Thank you for the inquiry regarding the Vascular Surgery fellowship at the University of South Florida College of Medicine. The Division of Vascular Surgery faculty includes myself, Dr. Brad Johnson, Dr. Martin Back, and Dr. Murray Shames as well as a number of excellent clinical faculty. As Director of the Vascular Surgery program for the last 10 years, our clinical and research activities have experienced steady growth. We have instituted a new program in endovascular training for the vascular surgery residents in conjunction with the interventional vascular radiologists at Tampa General Hospital. A total of two months of experience devoted to diagnostic arteriography and endovascular interventions, including stent-graft AAA repair, is provided beginning with a month during the research year and a 2nd month during the clinical year. This is additional to the endovascular procedures performed by the vascular surgery faculty in the OR. The two most recent fellows performed in excess of 350 major open arterial reconstructions and 80 endovascular procedures. Our clinical and research activities have resulted in presentations at the scientific meetings of the Joint Vascular Socieities (ISCVS/SVS), the Southern Association for Vascular Surgery, and the Florida Vascular Society.

    The vascular surgery training program is integrated within the Department of Surgery general surgery residency training program, and thus provides the vascular fellows with the opportunity to participate in the education of medical students and other surgery residents. The Division of Vascular Surgery provides a two-year (Residency Review Committee approved) fellowship in General Vascular Surgery for individuals interested in the in-depth study and management of vascular disease. Training in the diagnosis and techniques of vascular surgery over the spectrum of arterial reconstructive surgery, endovascular procedures, venous surgery, lymphatic disorders, vascular trauma, and amputation management are included. An initial one-year research experience allows participation in on-going research programs funded by the Veterans Affairs Merit Review, VA Cooperative Research Program, and corporate-sponsored endovascular stent-graft research; as well as exposure to non-invasive vascular testing in an ICAVL accredited vascular laboratory. The 2nd year of training is clinical and based at the Tampa General Hospital, a 600 bed Level I trauma and tertiary care referral hospital, with in-patients managed on a specialized Vascular Surgery service.

    Weekly conferences consisting of patient-case presentations, an arteriography conference held jointly with interventional radiologists, and basic science lectures in vascular surgery emphasize the principles and clinical decision-making criteria of vascular surgery. Training in interpretation of non-invasive vascular diagnostic studies and performing endovascular procedures is afforded with stent-graft repair of infrarenal aortic aneurysms will be performed in a new OR-angiography endovascular suite.

    The University of South Florida Vascular Residency will be listed in the National Residency Matching Program under ACGME Program No. 1109. After reviewing all applications, my office will contact all eligible candidates regarding an interview during the months of March and April. Feel free to call me if you have any questions regarding the vascular fellowship. Thank you again for your interest in the USF Vascular Surgery Fellowship, I look forward to meeting with you.

Sincerely,

Dennis F. Bandyk, M.D.
Professor of Surgery
Program Director, Division of Vascular Surgery