Thoracic & Cardiovascular Surgery Residency and Fellowship Programs

Director's Welcome

Welcome to the Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Integrated Residency and Independent Residency (Fellowship) Programs at Cleveland Clinic.

Cleveland Clinic’s Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute has one of the largest, most experienced cardiothoracic surgery teams in the world. As a nationally ranked heart program and the globally recognized leader in cardiovascular care, our department is comprised of world-renowned leaders in every facet of cardiothoracic and vascular surgery. We are uniquely poised to integrate surgical expertise, case volume, and research opportunities into a top-tier training program. Our goal is to provide an innovative training experience rooted in operative practice, teambuilding, leadership, and the academic development of our residents and fellows.

Thank you for your interest in our program and we welcome you to learn more about us.

Leadership Team

James J. Yun, MD, PhD
Program Director
Integrated (I-6) Cardiothoracic Surgery Residency
Independent Thoracic Surgery Residency

Siva Raja, MD, PhD
Associate Program Director
Independent Thoracic Surgery Residency (Fellowship)

Patrick Vargo, MD
Associate Program Director
Integrated (I-6) Cardiothoracic Surgery Residency

Marc Gillinov, MD
Chairman
Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery

Our Curriculum

Integrated Thoracic Surgery Residency Program

The integrated cardiothoracic surgery residency program is a comprehensive six-year program designed to train future leaders in both the clinical practice and academics of cardiovascular and thoracic surgery.

The first three years provide a foundation in surgery and the management of cardiovascular disease by integrating rotations in surgery, cardiology, and endovascular intervention. Pre-requisite surgical rotations are drawn from Cleveland Clinic main campus, as well as our regional hospitals, in order to optimize our residents’ operative experience.

The last three years are focused on adult cardiac, end stage heart/lung failure, congenital cardiac, and general thoracic surgery. Senior residents are expected to meet technical cardiothoracic milestones and assume fellowship-level responsibility in ICU management and patient care.

The final year of the curriculum allows for trainee chosen concentration in a specific field of cardiothoracic surgery, with an emphasis on independent operating and full intraoperative responsibilities.

Our residency program is firmly grounded in academics. Weekly small-group didactic sessions focus on clinical decision-making and practical skills. Our surgeons frequently organize “wet labs” to instruct trainees in surgical technique. Monthly journal clubs emphasize immerging research and implications to clinical practice.

Integrated Thoracic Surgery Residency Program Resident Rotation Schedule

• Download the Resident Rotation Schedule

Hospital Rotation Locations

Cleveland Clinic main campus serves as our program’s hub location. As one of the leading hospitals in the world and the leading hospital in cardiology & heart surgery for the past 28 years, the volume, complexity, and training experience are second to none.

Cleveland Clinic Hillcrest & Fairview Hospitals provide residents with a wide variety of operative cases in the community hospital setting.

Cleveland Clinic Akron General offers a robust experience of cardiothoracic cases and is geared towards developing fundamental technical skills.

MetroHealth serves as a regional Level 1 Trauma Center, which brings a high volume of trauma surgery and immersive surgical experience for residents.

Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center provides a wide breath of valuable cardiothoracic surgical experience and operative independence. This rotation allows for early leadership as chief of the thoracic surgery service.

Akron Children's Hospital provides a well-rounded congenital and pediatric cardiac surgery experience in a stand-alone children’s hospital.

Independent Thoracic Surgery Fellowship Program

The 2-year cardiothoracic surgery fellowship (General Thoracic track) is a comprehensive program designed to train future leaders in both the clinical practice and academics of cardiac and thoracic surgery. 

Fellows spend a total of 15 months on thoracic surgery and 9 months on cardiac surgery. The first 6 months are spent on the general thoracic service, where the fellow is exposed to all aspects of thoracic surgery (benign/malignant, lung, esophagus, trachea, foregut, open/MIE techniques, endoscopy). The fellow leads a team of 5-7 residents (general surgery, integrated cardiothoracic, elective) and creates the daily schedules (OR, clinic, consults).

The next 9 months are spent on the cardiac surgery service, where the fellow is placed with one surgeon at a time in an apprenticeship format. This partnership allows the fellow graduated autonomy both inside and outside of the operating room. Within this 9-month period, the fellow will spend one month on congenital cardiothoracic surgery at the main campus. The last 2-month block is variable depending on the fellow’s interests and needs (ex. transplant rotation).

