Overview

Overview

Find out why these physicians chose Cleveland Clinic Interventional Radiology for their fellowships and how you can be prepared for some of the most intense experiences in IR. The exposure to world-renowned physicians and available experiences makes for a rounded experience in fellowships and residencies at Cleveland Clinic.

Cleveland Clinic, in partnership with MetroHealth Medical Center, offers an Interventional Radiology Residency program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) since September, 2017. Graduates of the program receive dual certification in Interventional Radiology and Diagnostic Radiology upon successful completion of the American Board of Radiology (ABR) certifying exam.

We offer two distinct pathways to IR certification:

  • The Interventional Radiology-Integrated Residency is a five-year training program beginning at the PGY-2 level. Residents will enter the program following the completion of an accredited one-year clinical internship. Although not required, we strongly encourage candidates to complete a surgical internship. The first three years of the program are concentrated in diagnostic radiology, with the final two years focused in interventional radiology.
  • The Interventional Radiology-Independent Residency consists of one or two years of training after having completed a Diagnostic Radiology Residency program. Two years of training are required for traditional radiology residency graduates. One year of training is required for those that have graduated from a program that had an Early Specialization in Interventional Radiology (ESIR) pathway.

Diversity & Inclusion

Discover the role diversity and inclusion plays at Cleveland Clinic and at its Graduate Medical Education program, as well as our diversity and inclusion efforts.

Learn more
Integrated Curriculum

Integrated Curriculum

We participate in the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP) and do not accept applicants outside of the match. Completed applications must be received through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS).

Application requirements and process

  • Medical school transcript.
  • Three letters of recommendation.
  • USMLE scores: Step I & Step II transcripts, COMLEX only will not suffice.
  • Personal statement.
  • Curriculum vitae.
  • Photo.

Submission dates

Additional information

  • An ACGME-accredited preliminary year must be completed prior to radiology training..
  • Cleveland Clinic sponsors J-1 and H-1B visas; please contact Janice Bianco at biancoj@ccf.org with any visa-related questions.
  • There is no cut-off date for graduation from medical school.

Other resources

Interviews

Interviews will take place from October through December.

After review of the applications, candidates will be sent formal invitations via the email address supplied through ERAS. Members of the interview committee include faculty from both Cleveland Clinic and MetroHealth Medical Center, program directors of interventional radiology and diagnostic radiology, and residents.

Eligibility to apply

To be considered for admission into the residency program, applicants must meet the following eligibility requirements:

  • A medical degree from one of the following:
    • Accredited medical school in the United States or Canada; or
    • Accredited college of osteopathic medicine in the United States; or
    • Medical school outside of the United States or Canada, along with ECFMG certification.

IR-integrated residents will have the same educational experience as the diagnostic radiology residents during the first three years of training. During the last two years, residents are on IR and IR-related services only.

Curriculum

PGY-2 through PGY-4

Rotations on the following services:

  • Biopsy.
  • Body Imaging (CT/MR/GI).
  • Breast Imaging.
  • Cardiac Imaging.
  • Emergency Department.
  • Interventional Radiology.
  • Musculoskeletal Radiology.
  • Neuroradiology (CT/MR).
  • Nuclear Radiology / PET.
  • OB Ultrasound.
  • Pediatric Imaging.
  • Thoracic Imaging.
  • Trauma Radiology (MetroHealth Medical Center).
  • Ultrasound Imaging.

PGY-5 & PGY-6

Rotations on the following services:

  • Breast Imaging.
  • ICU.
  • Interventional Radiology.
  • Liver Transplant.
  • Neuro Interventional Radiology.
  • Vascular Surgery.
  • Vascular Ultrasound.

Conferences

During the first three years of the program, residents will attend diagnostic radiology morning conferences, Monday-Friday, 7:30 -9:00 AM. Residents are also offered an on-site board review during the third year from March through June.

Time

 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
7:30 a.m. Abdominal Imaging Variable Breast Imaging Neuroradiology Interventional Radiology
8:15 a.m. Nuclear Radiology Thoracic Imaging (Cardiac Imaging every 3rd week) Pediatric Radiology Physics Musculoskeletal Radiology

In the last two years of the program, residents will attend the following conferences:

  • Introduction to inventory & Advanced Workstations.
  • Quality & Safety.
  • Liver Cancer.
  • Dialysis Intervention.
  • Gynecologic Interventions.
  • Portal Hypertension & Transplant.
  • GI & Biliary Interventions.
  • Urinary Interventions.
  • Emergency IR.
  • Palliative IR.
  • PAD/AVM.
  • Vascular Imaging & Aortic Interventions.
  • Venous Disease/IVC filters & PE.
Independent Curriculum

Independent Curriculum

How to apply

We participate in the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP) and do not accept applicants outside of the match. Completed applications must be received through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS).

