Body Imaging Fellowship

We are currently accepting applications for the 2014-2015 academic year. Please contact us at fellowbi@uw.edu for application forms and more information.

Overview:

The Department of Diagnostic Radiology at the University of Washington offers a one-year fellowship training program in body imaging which includes diagnostic ultrasound, computed body tomography,, MR, and imaging guided procedure. The program, which began in 1979, is designed to provide balanced, in-depth experience in all aspects of body imaging for individuals who have completed formal residency training in diagnostic radiology. Up to eight fellows are accepted each year.

Our faculty members have extensive experience in body imaging and are widely published and recognized at local, national, and international levels.

ACGME accreditation provides both the prospective fellow and his/her prospective employer with guarantees of the quality and quantity of the educational experience provided. The University of Washington offers the only ACGME-accredited abdominal/body imaging fellowship program on the West Coast.

Facilities and Equipment:

At the University of Washington Medical Center (UWMC), there is a state-of-the-art ultrasound department. Thirty percent of ultrasound patients are high risk obstetrical patients, thirty percent are transplant (liver, kidney and pancreas) patients, and the remainder are general medical and surgical patients  or neonates. The CT section has state-of –the –art GE helical 64  CT scanners including dual energy CT scanners with capability of performing ultra-low-dose CT using techniques including ASIR, and VEO.. UWMC operates  3.0 and 1.5 T Phillips MR for clinical imaging, including cardiac, prostate with endorectal coil, rectal, enterographic and pelvic MRs.

Update: A new addition, the Montlake Tower, has just opened.

The Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) is an outpatient cancer care center established in collaboration between the University of Washington Medical Center and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. The facility houses a 3.0 T Philips MR scanner with dual transmit technology, a 1.5T MR scanner, a GE helical 64 slice CT scanner, ultrasound unit, and PET-CT.

Harborview Medical Center is the sole level one trauma center for the states of Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Idaho, and Montana. Imaging facilities at Harborview consist of state-of-art CT scanners including Siemens 128 slice multidetector CT scanner, a 3.0T Siemens Trio MR unit, a 1.5T Siemens Avanto MR scanner, a 1.5T GE LX MR scanner, and state-of-the-art ultrasound units.

The Seattle Veterans Affairs Hospital performs a wide variety of imaging studies using a GE helical 64 slice multidectector CT scanner, a Philips 1.5T Gyroscan II magnet, and state-of-the-art Siemens ultrasound units.

The University of Washington also provides professional service at the Roosevelt Clinic outpatient center. This center, 10 minutes from the University of Washington, currently performs ultrasound, CT, and MR.

In addition to these clinical facilities, the University of Washington has an established  a Diagnostic Imaging Science Center dedicated to research, which includes positron emission tomography, MR, ultrasound, and computer resources. Their research laboratory has a 3.0 T Phillips MR.

All studies are interpreted on PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication System), and post-processing is performed on GE AW and Vital Images workstations. State of the art voice recognition (Commissure, GE-RIS) is used for study dictation.

Rotations:

Each fellow rotates through various modalities at each of our facilities. In addition to more traditional diagnostic cross-sectional body imaging (CT, MR, and ultrasound), fellows receive training in cardiac CT and MR, high-risk obstetric ultrasound and image-guided biopsy procedures. Additional training in other image-guided interventional procedures, fluid and abscess drainages, and percutaneous tumor ablative therapy (ethanol injections and radiofrequency ablation) is available. Fellows attend and present at several tumor boards and conferences during their various rotations.

Body MR, CT and Procedures Rotations at UWMC

Fellows on these two rotations interpret MR and CT exams of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis with attending radiologists in the section. They also gain experience in more specialized CT techniques including CT angiography, CT colonography, and CT coronary angiography. Fellows are be involved in a variety of MR studies including abdominal and pelvic imaging and vascular MR. UWMC has a busy solid organ transplant service as well as multiple subspecialty services that refer a wide variety of complex patients to our department. Fellows are also responsible for CT/MR protocols as well as for using the workstations to create both MR and CT 3D reconstructions.

In their Procedures rotation, fellows perform biopsies  under direct supervision of the section attendings. During the fellow's rotation in procedures, the fellow performs biopsies, learns to interpret complex studies under the guidance of the attending, and improves her or his scanning skills.

