Adult Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology Fellowship

Overview

The Adult Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology Fellowship program at Cleveland Clinic began in 1976 and today is the largest with 18 fellows per year. Consistently competitive candidates from residency programs across the U.S. apply, interview and match with our program. Cleveland Clinic is nationally and internationally renowned for its cardiovascular care.

• Fellows participate in a large variety of complex, high acuity cases.
• Faculty are dedicated to educating and mentoring the next generation of cardiothoracic anesthesiologists.
• Fellows at the end of fellowship demonstrate proficiency at perioperative management and echocardiography of cardiothoracic surgical patients along with developing their personal professional interest including leadership, research and educational and are prepared to enter the next phase.

Fellowship contact information:

Jennifer Hargrave, DO, FAOCA, FASA
Cardiothoracic Anesthesia Fellowship Program Director

Program Manager 
Janelle Olszko, BA
Phone 216.780.0767
Fax 216.445.2536
Olszkoj@ccf.org

Two Program Interest

Adult Cardiothoracic and Critical Care Medicine Anesthesiology Fellowships

Two-year appointment/commitment

The American Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) provides individual accreditation for the following anesthesiology specialty fellowship programs: Adult Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology (ACTA) and Anesthesiology Critical Care Medicine (CCM). ACTA and CCM remain individual and separate 12-month training programs. The individual program is responsible to provide the specific ACGME program requirements during the year of enrollment. Individuals interested in pursuing both programs at Cleveland Clinic can follow the following process:

• Applications
  • Applicants pursuing sequential ACTA and CCM fellowships at Cleveland Clinic must submit applications through the SF Match to both ACTA and CCM programs and indicate an interest in both training programs.
  • Dual interviews are not guaranteed.
• Match
  • The Cleveland Clinic ACTA and CCM programs participate and remain in compliance with the rules and regulations of the SF Match.
  • The SF Match allows for exceptions to be requested prior to match day for applicants committing to institutions for more than one year or internal candidates.
• Program Structure
  • Two- one year appointments will begin on August 1 (July 1, if required by military service or a candidate on a J1-Visa).
  • Applicants may request a specific sequence regarding fellowship program enrollment.
    • The final decision will be made by the program directors with the intent to facilitate request(s).
• Completion
  • Following completion, ACTA and CCM fellows will have met the ACGME program requirements for both fellowship programs and will be eligible for board certification.

FAQs

• Positions: 18 fellows
• Accreditation: American Council Graduate Medical Education
• Clinical Volume:
  • 4,100 cardiac surgical cases including
    • Lung and heart transplant program
    • Advanced heart failure and mechanical device program
    • Minimally invasive cardiac surgery
    • Structural heart disease program
  • 1,600 thoracic surgical cases
  • 96 CVICU beds
• Two week pathology specific clinical rotations to allow for focused learning
• The only Department of Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology in the U.S.
• Bi-weekly protected education sessions
  • Departmental and multi-disciplinary didactics
  • Workshops
  • PBLD's
  • Echo conferences
• Daily echocardiography formal discussion and review sessions
• Scholarly activity availability from research projects, case reports, echo rounds and quality patient safety initiative publications and dissemination at national meetings
• Research Clinical Associate Staff position is available after fellowship:
  • Fifty percent spent developing as junior staff
  • Fifty percent spent as a clinical researcher
• Nationally renowned faculty with leadership positions throughout the subspecialty societies with a commitment to mentoring fellows and providing professional development opportunities

Structure

Rotations are distributed into four week modules (13 total modules):

Fellows 2025 - 2026

Ren Ariizumi, MD

Hometown: Seattle, WA
Undergraduate: University of Colorado at Boulder
Medical School: University of Kentucky College of Medicine
Residency: Walter Reed National Military Medical Center
Why I chose CCF: I chose CCF: Cleveland Clinic is known for the high acuity and variety of cases along with the opportunity for extensive experience placing lines, TEE, and case management. I was looking for the best opportunity to do my own cases and develop comfort and familiarity with cardiothoracic anesthesia to make me the strongest clinician I can be.

Alan Boiangu, MD

Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
Undergraduate: City University of New York - Brooklyn College
Medical School: The University of Queensland - Ochsner Clinical School
Residency: Ochsner Clinic Foundation
Why I chose CCF: When looking for a cardiac fellowship, I wanted a place that does everything. I wanted a program that exposes me to every pathology under the sun while providing good mentorship and support throughout my fellowship year. On the interview trail, no program came close to checking as many boxes as Cleveland Clinic. The teaching you get here will prepare you for any practice you choose in the future. It is an outstanding place to train.

Jayce Breig, MD

Hometown: Evergreen, CO
Undergraduate: Rollins College
Medical School: Drexel University College of Medicine
Residency: Cleveland Clinic
Why I chose CCF: Having done residency here, I knew the case quantity and acuity would be unmatched.

Jose Gallegos, MD

Hometown: Greenville, SC
Undergraduate: Wofford College
Medical School: MUSC
Residency: NYU Langone Hospital
Why I chose CCF: I wanted to train at a place where I knew I would come out as confident as possible. The acuity and volume of cases here is unmatched.

Aaron Hacker, DO

Hometown: York, PA
Undergraduate: Concord University
Medical School: Nova Southeastern University
Residency: HCA Westside Hospital
Why I chose CCF: I chose to train at the Cleveland Clinic because I wanted to be in an environment that offers the highest level of clinical complexity and acuity. A one-year fellowship is an intense and concentrated period of growth. I felt it was essential to be immersed in a program that would challenge me daily and prepare me to confidently manage any case in independent practice.

