Rush University Medical Center

1725 W. Harrison St., Suite 774
Chicago, IL 60612
 

Christopher W. Seder, MD
Program Director
Chief of Thoracic Surgery

Nicole Geissen, DO
Associate Program Director

Antone Tatooles, MD 
Chief of Cardiac Surgery
Associate Program Director

Michael Liptay, MD
Chairman of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery

Laura Witt
Program Coordinator

Program Information

• Traditional program
• Separate thoracic and cardiac track
• Two residents accepted per year (one to thoracic track, one to cardiac track)

Program Description

Cardiothoracic Surgery Fellowship

Welcome and thank you for your interest in the Cardiothoracic Surgery training program at Rush University Medical Center. The department is led by Michael J. Liptay, MD, The Mary and John Bent Professor of Surgery and Chairman of the Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery. Our program director is Christopher W. Seder, MD, and the associate program directors are Antone Tatooles, MD, and Nicole M. Geissen, DO. 

A message from Drs. Liptay and Seder:

Through a stimulating and dynamic two-year curriculum, our committed faculty will comprehensively train you to provide the highest-quality cardiac and general thoracic surgical care. The high volume and variety of pathologies seen at Rush University Medical Center, John H. Stroger Hospital of Cook County, and Advocate Christ Medical Center allows for a rigorous and diverse surgical experience. Many of our graduates advance to excellent academic and private practice opportunities or secure prestigious fellowship training positions at world-class institutions.

In our program, you will build an understanding of anatomy, physiology, and pathophysiology of adult cardiovascular, respiratory and upper gastrointestinal diseases through peri-operative care, performing cardiothoracic surgical procedures and post operative follow up. Fellows are exposed to minimally invasive thoracic surgery, including complex endoscopic, laparoscopic, VATS and robotic approaches; as well as new and innovative techniques in adult cardiac surgery including percutaneous valve implantation, ventricular assist devices, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, transplantation, and aortic stent grafting.

Best wishes on your career journey,

Christopher W. Seder, MD                           Michael J. Liptay, MD

Program Director                                             Chairman

How to apply

Each year, we appoint two fellows on August 1. The program includes one fellow per year in the cardiac & thoracic track. 

To be considered, you must have completed an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited general surgical residency and be eligible for examination by the American Board of Surgery. You may then apply for examination by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery.

Curriculum

The two-year Cardiothoracic Surgery Fellowship at Rush University Medical Center provides a well-balanced operative and didactic experience in both cardiac and thoracic surgery. Our primary focus is training competent surgeons in a multidisciplinary setting.

Our bi-weekly didactic sessions follow the Thoracic Surgery Directors Association (TSDA) curriculum throughout the two-year period.

Conferences

Protected educational time occurs Wednesday mornings and Friday mornings. The Wednesday morning conference consists of oral board preparation, faculty lectures and SESATS review. Friday morning sessions are dedicated to small group review of the TSDA curriculum through directed readings from the online Learning Management System.

Morbidity and Mortality conferences occur monthly for the Department of CVT Surgery at Rush, and weekly combined with General Surgery at Stroger. There are also weekly tumor boards and cath conferences at both institutions.

Research Opportunities

Fellows are required to complete at least one project during their two-year fellowship with the goal of presentation on a national level and publication. Each fellow selects a faculty mentor for his or her project. While original ideas are supported, fellows are welcome to join one of the many projects in development by the faculty.

Simulation

Monthly surgical simulation labs are organized to reinforce surgical technique. Labs are tailored to topics such as mechanical circulatory support, valve repair, aortic procedures, coronary anastomoses, and VATS lobectomy.

Rotations

Our program supports two separate tracks in Thoracic surgery – a cardiothoracic track and a general thoracic track. We accept one fellow for each track per year, for a total of 4 fellows. Rotations are designed to meet the goals of each track, allowing some freedom in the second year to tailor the experience to each fellow’s particular interests.

Rotation Block Diagram