We are not biased towards or against applicants who have completed ESIR or non-ESIR pathways. 

Application requirements and process:

  • Medical school transcript and MPSE.
  • Three letters of recommendation.
    • ESIR applicants must provide standardized letter from program director letter confirming ESIR status with a block diagram attached showing the residency schedule.
  • USMLE scores: Step I and 2 transcripts, COMLEX only will not suffice.
  • Personal statement.
  • Curriculum vitae.
  • Photo.

Submission dates

  • Applications can be submitted through ERAS starting in November.

Eligibility to apply

To be considered for admission into the residency program, applicants must meet the following eligibility requirements:

  • A medical degree from one of the following:
    • Accredited medical school in the United States or Canada; or
    • Accredited college of osteopathic medicine in the United States; or
    • Medical school outside of the United States or Canada, along with ECGMG certification
  • Completion of an ACGME accredited diagnostic radiology residency program.
  • ESIR applicants must upload a letter from their program director verifying acceptance into the ESIR program, a 4 year block diagram, and case log report. 

Interviews

Interviews will take place between January and March.

After review of the applications, candidates will be sent formal invitations via the email address supplied through ERAS. Members of the interview committee may include faculty from both Cleveland Clinic and participating sites.

Additional information

  • Cleveland Clinic sponsors J-1 and H-1B visas; please contact Janice Bianco at biancoj@ccf.org with any visa-related questions.
  • There is no cut-off date for graduation from medical school.

Other resources

Integrated Residents

Integrated Residents

PGY-5

Anouva Kalra-Lall, MD

Anouva Kalra-Lall, MD

  • Medical School: Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
  • PGY-1: Cleveland Clinic – General Surgery

Wei Lue Tong, MD

Wei Lue Tong, MD

  • University of South Florida College of Medicine
  • PGY-1: Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point – General Surgery

PGY-4

Kunaal Bafna, MD 

Kunaal Bafna, MD

  • University of Toledo College of Medicine
  • PGY-1: UPMC Mercy – General Surgery

PGY-3

Rayan Abboud, MD 

Rayan Abboud, MD

  • Wake Forest University School of Medicine
  • PGY-1:University Hospital Regional Hospitals – Transitional year

Ayana Dambaeva, MD 

Ayana Dambaeva, MD

  • Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
  • PGY-1: Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle WA – Surgical preliminary year

PGY-2

Isaak Sverdlov, MD

Isaak Sverdlov, MD

  • Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine – New York
  • PGY-1: Christ Hospital  – Internal Medicine

Daniel Hivick, MD

Daniel Hivick, MD

  • Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
  • PGY-1: CarePoint Health Bayonne Medical Center – Transitional year
Independent Residents

Independent Residents

PGY-6

Dhruv Patel, MD

Dhruv Patel, MD

  • DR at Nepean Hospital – Australia
  • IR Fellow at Westmead Hospital – Australia

No Photo Available

Satwant Khela, MD

  • IR at Dayanard Medical College and India

Alireza Paydar, MD

Alireza Paydar, MD

  • DR at Namazi Hospital – Iran
  • IR at Emam Khomaini Hospital – Iran
  • Neuroradiology Fellow UC – Davis Medical Center
Program Leadership

Program Leadership

dustin thompson
Dustin Thompson, MD
Program Director, Interventional Radiology Residency Programs,
Associate Program Director, Diagnostic Radiology Residency Program
Cleveland Clinic
9500 Euclid Ave., L10
Cleveland, Ohio 44195

Joseph Veniero, MD, PhD
Joseph C. Veniero, MD, PhD
Associate Program Director, Interventional Radiology Integrated Program
Program Director, Diagnostic Radiology Residency Program
Cleveland Clinic
9500 Euclid Ave., L10
Cleveland, Ohio 44195