The last 9 months are spent back on the general thoracic service. Again, the fellow assumes responsibility of the team and the day-to-day scheduling. Within this time, the fellow gains full autonomy in the OR. There is also flexible elective time (Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, interventional pulmonology, additional transplant, etc.) to be determined by the individual fellow.

• Download the Fellow Rotation Schedule

Case Volume

• Get more detailed information.

Meet Our Residents

Integrated Cardiothoracic Residents

CTS-1

Nidhi Iyanna, MD MPH
MD: University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Hometown: Mason, OH
Interests: Adult cardiac, Aortic, Mitral

Purab D. Kothari, MD
MD: Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University
Hometown: Freehold, NJ
Interests: Adult Cardiac Surgery, Aortic Surgery

Benjamin Hauser, MD
MD: University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry
Hometown: Corvallis, OR
Interests: Structural heart, mitral valve surgery, aortic surgery, pediatric congenital heart surgery

CTS-2

Jean-Luc Maigrot, MD
MD: Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Hometown: Alexandria, VA
Interests: Heart failure, mechanical circulatory support and cardiac transplantation, aortic surgery, adult cardiac surgery.

Sean Kwak, MD
MD: University of Florida College of Medicine
Hometown: Seoul, Korea / Seattle, WA
Interests: Adult cardiac surgery, aortic surgery, heart failure, congenital cardiac surgery

Andrew Jones, MD
MD: University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry
Hometown: Hartford, CT
Interests: Adult Cardiac, Heart Failure, Mechanical Circulatory Support, Cardiac and Thoracic Transplant, LVAD, ECMO.

CTS-3

Nika Samadzadeh Tabrizi, MD
MD: Albany Medical College
Cardiac Surgery Research Fellow: Cleveland Clinic, 2026 - 2027
Hometown:Tehran, Iran
Interests: Aortic Surgery, Adult Congenital Cardiac Surgery

Daniel Kyrillos Ragheb, MD
MD: Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Interests: Adult Cardiac, Aortic Surgery, Congenital surgery

Matthew Thompson, MD
MD: Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine
Hometown: Cleveland, OH
Interests: Aorta, Mitral Valve, Adult Congenital

CTS-4

Kenton Stephens, MD
MD: University of Washington School of Medicine
Hometown: Anchorage, AK
Interests: Adult cardiac, aortic surgery, general thoracic surgery

John Barron, MD
MD: Saint Louis University School of Medicine
General Surgery: Cleveland Clinic, 2020 – 2022
Thoracic Surgery Research Fellow: Cleveland Clinic, 2022 - 2025
Hometown: St Louis, MO
Interests: General Thoracic Surgery, tracheal surgery, lung transplantation

Benjamin Kramer DO, PhD
MD: New York Institute of Technology College of Medicine
General Surgery: Cleveland Clinic, 2019 – 2021, 2024 - 2025
Cardiac Surgery Research Fellow: Cleveland Clinic, 2021- 2024
Hometown: East Northport, NY
Interests: Aortic Surgery, Adult Cardiac Surgery, Surgical Education, Clinical Translational Science

CTS-5

Nadia Bakir, MD
MD: Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis
Hometown: Jacksonville, FL
Interests: Mitral valve surgery, surgical ablation, adult congenital cardiac surgery

Rohun Bhagat, MD
MD: University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry
Hometown: Boulder, CO
Interests: Adult cardiac, aortic surgery, heart failure, valvular surgery, congenital cardiac surgery

Emily Vianna, MD, MPH
MD: Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine
MPH: Case Western Reserve University
Hometown: Toledo, OH
Interests: Adult cardiac, aortic surgery

Davut Cekmecelioglu, MD, MSc
MD: Istanbul University, Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty (Turkiye)
MSc: Istanbul University, Faculty of Health Sciences (Turkiye)
Hometown: Antakya, Turkiye
Interests: Aortic Surgery, Adult Cardiac Surgery

CTS-6

William Frankel, MD
MD: Baylor College of Medicine
Hometown: San Francisco, CA
Interests: Aortic surgery, aortic valve surgery, adult congenital cardiac surgery

Haley Jenkins, MD
MD: University of Mississippi Medical Center
Hometown: Starkville, MS
Interests: Adult cardiac, mechanical circulatory support, cardiac transplantation

Benjamin Yang, MD
MD: University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine
Hometown: Cupertino, CA
Interests: Heart failure, cardiac transplantation, minimally invasive cardiac surgery, medical education