Ultrasound (Including High-risk OB and Transplant) at UWMC

Fellows on this rotation learn to scan with the sonographers and are oriented to transplant (liver, kidney and pancreas) Doppler ultrasound, high risk obstetric ultrasound, as well as general ultrasound protocols and procedures. UWMC has a large transplant load serving Washington and the surrounding four states, and the fellows acquire significant experience in evaluating liver, renal and pancreas transplants. A large number of complex obstetric cases are also sent to UWMC and the fellows are involved in interpretation of these exams. By the end of this rotation, the fellows should be capable of running the service on their own.

CT/MR/US at Harborview Medical Center

During rotations at HMC, fellows  receive additional ultrasound training in obstetrical and gynecologic ultrasound, as well as abdominal, thyroid, and scrotal ultrasound. In addition, fellows gain experience in interpretation of body CT and MR with an emphasis on trauma and indigent patients from high-risk populations. Fellows also participate in image-guided biopsies.

CT/MR/US at Seattle Veteran's Affairs Hospital

The VAMC rotation offers CT instruction in oncology staging and diagnosis and general body CT. MRI focuses on abdominal, and MR angiography. The fellows also receive training in general abdominal and scrotal ultrasound. Fellows are responsible for protocols and consulting with clinicians.

CT/MR/US at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance

This rotation offers extensive training in abdominal imaging oncology cases for CT, MR, and ultrasound. The emphasis is on staging and treatment of cancer and learning appropriate radiologic workup of a variety of cancers. The SCCA has an active bone marrow transplant service, and fellows gain experience in image evaluation of BMT patients including bone marrow MRI.

Research:

Each fellow must participate in at least one research project during the academic year. This project can be in the area of CT, MR or US and is under the guidance of one of the section faculty members. A wide variety of research projects are available in each area, including basic science and small animal laboratory work as well as clinical projects. This project is expected to culminate in at least one scientific paper. In addition, all fellows are expected to give lectures to the radiology residents and to submit two interesting case reports while on each CT and MR rotation.

Call:

Fellows take call in weekday and weekend blocks. On-call fellows are in-house on weekends until the day's work is completed or until noon, whichever is later; they are on pager call at all other times. On-call responsibilities include consulting with the on-call residents as needed, interpreting after-hours cases and emergent cases performed from 8 a.m. to noon on weekends and reading out overnight cases. Fellows are responsible for emergent body CT and ultrasound cases at UWMC and HMC. Our PACS system currently allows for viewing of studies via the Internet, so cases can often be viewed from home.

Contact Information:

For application materials and more information, please contact:

Applications:

We accept applications from graduates of residency programs in the US, Canada, the UK, and the EU. We occasionally make an exception for an unusually qualified candidate from another country's program, but these exceptions are rare. We provide J1 visas to foreign medical graduates.

We are currently accepting applications for 2014 - 2015 Academic Year. 

While our faculty will be happy to chat with you about our program at meetings and conferences, we conduct formal interviews only in Seattle, at the University of Washington and its affiliated institutions.

Please contact us at fellowbi@uw.edu for our application form and Clinical Experience Questionnaire.

A completed application for a Body Imaging Fellowship at the University of Washington must include:

1.      Completed Application Form and Clinical Experience Questionnaire (attached)

2.      Current Curriculum Vitae (CV)

3.      A brief Personal Statement, addressing your interest in body imaging and your career goals/plans

Please follow the instructions below when writing the Personal Statement:

·   One page only, please be concise and to the point

·   NAME on the same page of the Personal Statement

·   DATE on the same page of the Personal Statement

·   SIGNATURE on the bottom of the page

4.      Copies of your USMLE results (Parts 1, 2, and 3)

5.      LMCC (For Canadian Applicants Only)

6.      FLEX scores (For American Applicants Only, in lieu of the USMLE)

7.      Medical School Diploma

8.      Residency Certificate (If you have completed your residency)

9.      Proof of Board Certification (If you have completed your residency)

10.   ECFMG Certificate (If you are not an American or Canadian applicant)

11.   Three (3) Letters of Reference/Recommendation, dated and signed:

·   One (1) from the director of your residency program.

·   One (1) from a radiologist familiar with your work

·   One (1) from a physician that you worked with or who has observed you professionally

The writers should send the letters to us directly to the address below:

University of Washington

Department of Radiology, Body Image Section

ATTN: Fellowship Program, BB308N

1959 NE Pacific Street, Box 357115

Seattle, WA  98195-7115

USA