D. Alex Paratore, DO
D. Alex Paratore, DO
Associate Program Director, Interventional Radiology Independent Program
Cleveland Clinic
9500 Euclid Ave., L10
Cleveland, Ohio 44195

Rebecca Loew
Program Coordinator
9500 Euclid Ave., L10
Cleveland, Ohio 44195
216.445.4900
loewr@ccf.org

Faculty

Faculty

Cleveland Clinic Main Campus

MetroHealth Medical Center

  • Brian Pagano, MD – Site Director, Interventional Radiology Independent Program – MetroHealth
  • Michael Markovic, MD – Program Director, Diagnostic Radiology Residency – MetroHealth
  • James Scott Williams, MD – Neuro Interventional Radiology - MetroHealth

Cleveland Clinic Florida

Cleveland Clinic Akron General Health Center

Benefits & Resources

Benefits & Resources

All residents are Cleveland Clinic employees and are eligible for all employee benefits:

Salary

Please refer to the table below for new salary rates, effective May 16, 2023:

Graduate Level Annual Rate Per Pay Rate
1 $63,457 $2,644
2 $65,596 $2,733
3 $67,715 $2,821
4 $70,364 $2,932
5 $72,709 $3,030
6 $75,569 $3,149
7 $78,072 $3,253
8 $79,594 $3,316
9 $81,122 $3,380

As a trainee, you are compensated at the graduate level required to enter the program in which you are starting, regardless of the past training experience you may have acquired. Many trainees are appointed a year or more in advance. Due to the timing of your appointment, the salary as stated in the appointment letter may be incorrect.

Trainees are paid via direct deposit on the 15th and the last working day of the month.

Health insurance

Comprehensive health plan that covers residents and immediate family members (spouse and eligible children).

Maternity/paternity leave

Caregivers eligible for maternity leave (biological mothers) will receive 100% pay for up to 8 consecutive weeks following the birth of a child. Parental leave is for use by all parents to care for and/or bond with their newborn or newly adopted child. Caregivers eligible for parental leave (biological mother or father, or adopting parent) will receive 100% pay for up to 4 consecutive weeks following the birth or adoption of a child. Caregivers eligible for both benefits will receive up to 8 consecutive weeks of maternity leave plus up to 4 consecutive weeks of parental leave — for a total of 12 weeks with 100% pay. Trainees are urged to discuss maternity and parental leave with their program director to determine if they will need to make up time to meet board requirements.

Employee assistance program (EAP)

Confidential assessments, short-term counseling and referral services at no cost to the employee.

Employee wellness program

Various wellness programs and on-site fitness center.

Useful benefit links

Vacation policy

Residents receive 15 days of vacation and 5 days of personal time off per academic year. During the first 3 years of diagnostic training, the residents also receive one week off around a major holiday.

Educational resources

Incoming residents receive a Cleveland Clinic issued iPhone for the entire length of training. Both Cleveland Clinic and MetroHealth campuses have medical libraries and simulation centers. Residents are also given access to an extensive radiology resident library, SIR Residency Fundamentals/Essentials, RadPrimer, e-Anatomy, and StatDx.

Residents have the unique opportunity to become appointed as Clinical Instructors at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University with documentation of 16 hours of medical student teaching.

The Cleveland Clinic Section of Medical Physics is composed of seven ABR board certified diagnostic physicists, sub-specialized in specific imaging modalities. This group provides a comprehensive physics curriculum for the Radiology Residents, including both didactic and laboratory sessions for hands-on learning. Residents are required to take an annual RAPHEX exam given by the Medical Physics section.

Academic funding

Per academic year:

  • Up to $4,000 and four meeting days for qualifying poster or presentations.
  • $850 for books, electronic devices, and e-books.

Other:

  • $3,000 for AIRP (Integrated residents only).
  • Personalized set of lead to include vest, kilt, and thyroid shield.
Research & Quality

Research & Quality

There are active ongoing research opportunities in all imaging sections and an abundance of research mentors to choose from. Residents are expected to participate in research and dedicated research time is provided to those with active projects. Time away and financial support for presentations at scientific meetings is available from both the GME office and our Imaging Institute, up to four days.

Residents are required to develop a Quality Improvement & Patient Safety (QPIS) project during training. Adequate time is made available for protocol design and implementation, research, data analysis and writing. The residents participate in the Solutions for Value Enhancement (Solve) program under the direction the Imaging Institute Quality Officer.