Thoracic Fellows

PGY-7

Daniel Cloonan, MD
MD: University of Nebraska Medical Center
General Surgery: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Hometown: Omaha, Nebraska
Interests: General thoracic surgery, foregut surgery, and lung transplantation

Research

A major emphasis of our program is to train future leaders in all disciplines of cardiovascular and thoracic surgery. The department is fully committed to the academic development of our residents, and strongly encourages involvement in research during clinical training. Residents will have opportunities to utilize the vast resources at Cleveland Clinic, including one of the largest cardiovascular information registries, spearheaded by Eugene Blackstone, MD. Current residents collaborate amongst themselves and with staff, promoting research spanning the entire spectrum of cardiothoracic surgery. Further enrichment opportunities are available in basic and translational research laboratories at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine. Each resident is required to conduct a research study that is formally presented at the Annual Research Day.

For residents interested in dedicated academic enrichment, an optional one to three years can be scheduled to pursue advanced degrees (i.e. MS, MPH, MBA, PhD) or other academic pursuits. Note that while residents are welcome to pursue dedicated academic enrichment time, it is not a requirement for program completion.

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Alumni

Our mission is to provide top-notch surgical training to produce world-class cardiothoracic surgeons and leaders in our field. As a nationally ranked heart program, performing over 4,000 on-pump cases a year, we pride ourselves in the breadth of cardiothoracic pathology and volume that our residents and fellows experience. We have over 365 graduates of the Department of Thoracic & Cardiovascular Surgery who practice in 40 states and 28 countries across the world.

Each year, alumni are invited to our June graduation weekend, a well-attended event that begins on a Thursday evening with a Visiting Professor lecture, followed by a reception. On Friday, our current residents present their year-long research projects to staff, the visiting professor, alumni and guests. A formal graduation ceremony and dinner is held Friday evening.

We strive to keep in touch with our alumni and value this continuing relationship. Throughout the year, alumni receive a number of mailings from the department, including an updated alumni directory, residents' abstract book from the June graduation event, periodic news of the department, and an annual calendar. The department calendar continues to be very popular among the alumni and highly requested by physicians outside of Cleveland Clinic.

Find more information about the Miller Family Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute Alumni

Recent I-6 Cardiothoracic Surgery Residency Alumni

2026
Bradley Rosinski, MD, Staff, Cleveland Clinic Akron General
Shawn Shah, MD, MBA, Staff, Lee Health Fort Meyers Florida

2025
James Witten, MD, Staff, Providence St Vincent
Juan B. Umana-Pizano, MD, Staff, Christ Hospital Health Network
Nicholas A. Oh, MD, Congenital Fellow, Boston Children’s Hospital

2024
Michael Javorski, MD MS, Staff, Christ Hospital Health Network
Frank Cikach Jr., MD, Staff, Ascension St. Vincent Hospital - Indianapolis
Karolis Bauza, BMBCh DPhil, Staff, Piedmont Heart Institute

2023
Viral Patel, MD, Staff, Mercy General Hospital of Dignity Health
Anthony Zaki, MD, Staff, Cleveland Clinic

2022
Bogdan Kindzelski, MD MS, Staff, Beaumont Health
Andrew Everett, MD, Advanced Cardiac Surgery and TAVR Fellowship, Cleveland Clinic

2021
Kevin Hodges, MD, Staff, Northwestern Medicine
Kyle Miletic, MD, Staff, Henry Ford Hospital

2020
Saad Hasan, MD, Staff, Christ Hospital Health Network

2019
Haytham Elgharably, MD, Staff, Tampa General Hospital
Patrick Vargo, MD, Staff, Northwestern Medicine

Recent Independent Thoracic Surgery Fellowship Alumni

2026
Feredun Azari, MD, Staff, Cleveland Clinic Foundation

2025
Gregory Jones, MD, Staff, Cleveland Clinic Foundation

2024
Andrew Tang, MD, MS, Advanced Cardiac Surgery Clinical Associate, Cleveland Clinic Foundation

2023
Rachel NeMoyer, MD MPH, Staff, Hackensack Meridian Health

2022
Ramiro Fernandez, MD, Staff, Baylor College of Medicine

2021
Andrew Feczko, MD, Staff, Cleveland Clinic

2020
Abdulrhman S. Elnaggar, Staff, Penn State Health

Resident Life

The cardiothoracic training program at Cleveland Clinic encourages collaboration and teamwork both in and out of the operating room. Residents and fellows spend time outside Cleveland Clinic in department-organized journal clubs, recreational activities, and holiday events. Further, residents take advantage of the many things Cleveland has to offer. Cleveland is a mid-sized Midwestern city with the perks of big city living and world-class experiences, all at a low cost of living. The city is home to some of America’s best restaurants, including several James Beard Award winners and those of Iron Chef Michael Symon. The West Side Market is another culinary highlight with over 100 vendors. Learn more.

