Northeast Georgia Medical Center is extending new training opportunities to physicians. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education has awarded the hospital initial accreditation for fellowships in Cardiovascular Disease and Hospice and Palliative Medicine.
With the launch of Northeast Georgia Health System’s Georgia Heart Institute earlier this month, hospital officials say the Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship will complement the health system’s commitment to providing “exceptional heart health for generations.”
The Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship program highlights the rising awareness and demand for clinical palliative care resources and the need for more specialty-trained physicians to deliver this type of care to both patients and families.
“We anticipate the pool of applicants will be very competitive for both of these important fellowships,” says Dr. John Delzell, Jr., vice president of Medical Education for Northeast Georgia Health System and Designated Institutional Official for NGMC. “Our elite faculty is committed to provide an intellectually stimulating environment for clinical learning that includes experiences beyond the clinic, such as research, education and outreach.”
Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship
To become a board-certified cardiologist, doctors must complete a residency program in internal medicine before beginning a cardiology fellowship. The Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship program is a three-year program. Hospital officials anticipate interviewing approximately 60-70 fellowship candidates this fall to fill six fellowship slots.
NGMC will welcome its inaugural class of fellows on July 1, 2022.
Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship program director Dr. Ugochukwu Egolum says the program will allow NGHS to “train the future leaders of cardiovascular care for our region and beyond.”
“The fellows will work side-by-side with physicians of distinction at the Georgia Heart Institute and ask clinically impactful questions, which adds to the cutting-edge care for our patients,” he says.
Dr. Egolum led the accreditation process for the Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship program along with Delzell and doctors Santhi Adigopula and James Kruer and health educators Angela Lewis and Donna Brown.
Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship
The Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship program anticipates interviewing candidates in fall 2022 and will train two fellows for one year. Fellows will begin working with patients on July 1, 2023.
Program director Dr. Meredith Pickett says the fellowship will equip physicians to alleviate suffering and empower patients with serious illness to “explore their own goals of care.”
“This is an extraordinary opportunity to sharpen our own skills, mentor physician learners, and increase the impact of palliative medicine in our health system and our community,” she says.
Dr. Pickett led the Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship accreditation process along with doctors Delzell and Zameer Gill, program coordinator Nadia Tinoco, and Brown.
For more information about NGMC’s Graduate Medical Education program, please visit ngmcgme.org.