Bobby Houston, MD

Hometown: Baltimore, MD
Undergraduate: University of Maryland Baltimore County
Medical School: Ross University School of Medicine
Residency: University of Florida
Why I chose CCF: I chose to pursue a fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation (CCF) because of its esteemed reputation and its unparalleled volume of complex cardiothoracic cases. I wanted to be surrounded by experts who challenge and inspire me to grow. The training here provides the kind of experience and confidence that prepares you to practice cardiac anesthesia at the highest level—anywhere in the world.

Boris Ladyzhensky, MD

Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
Undergraduate: Vaughn College of Aeronautics
Medical School: University of Duisburg-Essen (Germany)
Residency: University Hospitals/Case Western Reserve University
Why I chose CCF: Having one of the premier centers, both nationally and worldwide, for cardiac surgery in the same city where I completed residency, it made the most sense to pursue my fellowship at CCF. The surgical volume is unmatched, the caseload is extremely diverse, and the focus on didactics and education is strong. I would recommend this fellowship to anyone who wants to get the best training possible and know that you will complete this fellowship as a competent, confident, and well-rounded cardiac anesthesiologist.

Rod Nault, MD, MS

Hometown: Rochester, NY
Undergraduate: Duke University
Medical School: Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Residency: Cleveland Clinic
Why I chose CCF: Cleveland Clinic provides an exceptional opportunity to learn all aspects of cardiothoracic anesthesiology from leaders in the field.

Chukwudubem (Dubem)Obianagha, DO

Hometown: Enugu, Nigeria/Dayton Ohio
Undergraduate: University of Nigeria, Nsukka/Wright State University
Medical School: The Ohio State University
Why I chose CCF: I wanted a robust program that would make me well prepared to tackle any cardiothoracic pathology and give my patients the best possible chance to do well post-operatively by amassing a wealth of clinical experience and case volume. Great co fellows and lifelong friends who you can consult for anything down the road.

Vinicuius Da Silva Moreira, MD

Hometown: Brasilia, Brazil
Medical School: University of Brasilia
Residency: Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center - Chicago, IL
Why I chose CCF: Cleveland Clinic offers an unmatched mix of volume and case complexity in cardiac anesthesia. It’s the kind of hands-on, high-intensity training that pushes you to grow every day and prepares you to practice with confidence in any setting.

Quinton Riter, DO

Hometown: Stow, OH
Undergraduate: Ohio University
Medical School: Ohio University- Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine
Residency: Cleveland Clinic Foundation
Why I chose CCF: Cleveland Clinic offers a wide variety of complex cases with passionate teaching faculty.

Cory Roth, MD

Hometown: Cleveland Ohio
Undergraduate: Ohio State University
Medical School: Ohio State University
Why I chose CCF: Great mix of supervision and primary anesthesiologist time as a fellow paired with incredible exposure. Also, extremely supportive attendings and a tremendous amount of protected education time.

Daniel Schiller, DO

Hometown: Long Island, New York
Undergraduate: SUNY Buffalo
Medical School: West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine
Residency: Case Western Reserve University/ MetroHealth Medical Center
Why I chose CCF: I did my residency training in Cleveland, so the ability to stay local at an institution with incredible volume and case complexity, in a department that integrates a proper balance of supervision and sitting our own cases made CCF an ideal fellowship landing spot.

Andrew Stone, MD

Hometown: Orange, CT
Undergraduate: Boston College
Medical School: University of Connecticut
Residency: Case Western Reserve University/ MetroHealth Medical Center
Why I chose CCF: CCF provides an excellent clinical foundation for ACTA fellowship where you gain invaluable experience providing care for every type of cardiothoracic case imaginable. Additionally, Dr. Hargrave is an outstanding program director who cares deeply about the wellbeing and learning of every fellow.

Brandy Sweeney, DO

Hometown: Duluth, MN
Undergraduate: College of St. Catherine
Medical School: WVSOM
Residency: University of Tennessee Health Science Center
Why I chose CCF: The decision to choose Cleveland Clinic for my fellowship was driven by the diversity of backgrounds of the people I would be training with. Having the opportunity to be exposed to unique perspectives on caring for complex patients undergoing extremely difficult surgical procedures is an experience not offered at many places. The large volume of challenging cases prepares the fellows for any future cardiothoracic anesthesiology practice.

Garrett Thomas, MD

Hometown: Ashburn, VA
Undergraduate: University of Virginia
Medical School: Wake Forest School of Medicine
Residency: Cleveland Clinic Foundation - Main Campus
Why I chose CCF: My goal in fellowship is to be prepared to take care of any cardiac surgical patient; the volume, complexity, and breadth of procedures performed at Cleveland Clinic will undoubtedly allow me to achieve this goal.

Yunjia Zhang, MD

Hometown: Xi'an, China
Undergraduate: New York University
Medical School: SUNY Upstate Medical University
Residency: NYU Langone
Why I chose CCF: To be trained in one of the best cardiac programs in the country, where education is a priority.

Requirements

• Applicants must have completed an anesthesiology residency program accredited by one of the following:
  • Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)
  • Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) or CFPC-accredited residency program located in Canada
• USMLE steps 1, 2 and 3 completion
• Be eligible for a temporary unrestrictive Ohio medical license

Application Process

All application materials must be sent directly to the San Francisco Match. In order to register and apply, please visit the SF Match and follow online instructions.

• CV
• Personal Statement
• USMLE and In-training scores
• Three letters of recommendation (one must be from the Program Director)
• ECFMG Certificate (if applicable)

Application Timeline

Important dates for fellowship application and match process can be found at SF Match*

Resources

Training at Cleveland Clinic

We invite you to explore our Graduate Medical Education website to discover the reasons why Cleveland Clinic offers an ideal teaching and learning environment as well as to learn more about our rich tradition of excellence in the “education of those who serve.”

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