Residents are also part of the Cleveland Clinic House Staff Association (HSA). The HSA works to promote the well-being, education, and interests of Cleveland Clinic residents.

Resident Life Gallery

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Acting Internships

Students interested in our integrated cardiothoracic surgery residency program are strongly recommended to complete an acting internship at Cleveland Clinic.

Application Process for Acting Internships

Cleveland Clinic’s Department of Thoracic & Cardiovascular Surgery utilizes the AAMC Visiting Student Learning Opportunities (VSLO) system for acting internships.

Electives are listed under the institution “Cleveland Clinic”. Electives offered by the Department of Thoracic & Cardiovascular Surgery are:

• Adult Cardiac Surgery Acting Internship.
• Congenital Cardiac Surgery Acting Internship.
• General Thoracic Surgery Acting Internship.

At this time, we are only accepting applications from VSLO. There are no exceptions to this policy. If you do not have access to VSLO through the AAMC, we apologize but we will not be able to consider your application.

Cost & Additional Information

VSLO Applicants: You (the applicant) are responsible for paying the VSLO application fee ($15). If conditionally accepted on VSLO, Cleveland Clinic requires applicants to complete an official application on Cleveland Clinic’s website for verification and on-boarding purposes. At the time of conditional acceptance, the link to this application will be provided. Cleveland Clinic’s application fee ($200 domestic, $400 international) will be paid by the department and you will NOT be required to pay this ($200/$400) fee.

Non-VSLO Applicants: At this time, we are NOT accepting any applications outside of VSLO. There are no exceptions to this policy.

Note that while there is no formal application due date, spots fill quickly and on a rolling basis. It is to your advantage to submit your application as soon as possible. Typically, acceptances will be offered to students 60-90 days before the scheduled start of the elective period.

Adult Cardiac Surgery Acting Internship

Cleveland Clinic is nationally ranked and internationally recognized for cardiovascular care. The Department of Thoracic & Cardiovascular Surgery performs over 5,000 cardiac cases each year. The Adult Cardiac Surgery Acting Internship offers students an immersive experience in the life of a Cleveland Clinic Integrated Cardiothoracic Resident. Acting interns are paired with a member of the adult cardiac surgery faculty and work closely with our residents during this 4-week experience. Participants may optionally request a focused experience in robotic cardiac surgery, aortic surgery, or heart and lung transplantation. 

Acting interns should expect to participate in the operating room five days a week and contribute on daily rounds. Additional educational experiences include participation in overnight ICU call, structured education conferences, and journal clubs.

Supervising Faculty: Xiaoying Lou, MD

Congenital Cardiac Surgery Acting Internship

Cleveland Clinic performs over 620 congenital cardiac cases (including over 300 pediatric congenital cardiac cases) and is nationally and internationally renowned for its cardiovascular care.

As one of only 13 hospitals in the country to offer an ACGME accredited Congenital Cardiac Surgery Fellowship in 2022, Cleveland Clinic is one of the nation’s premier institutions to train in cardiothoracic surgery, especially for students interested in a career in congenital cardiac surgery.

The Congenital Cardiac Surgery Acting Internship offers students an immersive experience in the life of a Cleveland Clinic Integrated Cardiothoracic Resident. Acting interns are paired with a member of the congenital cardiac surgery faculty and work closely with our residents during this four week experience.

Acting interns should expect to participate in the operating room, clinic, and on daily rounds. Additional educational experiences include participation in structured multi-disciplinary education conferences and journal clubs.

Supervising Faculty: John Costello, MD

General Thoracic Surgery Acting Internship

With 2,000 general thoracic cases performed each year, Cleveland Clinic is one of the nation’s premier thoracic surgery programs. The General Thoracic Surgery Acting Internship offers students an immersive experience in the life of a Cleveland Clinic Integrated Cardiothoracic Resident. Acting interns are paired with a member of the general thoracic surgery faculty and work closely with our residents during this four week experience.

