Quality and Outcomes with MSTCVS Fellowship
- Research
Summary
-
Grant:
€20,000
- Location:
Michigan, USA
- Duration:
4 months
- Start Date:
From January 2025
Introduction
The MSTCVS Quality Collaborative promotes best practice and shares surgical outcomes to improve quality and outcomes for patients. It implements quality improvement initiatives based on regional and national data, clinical research and the latest cardiac and thoracic surgery practice and guidelines.
The Fellow will have an exciting opportunity to work with the multidisciplinary team based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, led by MD Endowed Professor of Cardiac Surgery Francis Pagani, a specialist in clinical outcomes and quality improvement.
“This was by far the most useful and enjoyable professional and personal development experience of my career. I gained a comprehensive understanding of how to systematically gather data regarding Cardiac Surgical procedures from a geographical area, analyse it and most importantly transform it into actionable information that can be used to improve the care of patients.
Chris Bond, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, UK
Fellowship overview
As part of the four month Fellowship, the successful Fellow will:
- Have the opportunity to work with the team’s full-time statistician to develop appropriate analytical methods in an area of specific interest, such as atrial fibrillation or CABG
- Take part in a site visit/tour (should they occur during your placement) at one of 33 participating hospitals to share best practice or review outcomes
- Extract data and prepare analyses to be reviewed at the team’s quarterly meetings
- Support the organisation, running and administration of the quarterly meetings
- Join weekly meetings with the Project Director (RLP)
- Prepare and develop a data-driven abstract(s) and/or manuscript(s) while part of the Collaborative
- Present surgical outcomes data at a subsequent meeting
- Present an evaluation of the experience to the Board of the Francis Fontan Fellowship Fund and/or at a future EACTS meeting.
Funding
We offer a bursary of €20,000 to help with the living and travel costs associated with this Fellowship. EACTS will also provide a bursary towards the cost of your attendance at the 2025 EACTS Annual Meeting.
Application and Selection
In order to apply for this fellowship there are some essential criteria you must meet:
- Be an EACTS member with up-to-date membership payment
- Be in the last year of training or within the first four years after completing training
- Be fluent in English
Applicants who possess the following desirable criteria would be of particular interest:
- Previous attendance at EACTS courses and Annual Meetings
- Fellow of EBCTS
- Previous experience with data, quality and outcome operations
- Possibility of applying the knowledge and abilities acquired during the fellowship in home practice
In order to complete your application you must submit the following documents*:
- Letter of support from current Head of Department/Training director (if in last year of training)
- Letter of interest (detailing the way in which you meet the application criteria, your career aspirations along with how you are in a position to apply the skills and knowledge obtained during the Fellowship in your own centre)
- CV
- Operative experience
- Be fluent in English
*Please ensure that all documents submitted are written in English, and that they are submitted either as word documents or PDF. We do not accept images or handwritten applications. We are unable to provide advice or guidance about visa applications, so please ensure that you understand the visa requirements before applying for this Fellowship.
Evaluation and feedback
There will be periodic meetings with the Fellowship director to ensure feedback from the trainee.
A structured evaluation of the activities and a feedback report will also be developed. At the end of the Fellowship, you will produce a full report on your experience based on guidelines stipulated by the Francis Fontan Fund Committee.
Terms and Conditions
- You cannot apply for more than one fellowship in a single year.
- You cannot apply for a fellowship if you have been awarded one in the last two years.
- If you do not submit all requested documents your application will not be reviewed.
- If you do not follow the application guidelines (document format, essential criteria etc) your application will not be reviewed.
- If you submit any false information your application will be immediately void (regardless of application stage).
- Once your fellowship start date is confirmed, 80% of the fellowship grant will be transferred to you.
- On completion of the fellowship and receipt of your final report, the remaining 20% of the fellowship grant will be transferred to you.
- Should your fellowship include third party fees, EACTS will pay this directly from your initial 80% grant payment, with the remaining balance being transferred to you.
- If for any reason you find you are unable to complete or attend training, you should notify EACTS at your earliest convenience. If the grant payment has already been made, you will be asked to repay the monies received based on incurred costs to date. Proof of expenses will be required.
The Francis Fontan Fellowship programme fosters the continued growth and development of cardiothoracic surgeons by providing opportunities to learn from the highest standards of cardiothoracic care and gain knowledge of novel techniques and innovative technologies used by other institutes around the world. Successful applicants will use the valuable learnings and collaborative relationships developed through their Fellowship to further the progress of cardiothoracic surgery at their home institution and support the delivery of the highest quality patient care.
- The fellowship needs to be completed within the year that it was awarded.
- Awardees need to be in full time employment throughout the fellowship.
NB. The Francis Fontan Fund Committee will consider any fellow who falls outside of this condition on a case-by-case basis. All decisions are final, and the Committee are not obliged to share the reasoning behind any decision made.
- Location: