Adult Congenital Heart Disease (ACHD) Fellowship

The Adult Congenital Heart Disease (ACHD) Fellowship is a two-year, ACGME-accredited program that prepares physicians for independent practice in this specialized field. Fellows gain comprehensive training in the inpatient and outpatient management of adult congenital heart disease, along with expertise in non-invasive imaging, transcatheter interventions, cardio-obstetrics, pulmonary hypertension, advanced heart failure therapies, and exercise physiology. The program also supports individual interests to help trainees develop a well-rounded skill set.

Program Aims

Provide rigorous educational, clinical, and procedural experiences in adult congenital heart disease at three distinct, nationally recognized hospitals (Parkland Memorial Hospital, Clements University Hospital and Children’s Medical Center) with unique and complex patient populations.
Train exemplary, highly skilled ACHD specialists from all backgrounds who strive for clinical excellence and provide equitable, compassionate, patient-centered care across all levels of complexity.
Foster the development of future ACHD leaders prepared to innovate, educate and investigate new approaches to comprehensive ACHD care.
Create a collaborative learning environment that promotes and values respect, collegiality, and individual well-being.
Develop an individualized educational experience for each trainee to launch a unique, fulfilling, and impactful career.
Prepare graduates to successfully attain board certification in Adult Congenital Heart Disease, and to thereafter practice lifelong learning and improvement with humility, curiosity and adaptability to tackle the future changes and challenges in healthcare.

Application Process

We accept applications through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS), grant interviews, and participate in the NRMP Medicine and Pediatric Specialties Match process (NRMP Code 2835153S0). ERAS applications to our program must include a curriculum vitae (CV), transcripts of USMLE Steps 1-3 and/or COMLEX Level 1-3 equivalent(s), a Personal Statement, and a minimum of three letters of recommendation (up to a maximum of four), including one from a program director. UT Southwestern accepts J-1 visa sponsorship by the ECFMG.
Clinical Training
Fellows receive intensive, hands-on experience in a wide range of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, including:
- Transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography
- Cardiac catheterization, diagnostic and interventional
- Cardiac computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging
Research Opportunities
Scholarly Activity

Fellows are encouraged to engage in research projects, with support for both clinical and translational studies. Opportunities include:
- Participation in ongoing research initiatives, including clinical trials
- Collaboration with faculty on scholarly activities
- Development and execution of independent research projects
- Presentation of research findings at national and international conferences such as ISACHD (ACHD Symposium), ACC, AHA, SCAI, or PICS
- Publication of research in peer-reviewed journals
Training Sites
Training occurs at Clements University Hospital and affiliated institutions including Parkland Memorial Hospital and Children's Medical Center, ensuring exposure to a variety of cases and patient populations.
- Parkland
- CUH
- Children's
Parkland Memorial Hospital

Parkland Memorial Hospital is an exemplary, nationally recognized county hospital where our faculty and fellows have the privilege of caring for Dallas County’s most vulnerable patients. Opened in August 2015, the hospital is a 2.8 million-square-foot facility with 862 beds, and is one of the largest and most modern county hospitals in the nation.

Parkland provides a rich clinical training environment but also an excellent opportunity for research in quality improvement, health disparities, and outcomes.

William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital

Opened in December 2014 and recently expanded to a 750‑bed facility, Clements University Hospital integrates innovative design, advanced technology, and evidence-based practice to deliver exceptional patient care. The hospital features 120 ICU beds; six state-of-the-art cath and EP labs; and the full infrastructure of a leading academic medical center, including conference rooms with videoconferencing capabilities on every floor, an ICU-based simulation room for clinical training, and dedicated “touchdown” areas for case review and collaboration. Each patient room is equipped for teleconferencing, and every floor includes space that supports ongoing clinical research.

Children’s Medical Center

Children’s Medical Center is a premier pediatric academic hospital and the primary training site for UT Southwestern’s pediatric programs. As one of the nation’s top children’s hospitals, it provides comprehensive, high‑acuity care across a spectrum of specialties. The 487‑bed facility and Level I Pediatric Trauma Center serves as a major transplant center for pediatric kidney, liver, intestine, heart, and bone marrow transplantation. With its breadth of expertise, advanced infrastructure, and deep commitment to education, Children’s Health delivers exceptional care to the region’s most complex pediatric patients.
Curriculum and Conferences
Didactics and Multidisciplinary Education

The ACHD fellowship includes structured didactic sessions to reinforce clinical skills and knowledge, including:
- ACHD core curriculum
  - Anatomy and physiology relevant to congenital heart disease in the adult
  - Didactics specific to ACHD topics, such as Tetralogy of Fallot, Eisenmenger syndrome, pregnancy in ACHD, ASD, VSD, and Single Ventricle patients.
  - Indications, techniques, and complications of adult congenital cardiac interventions
  - Multidisciplinary approaches to patient management, including weekly adult congenital surgical conference and CMC surgical conference.
- ACHD-specific journal clubs
- Preparation for ABIM board examination
- Clinical pathological correlation and cardiac anatomy, including pig dissection
- Patient safety conference (Formerly known as morbidity and mortality conference)
- Additionally, there are several Cardiology and Cardiothoracic Surgery conferences scheduled throughout the week. Fellows are welcome to attend any or all of them as time and interest permits
Clinical training is supplemented with high-yield educational activities, including:
- Fellowship boot camp
- Hands-on cardiac anatomy lessons through pig dissections and pathology specimens, as well as virtual samples through an online application
- ACHD retreat
- National and international conferences for ACHD or subspecialties of their choosing
- Exercise physiology at the Institute of Exercise and Environmental Medicine