Acting interns should expect to participate in the operating room, clinic, and on daily rounds based on the schedule of the team they are assigned to. Additional educational experiences include optional participation in overnight ICU call up to once per week, structured education conferences, and journal clubs.

Supervising Faculty: Monisha Sudarshan, MD

Visiting Students

General Policy

For visiting students to have a high-quality, educational experience, the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery accepts a maximum of three rotators per month.

• May through December: priority will be given to Fourth-year medical students from U.S. medical schools interested in a career in cardiothoracic surgery applying to our six-year Integrated Thoracic Surgery Residency.
• January through April: applications from U.S. and international medical students, residents, fellows, and physicians interested in rotating or observing will be considered.

Visiting U.S. Medical Student Sub-Internships

Expectations

Applicants must be in good academic standing, receive academic credit from their home school, be progressing toward a Doctor of Medicine or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree at an accredited institution, and be applying to the upcoming NRMP Match cycle with an interest in a career in cardiothoracic surgery. This rotation is an excellent opportunity for you to evaluate our six-year Integrated Thoracic Surgery Residency and gives us an opportunity to get to know you as a potential applicant.

Rotation Experience

1. Rounding responsibilities: sub-interns will be assigned to one attending’s service and paired with a senior resident or fellow. You will round on that attending’s patients with the senior trainee each morning. By the end of your rotation, your goal should be to round independently on patients in the step-down unit and round together with your senior in the ICU.
2. OR experience: you and your senior will cover your attending’s cases. Expect to take an active role in the operating room, assisting your senior with opening, cannulating, and closing. On your attending’s non-operative days, you may choose to join them in clinic or may be assigned to an operating room with a different attending.
3. Resident education: you will attend resident education every Wednesday morning from 7 – 11 a.m. This includes M&M conference or Grand Rounds from 7 – 8 a.m., followed by either wet lab or a resident-led didactic with a faculty facilitator from 8:30 – 11 a.m.
4. Final presentation: during the final week of the rotation, you will give a 10-minute presentation to the residents directly following education. Use an interesting case you saw during your rotation as a springboard to deliver a brief didactic on any topic within cardiothoracic surgery.

Application Information

Cleveland Clinic uses the Visiting Student Learning Opportunities (VSLO) portal administered by the AAMC to receive visiting medical student applications. For more information on VSLO, please visit their website or email visitingstudents@aamc.org.

International Observers

Expectations

Please see Cleveland Clinic’s International Physician Observership Program for eligibility criteria. All observers must obtain a Cleveland Clinic faculty sponsor. This individual is a staff surgeon within the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery who has agreed to serve as your sponsor/mentor during your observership.

Rotation Experience

Observers are considered shadowers. You cannot have direct patient care responsibilities and are not allowed to scrub into the OR. You are allowed to be sterilely wrapped in a reversed surgical gown to stand near the surgical field. Observers may shadow their faculty sponsor’s surgical cases but may not attend cases with other faculty unless permission has been obtained ahead of time.

How to Apply

1. Applicants must apply to Cleveland Clinic’s International Physician Observership Program.
2. Additionally, applicants must email the following information to our administrative program coordinators April Rampersad (rampera@ccf.org) and Bridget Lynch (lynchb@ccf.org):
   1. Preferred dates for observership
   2. Curriculum vitae
   3. Letter of interest explaining your desire to complete an observership in cardiothoracic surgery at Cleveland Clinic (500-word maximum)
   4. A letter of recommendation from a physician you have worked with endorsing you as a candidate for this observership.
   5. Proof that a Cleveland Clinic staff cardiothoracic surgeon has agreed to serve as your faculty sponsor. This should be in the form of an email from that staff member.

NOTE: applications missing any of the above components will not be considered. Spots will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis once an individual has been accepted.

Application Process

The integrated program accepts three residents per year while the independent program accepts one fellow per year. We participate in the NRMP match. All applicants must apply through the ERAS website. All applicants must have completed a medical school degree.

Contact

For additional information, please contact:

Cleveland Clinic
Department of Thoracic & Cardiovascular Surgery
9500 Euclid Ave., Desk J4-1
Cleveland, OH 44195

April Rampersad
Cardiothoracic Surgery Residency Program Coordinator
Email: rampera@ccf.org
Phone: 216.678.1425

Bridget Lynch
Cardiothoracic Surgery Residency Program Coordinator
Email: lynchb@ccf.org
Phone: 216.894.7484