For more information

Clinical Training Sites

Clinical Training Sites

Resident training will take place at Cleveland Clinic main campus, Cleveland Clinic Florida, Cleveland Clinic Akron General Health Center, MetroHealth Medical Center, and Hillcrest Hospital. By rotating to various sites, residents are ensured comprehensive exposure to the full scope of interventional radiology.

Cleveland Clinic Foundation

The Imaging Institute at Cleveland Clinic is one of the busiest clinical departments in the country, performing more than 2.4 million examinations every year. The IR section provides clinical services in seven all digital angiographic suites, and houses two 3T and four 1.5T  Siemens MR scanners, five 128-slice, one 64-slice, one 20-slice and one 16-slice Siemens CT scanners, 15 Siemens Acuson and one Phillips CX50 color Doppler-equipped ultrasound units. Additionally, there is one Siemens Biograph mMR 3T PET/MR scanner in clinical use. The section operates with an integrated PACS, RIS and voice recognition program.

MetroHealth Medical Center

MetroHealth operates four hospitals, four emergency departments and more than 20 health centers and 40 additional sites throughout Cuyahoga County. The system serves more than 300,000 patients, two-thirds of whom are uninsured or covered by Medicare or Medicaid.

MetroHealth is home to Cuyahoga County’s most experienced Level I Adult Trauma Center, verified since 1992, and Ohio’s only adult and pediatric trauma and burn center.

Hillcrest Hospital

Hillcrest Hospital is a 500-bed, busy community hospital and level 2 trauma center on the East side of Cleveland and is part of the Cleveland Clinic Health System. Residents rotating at Hillcrest Hospital are exposed to a large number of outpatients for procedures including port implantation for chemotherapy, biliary and nephrostomy management, and a growing number of pre-radioembolization hepatic angiograms. The gastroenterology and urology services at Hillcrest Hospital work closely with us and consult us frequently for management of biliary obstruction, gastrointestinal hemorrhage, percutaneous access for renal stone removal, and post-operative complications. The trauma service also provides for visceral and peripheral embolization procedures.    

Cleveland Clinic Florida

Located in Weston Florida, the Cleveland Clinic Florida Campus provides an opportunity for Interventional Radiology Residents to learn in a high-volume, highly collaborative clinical environment. There are four dedicated IR faculty who work in two Siemens Biplane rooms, two Siemens Single plane rooms and perform CT and Ultrasound guided procedures. There are between 10-15 angio cases per day which include peripheral vascular disease, aortic endografts, carotid stents, intra-arterial cancer therapies, ablations, biopsies, as well as the full gamut of Interventional procedures. There are between 10-15 CT/US cases per day as well as all aspects of Interventional Oncology and liver and heart transplant. The mantra at Weston is that all radiology procedures with a needle are done by IR. The IR resident will be the only trainee in IR during the rotation and will have the opportunity to tailor their daily experience to augment their education based upon the case mix of the day.

There are two dedicated nurse practitioners as well as a nurse coordinator and two IR schedulers. Clinic patients are seen daily during the week. Residents will attend morning conference by video conference weekly and will present their cases via video conference during the weekly case conference. Housing and transportation are provided for the one- or two-month rotations that happen during the year.

Cleveland Clinic Akron General Health Center

CCF-AGMC is a regional 500+ bed community hospital with trauma level I status and a fully integrated stroke program.

Currently five Interventional Radiologists cover IR procedures at AGMC as well as two other regional hospitals (CCF-Medina & CCF-Mercy).

Currently, two additional body imagers provide image-guided biopsy and drainage coverage. An additional pediatric interventional radiologist covers Akron Children’s Hospital. Night and weekend call for all facilities is shared by a total of six interventional radiologists.

Our interventional assignments include IR 1 (traditional bi-plane interventional suite); IR 2 (Image guided biopsies, drainages, & ablations); and a vein center with IR clinic. IR staff also rotates to Mercy and Medina IR, but trainees do not currently participate at those locations.

Residents in both the integrated (PGY-5+6) and independent (PGY-6+7) IR residencies rotate to CCF-AGMC for a four week block each year. They gain independence performing image-guided biopsies and drainages, ureteral access for surgical nephrolithotomy, and other bread and butter IR procedures. Additionally, they gain experience with pain management, venous insufficiency and cosmetic venous procedures, which are not commonly performed at our other sites.