Clinical Training Fellowships in Cardiovascular Imaging

Clinical Training Fellowships in Cardiovascular Imaging

Previous and current fellows

Phd imaging student and staff looking at images

The Department of Biomedical Imaging Science in the Leeds Institute of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine (LICAMM) in collaboration with the Department of Cardiology at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust are offering clinical training fellowships for specialised training in Cardiovascular Imaging. The fellowship:

Is based in an internationally leading academic environment and a large tertiary cardiology centre equipped with state of the art clinical imaging facilities
Includes access to a modern preclinical imaging centre
Is led by world-leading experts in cardiovascular imaging

Clinical imaging fellowships

Multimodality Cardiovascular Imaging Fellowship

Pre-award fellowship in CMR

Short term clinical CMR fellowship for level 2 and level 3 CMR accreditation

If you are interesting research opportunities please see our dedicated PhD opportunities in Cardiovascular Imaging

About us

The Department of Biomedical Imaging Science at the University of Leeds

The Department of Biomedical Imaging Science is a multi-disciplinary research and teaching group dedicated to the development, clinical translation and clinical application of innovative biomedical imaging methods. We are part of the Leeds Institute of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine (LICAMM), which is focussed on discovering new principles for detecting, treating and preventing heart attacks and other cardiovascular diseases. We also deliver cutting-edge student education so that the next generation is equipped to overcome diseases of this type.

The Leeds Teaching Hospital NHS Trust (LTHT)

Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is one of the largest teaching hospitals in Europe, a regional and national centre for specialist treatment, a world-renowned biomedical research facility, a leading clinical trials research unit and also the local hospital for the Leeds community. LTHT have access to some of the country's leading clinical expertise and the most advanced medical technology in the world. It provides local and specialist services for our immediate population of 770,000 and regional specialist care for up to 5.4 million people.

The cardiac services include the largest Transcatheter Aortic valve Implantation (TAVI) and Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) services in the country and host state of the art facilities for investigation and treatment of heart rhythm disorders; they provide care for around 8,000 patients admitted acutely and 2,500 patients admitted for planned (elective) treatments each year. In addition, there are 15,000 attendances each year to our outpatient services.

Imaging Facilities

Msc student in front of mri scanner with blanks for calibration on screen

Our world-class imaging facilities are partly shared between the University and hospital to maximise patient benefit and optimise the clinical research set-up. Our facilities include

A dedicated clinical MRI research facility with the latest generation 1.5 T and 3 T MRI scanners (Philips and Siemens)
A new National Centre for Hyperpolarised MRI funded by the Medical Research Council
Clinical CT, SPECT, PET/CT scanners
A very large cardiac ultrasound department offering all current echocardiographic methods
A new state of the art preclinical imaging facility (ePIC) with high-field MRI, optical imaging, CT, and PET/SPECT.

These facilities support major translational imaging programmes and provide opportunities for researchers and clinicians with experience in preclinical and molecular imaging.

For further detail see our facilities directory or the Clinical Imaging Page.

Imaging fellowships

Multimodality Cardiovascular Imaging Fellowship

This fellowship is designed to train cardiovascular specialists in advanced Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance, Cardiovascular Computed Tomography and Echocardiography. Whilst clinically focused, it offers opportunities to be involved in research. At the end of the fellowship, trainees will be trained in all three modalities suitable for Level 3 certification and have a foundation in imaging research.

Duration: 1 to 2 years. Shorter fellowships can be considered.
Funding: Self-funded (e.g. external fellowship schemes such as those awarded by the ESC, EACVI or other organisations). Applicants without external funding will not be accepted to this programme.
Fees: No fees are charged for this fellowship. Fellows are responsible for their own MD/PhD fees.
Applicants: UK or International Cardiology or Radiology trainees seeking higher cardiovascular imaging training. Basic imaging knowledge is a prerequisite.
Clinical training: The programme is designed to offer clinical training in the following imaging modalities: CMR/CT/Echocardiography. Training in Nuclear Imaging can be provided on request. Activities will include direct observation/performance/supervision of exams, formal coursework, interdisciplinary meetings and regular reporting sessions with the experts. The Cardiovascular Imaging clinical service is embedded in the Cardiology Department at LTHT. The department performs more than 2500 CMR scans yearly, 1200 CT coronary angiograms in addition to a large number of gated scans for valvular heart disease supporting the largest TAVI programme in the country. The Echocardiography department performs more than 25,000 transthoracic studies, 4,000 stress echocardiograms, 500 transoesophageal echocardiograms, congenital and paediatric scans and has all the current methodology. The department is supported by 9 imaging consultants cardiologist dedicated to cardiovascular imaging and with a broad range of expertise.
Research: participation in imaging research is encouraged and mentorship will be arranged in agreement with the fellows in consideration of their scientific interests. As part of the research activities, participation in specialist courses and submission of abstracts to imaging conferences is encouraged.
Previous /current fellows: here you will find information about our previous and current fellows ( link to fellow page)

How to apply for the Multimodality Cardiovascular Imaging Fellowship

Applicants should email the following supporting documentation to the CMR fellowship inbox.

