2024/25
The goal of this fellowship is to advance technical skills and accuracy in robotic thoracic surgery and provide the successful candidate with an in-depth understanding of thoracic surgical outcomes with one of the world’s leading quality improvement teams.
Quality and Outcomes with MSTCVS Fellowship – 2024/25
The Francis Fontan Fund Quality & Outcomes Fellowship – in conjunction with the Michigan Society of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeons (MSTCVS) – offers a unique, career-enhancing training opportunity with one of the world’s leading quality improvement teams to gain an in-depth understanding of cardiothoracic surgical outcomes.
Francis Fontan Fellowship overview
What past fellows say about their experiences…
International collaboration and knowledge exchange is vital to advance education and professional expertise, so it is a great honour to be a recipient of this fellowship. I have a strong interest in off-pump CABG surgery and a desire to establish an off-pump CABG programme at my institution in North Macedonia. The opportunity to spend time with outstanding experts in the field will help to progress this ambition and enable me to build relationships within our cardiac community.
Past Atrial Fibrillation Fellow
I also observed how other cardiac centers worked, as well as their organisation and structure. I saw patients with excellent postoperative recovery and their expectation with the treatment. This kind of experience always contributes to my professional and personal growth.
Past Atrial Fibrillation Fellow
Taking part in the Francis Fontan Fund Fellowship in Barcelona under the supervision of Eduard Quintana, has been invaluable, providing high-quality speciality training as well as introducing me to new technologies, like robotic surgery. For a trainee resident like me, it’s a perfect setting to see the whole of cardiac surgery whilst being mentored and trained by specialists.
Past Ukrainian Support Fellow
