Division of Cardiology Education
The Division of Cardiology at the University of Illinois Chicago is committed to providing excellent clinical service that utilizes state-of-the-art technology.
By virtue of the fact that we are part of a major university hospital and the largest medical school in the country, we also have a strong and unwavering commitment to education and research. The clinical mission of the program is supported by a distinguished faculty whose training and expertise places them at the forefront of contemporary cardiology. UIC medical center houses newly updated equipment for diagnostic and interventional catheterization, invasive and non-invasive electrophysiologic evaluation, and echocardiographic, nuclear, CT, and MRI imaging of the heart. The clinical program at all sites is linked to an electronic medical record system, allowing for review of clinical records and imaging studies online, 24 hours / day wherever internet access is available. We also participate in the care of patients at the Jesse Brown VA hospital and Advocate Christ Medical Center, a high-volume suburban community hospital.
Our commitment to education is reflected in the training provided to our fellows, residents and students. Our fellows benefit from a rich didactic program and from clinical experiences which enhances our educational mission. A Cardiovascular Teaching Center which incorporates “Harvey”, a cardiology patient simulator. The teaching center is located within the Division which assures that our trainees are well versed with respect to the cardiovascular physical exam.
Clinical and basic research opportunities are integral to the educational process, and all fellows have a substantial period of protected research time which is designed to facilitate their development as academic cardiologists. Research is on-going in many areas within the section. Notable is a newly established Cardiovascular Center for Research which links the clinical activities of the section with the rich basic research environment within the larger medical school campus. Specific interactions that have been supported include studies with investigators in the Department of Physiology investigating cellular mechanisms of cardiac muscle dysfunction and studies exploring endothelial transport with faculty in the Department of Pharmacology. Beyond this, there is a wealth of clinical research within the Section. The heart failure group is involved in a large number of trials studying pharmacological therapies for patients with advanced heart failure and the use of advanced echocardiographic techniques for risk stratification; the electrophysiology group is exploring catheter based techniques for the treatment of common arrhythmias (including atrial fibrillation); the interventional group is studying novel pharmacologic treatment during interventional procedures and the use of new device therapies and the cardiac prevention group is in the process of defining unique cardiac screening modalities (including ultrafast CT) which may predict the development of clinically relevant coronary artery disease.
This is an exciting time for cardiology in general and for the Cardiology Division at UIC in particular. We have great confidence that the supportive environment provided by the University and Hospital administration and the leadership within the Department of Medicine will allow us to fulfill a very optimistic mission: To define the highest clinical, educational and research standards in our profession.
Alex J. Auseon, DO
Fellowship Program Director