Cover letter indicating the reason for applying
Full Academic CV
Two references from academic referees.

Pre-award fellowship in CMR

The Department of Biomedical Imaging Science offers a Pre-award fellowship scheme for applicants wishing to undertake research in CMR to prepare them for a funding application to a charity, research council or other suitable funding agency. During the time of the fellowship, the fellows will support a range of externally funded projects in the Department, alongside will be able to focus on a project of their own and receive support with collecting pilot data, developing a research proposal and writing a personal application.

Duration: Up to 3 years (typically first year funded by Department and subsequent years funded through an external grant)
Funding: Seed-funded by the University of Leeds
Fees: No fees are charged for this fellowship. Fellows are responsible for their own MD/PhD fees.
Applicants: UK or International Cardiology or Radiology trainees with a documented background in cardiovascular imaging and a demonstrated interest in research (e.g. at least one publication as first author). Aiming for MD or PhD qualification.
Research: The main purpose of this fellowship is to support the ongoing research programme in the Department of Biomedical Imaging Science. Fellows will support a range of research studies whilst focusing on a subject of their interest. The fellowship is expected to lead to a higher degree (MD or PhD). Fellows will be supported in submitting applications to obtain external personal funding during the fellowship.
Clinical: fellows will have the opportunity to actively contribute to a highly stimulating clinical environment with over 2,500 clinical CMR scans/year and multiple daily MRI clinical lists and session. They will have opportunities for clinical training encompassing a broad array of cardiac clinical MRI applications with regular reporting sessions with world leading experts. Level 2/3 CMR certification is expected at the end of the fellowship.

How to apply for the Pre-award CMR fellowship

Applicants should email the following supporting documentation to the CMR fellowship inbox.

Cover letter indicating the reason for applying
Full Academic CV.
Two references from academic referees

Short term clinical CMR fellowship for level 2 and level 3 CMR accreditation

The short term CMR fellowships are intended for fellows/consultants with basic knowledge of CMR who wish to expand their knowledge and obtain Level 2/3 certification.

Programme

Duration: 3 to 12 months
Funding: Self-funded
Fees: Fees will apply and depend on duration and nature of your study, applicants must self-fund this fellowship and a list of potential grants is featured below. For further information on fees please contact the CRM fellowship inbox.
Applicants: UK or International cardiology or Radiology trainees or consultants. International applicants must demonstrate a good knowledge of English.
The programme is focused on bespoke, personalised training and support and includes:

Educational training covering weekly sessions on MRI physics, basic principles of pulse sequence design, scanner interfaces, and protocol optimization
Clinical: the CMR department performs >2,500 clinical CMR scans/year, exceeding requirements for level 3 accreditation. Opportunities for clinical training encompass a broad array of cardiac clinical MRI applications, including imaging related to acute myocardial infarction/viability assessment, stress perfusion, heart failure/cardiomyopathy, congenital heart disease; training will include a variety of CMR techniques, from standard to novel, such as quantitative mapping, dynamic contrast enhancement imaging, 4D flow. Trainees will be expected to actively participate to biweekly case review sessions with internationally recognised CMR clinician-scientists.
Regular reporting sessions with world leading experts.
Practical: covering hands-on MRI practice on console. Practice will include a period of training followed by independent scanning.
Research: opportunities will arise from a vast spectrum of studies including clinical trials, translational studies, pulse sequence development (diffusion tensor imaging, 4D flow, spectroscopy), validation and optimization studies, computational modelling/post processing algorithms. Training in clinical and translational research techniques will be provided by faculty in cardiology, radiology, physics, and biomedical engineering, with opportunities for multiple publications (the trainee is expected to have published at least 1 review paper during the fellowship with more opportunities for multiple co-authorships). Funding will be provided to present research (accepted abstracts) at approved extramural conferences (e.g. SCMR, BCS, BSCMR) as well as authorship of manuscripts in high impact journals.
Trainees will participate in 3 monthly medical imaging seminars. Imaging seminars bring together researchers across the University and National Health Service who share a common interest in medical imaging. Each seminar consists of one or two talks by local or invited experts, presenting recent research for a mixed audience.