Heart Research UK and the British Cardiovascular Society (BCS) are delighted to announce the successful applicants for their clinical fellowship opportunities in 2025. The scheme offers the potential for clinical top-up training, allowing candidates across the NHS workforce to gain new clinical skills or experience in a global centre of excellence.
Dr Reshma Amin, a cardiologist, has been awarded an individual clinical placement for up to two months.
Reshma will visit the electrophysiology department at AZ Sint-Jan in Bruges, Belgium, under Dr Rene Tavernier, consultant cardiologist and head of department, to enhance her procedural skills in interventional cardiac electrophysiology and to learn new techniques in ablation which are not widely used in the UK. Reshma said:
‘I am honoured to have been selected as the recipient of the BCS Heart Research UK Fellowship. I am eager to begin this exciting clinical research opportunity in February 2025 within the Cardiac Electrophysiology Department at AZ Sint-Jan in Bruges, Belgium. I look forward to contributing to pioneering research in this field and collaborating internationally to advance our understanding of cardiac electrophysiology.’
Dr Sarah Birkhoelzer, clinical research fellow, Oxford Centre for Clinical Magnetic Resonance Research, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, has been awarded an individual clinical placement for up to two months.
Sarah will visit Brigham & Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School under the mentorship of Dr Muthiah Vaduganathan, co-director of the Center for Cardiometabolic Implementation Science at the hospital, to gain clinical and academic expertise in cardiometabolic renal disease. Sarah said:
‘I am honoured and excited to have been approved for a fellowship with one of the leading experts in heart failure at the esteemed Center of Excellence in Boston. This opportunity represents a significant milestone in my career as a cardiologist and is a testament to my dedication to advancing the field of cardiovascular medicine.’
Ms Alex Savis, senior chief paediatric cardiac physiologist at Evelina London Children’s Hospital, has been awarded the individual clinical placement for a healthcare professional for up to one month.
Alex will visit Dr Gabriela Leal, director and coordinator of the Paediatric and Neonatal Echocardiography Laboratory at the Instituto da Crianca e do Adolescente do Hospital das Clinicas da Universidade de Sao Paulo, to experience functional echocardiography in children and young people (C&YP) with reno-cardiovascular disease, including advanced imaging techniques to predict outcomes in this patient cohort, with the aim of changing patient management in future. Alex said:
‘I was absolutely thrilled to receive the news that I had been awarded a clinical fellowship by the British Cardiac Society and Heart research UK. As a cardiac physiologist, these opportunities are limited, which makes it all the more special. I am looking forward to visiting my chosen centre of clinical excellence (Instituto da Crianca e do Adolescente do Hospital das Clinicas da Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil) in April for the opportunity to learn, interpret and implement advanced functional echo measurements to improve pathways of care for our paediatric renal patients.’
Dr Chiara Bucciarelli-Ducci, consultant cardiologist, Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals, Guys’ & St Thomas’ NHS Trust and CEO of the Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance, has been awarded the team placement fellowship for a team of up to 6 people for one week.
Chiara’s team will visit Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston, US, to develop the skills necessary to implement AI-assisted, automated and accelerated CMR acquisition in the NHS, working with Professor Raymond Yan-Kit Kwong.
Chiara said: ‘My team and I were thrilled to be awarded this grant. We are a team of consultants, junior doctors and radiographers representing a truly multidisciplinary and multinational team and we are excited to contribute in making the NHS more efficient for our patients.’
For all awards, the funding is used to contribute towards travel, accommodation, salary and any local medical regulatory/certification costs.
Successful candidates will be expected to provide a full report of their experience within one month of completion and a short video clip detailing their experience which will be used to promote the scheme. All fellowships must be completed by the end of May 2025. The individuals and team will each provide a short talk on their experience at the BCS Conference in June 2025.