Adult cardiac surgery fellowships

About this area of training

Adult cardiac surgery fellowships are post-residency posts for surgeons who want training beyond the core cardiac curriculum. Most concentrate on one area of complexity: aortic root and arch surgery, valve repair and replacement, complex or redo coronary revascularisation, minimally invasive and robotic approaches, or surgical heart failure.

Format and commitment vary widely. Some are year-long clinical fellowships with progressive operating responsibility, others are shorter observerships or travelling fellowships funded by a society, and some combine clinical work with research. Open a programme page to see the type, duration, application route and official source before you rely on any date.

Listed fellowships

Open and upcoming calls come first. Select a fellowship for eligibility, application route and its official source.

What training typically covers

• Aortic root, ascending aorta and arch surgery, including open and hybrid approaches
• Mitral, aortic and tricuspid valve repair and replacement, with heart-team decision making
• Complex and redo coronary surgery, including multiple arterial grafting
• Minimally invasive and robotic cardiac surgery
• Perioperative care, echocardiography and intensive care after cardiac surgery
• Registry, outcomes and quality work where the post has an academic component

Who it suits

Most clinical posts expect completed, or nearly completed, residency in cardiac, cardiothoracic or general surgery, plus a medical licence valid in the host country and proficiency in the language of work. Observerships and short travelling fellowships are often more flexible about licensing because they carry limited hands-on responsibility. The exact requirements are on each programme page.

Where to train

Countries: United States (23), Canada (17), United Kingdom (11), Brazil (6), Italy (6), Austria (5), Belgium (5), Japan (5), Germany (4), International (4), South Korea (4), India (3), Indonesia (3), Singapore (3), Spain (3), China (2), France (2), North America (2), Thailand (2), Colombia (1), Europe (1), Greece (1), Netherlands (1), New Zealand (1), Pakistan (1), Poland (1), Portugal (1), Sweden (1), Switzerland (1), Taiwan (1), Türkiye (1)

Institutions: InCor — Instituto do Coração, HCFMUSP (Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo) (5), EACTS Francis Fontan Fund (4), AATS Foundation (3), The Thoracic Surgery Foundation (The Society of Thoracic Surgeons) (3), AATS Foundation (host: Medical University of Vienna, Department of Cardiac Surgery) (2), Cleveland Clinic, Miller Family Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute (2), Kawasaki Aortic Center, Kawasaki Saiwai Hospital (2), National University Hospital (2), Seoul National University Hospital (2), Toronto General Hospital / University of Toronto (2), UZ Leuven (2), University of Michigan Health (2) and 76 more.

Clinical focus within these fellowships

• Aortic surgery (49)
• Valve surgery (34)
• Minimally invasive & robotic (25)
• Coronary surgery (20)
• Transplant & MCS (9)
• Research & outcomes (5)
• Critical care (2)

Counted from programme titles and focus lines. A fellowship can belong to more than one group, and each group page lists every fellowship that names it.

How to choose a programme

• Ask how much of the case mix will actually be yours. Operative exposure, first-assistant versus primary-surgeon roles and the number of fellows sharing cases matter more than the title.
• Check licensing, registration and work-rights early, because they decide whether you can hold a clinical post or only observe.
• Compare funding, duration and the credential awarded across offers rather than picking the best-known name by default.
• Contact the programme with specific questions about supervision, case volume and on-call duties before you apply.

Related guides

• Evaluate operative exposure
• Understand licensing and registration
• Compare offers beyond prestige
• Write a concise programme enquiry

Related subspecialties and topics

• Aortic surgery fellowships56 fellowships
• Heart valve surgery fellowships39 fellowships
• Coronary surgery fellowships22 fellowships
• Minimally invasive and robotic surgery fellowships78 fellowships
• Transplant and mechanical circulatory support fellowships43 fellowships
• Congenital and paediatric cardiac surgery fellowships75 fellowships