Cardiothoracic Surgery Residency

The BIDMC Cardiothoracic faculty consists of eight adult cardiac surgeons and four general thoracic surgeons. Over 1100 cardiac cases and nearly 700 major thoracic cases are performed annually at BIDMC, allowing our trainees to exceed the ACGME cases requirements. Some highlights of our program include exposure to the following operations:  

  • VATS and robot –assisted lobectomy
  • Minimally invasive and open esophagectomy (MIE)
  • Robot-assisted thymectomy 
  • Tracheobronchoplasty 
  • Giant paraesophageal hernia repair
  • Robot-assisted diaphragm plication
  • Aortic root operations
  • Aortic homografts, valve-sparing procedures 
  • ECMO, LVAD, RVAD placement

Other specialized teams allow for specific exposure and training in the following:  

  • Interventional Pulmonary: rigid bronchoscopy, EBUS, tracheal/bronchial stents, bronchothermoplasty, pleural procedures 

  • Gastroenterology: POEM, esophageal stent placement 

  • Interventional Cardiology: TAVR, TMVR, MitraClip 

Progress toward technical proficiency is evaluated at multiple points during the residency. Educational sessions include weekly preoperative case conferences, faculty-led core curriculum conferences based on the TSDA Core Curriculum, as well as quarterly journal clubs and multidisciplinary airway and pleural conferences. Our residents also participate in Boston-wide Cardiothoracic Mock Oral sessions with Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston Children’s Hospital, Tufts Medical Center and Massachusetts General Hospital five times a year.  

The congenital cardiac surgery experience takes place at Boston Children’s Hospital, a top -ranked US News Best Children’s Hospitals the last 13 years in a row. 

Program Structure: 

There are two residency positions offered each year at BIDMC. This is a two-year program: 

Thoracic Track resident (NRMP 1256460F0): 14 months general thoracic surgery, 8 months adult cardiac surgery, 2 months congenital cardiac surgery 

Cardiac Track resident (NRMP 1256460F1): 16 months adult cardiac surgery, 6 months general thoracic surgery, 2 months congenital cardiac surgery 

Our two-year program consists of: 

  • Six months of general thoracic surgery at BIDMC 
  • Nine months of adult cardiac surgery at BIDMC
  • Three months of pediatric cardiac surgery at Boston Children's Hospital 
  • Six months of adult cardiothoracic surgery at BIDMC -- a chief resident experience on the adult cardiac surgery or general thoracic surgery service, a flexible designation depending on the trainee's career goals 

Education and Training

A two-year, accredited Residency in Cardiothoracic Surgery is offered to applicants who have completed training in General Surgery. Based at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), the program includes a rotation at Boston Children's Hospital and provides in-depth experience in cardiac, esophageal, pulmonary and complex airway surgery.

Residency Overview

With eight full-time adult cardiac surgeons and four dedicated general thoracic surgeons, about 800 cardiac cases and more than 600 major thoracic cases were performed at BIDMC over the past year. The varieties of operations include:

  • VATS lobectomy and minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE)
  • Tracheal resection and tracheobronchoplasty
  • Minimally invasive and "off-bypass" coronary revascularizations
  • Aortic homografts
  • Aortic root operations
  • Other major aortic procedures

Teaching by outstanding Harvard Medical School faculty enables the resident to become proficient in the operative and perioperative care of patients. Progress toward technical proficiency is evaluated at multiple points during the residency. Multiple educational sessions occur throughout the week on each service, including preoperative case conference, core curriculum conference, professor rounds, clinical case conference and cardiac catheterization conference. In addition, monthly journal clubs and multidisciplinary airway conferences are held. Participation in the Harvard Combined Cardiothoracic Conference is mandatory.

Our two-year program consists of:

  • Six months of general thoracic surgery at BIDMC
  • Nine months of adult cardiac surgery at BIDMC
  • Three months of pediatric cardiac surgery at Boston Children's Hospital
  • Six months of adult cardiothoracic surgery at BIDMC — a chief resident experience on the adult cardiac surgery or general thoracic surgery service, a flexible designation depending on the trainee's career goals

The first six-month block of the first year is composed of General Thoracic Surgery.

  • Participation in the preoperative, operative and postoperative care of all patients, with the trainee serving as chief resident of the service
  • Gradually increased operative autonomy, including complex minimally invasive pulmonary and esophageal operations, complex airway surgery and surgical treatment of airway disease
  • Participation in the weekly Multidisciplinary Thoracic Clinic, followed by a conference at which thoracic surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, pulmonologists and thoracic radiologists discuss the patients seen earlier in the day
  • Close collaboration with Interventional Pulmonology, including a two-week rotation learning EBUS, rigid bronchoscopy with advanced endoscopic intervention, pleural ultrasound, and minimally invasive pleural interventions

The second six-month block of the first year is composed of Adult Cardiac Surgery.

Exposure to:

  • Coronary revascularization
  • Valve repair and replacement
  • Aortic surgery and repair of congenital defects seen in adult patients
  • Repair of atrial septic defects

Participation in preoperative, operative and postoperative care

Residents are involved in the operative care at an early stage, but only at a time when the attending surgeon feels comfortable allowing the resident to perform an active role

  • Training in transesophageal echocardiography

During the second year, in a three-month block, the resident is at Boston Children's Hospital, where the resident is exposed to congenital cardiac surgery in infants, adolescents and young adult surgery. Pediatric cardiac surgery is an integral component of the specialty.

During the second quarter of year two, in a three-month block, the resident is again exposed to cardiac surgery.

  • The resident will function as the chief resident and will have primary oversight of all patients on the adult cardiac surgical service whether or not the resident participates in the operation
  • Residents evaluate postoperatively all patients on which he/she participates in operative care, and at this point is the operating surgeon on the vast majority of cases
  • Consult must be seen by the resident and the resident is expected to be involved in the decision-making process regarding indications and timing of operations

During the second half of year two, in a six-month block, the resident spends time on the Adult Cardiac Surgery or General Thoracic Surgery service. This will be dependent on the individual resident's eventual career focus and exposure to that point. The resident functions as the chief resident on either service.

Applicant Information

The BIDMC Residency Program in Cardiothoracic Surgery participates in the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). The program selects residents through the National Resident Matching Program in accordance with the policies established by the NRMP.

Each application is reviewed in its entirety with an eye toward a combination of overall academic and clinical excellence, leadership ability, and personal character. Qualified individuals will be invited to interview.

The deadline for electronic submission of all application materials is February 4.​

Program Leadership

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Sidhu P. Gangadharan, MD, MHCM                                                                           
Chief, Thoracic Surgery and Interventional Pulmonology
Program Director, Cardiothoracic Surgery Residency Program
Professor of Surgery, Harvard Medical School                                                  ​

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David C. Liu, MD
Surgical Director, Advanced Heart Failure Service, Department of Medicine
Assistant Program Director, Cardiothoracic Surgery Residency Program
Assistant Professor, Surgery, Harvard Medical School

Thoracic Faculty

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Michael Kent, MD
Director, Minimally Invasive Thoracic Surgery
Assistant Professor, Surgery, Harvard Medical School

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Richard Whyte, MD
Vice Chair of Clinical Affairs, Quality and Safety
Department of Surgery
Professor of Surgery, Harvard Medical School

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Jennifer Wilson, MD
Instructor in Surgery, Harvard Medical School
Assistant Professor, Surgery, Harvard Medical School

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Christian Campos, MD, MBA
Site Director, Beth Israel Deaconess-Plymouth

Cardiac Faculty

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Kamal Khabbaz, MD
Chief, Division of Cardiac Surgery
Associate Professor of Surgery, Harvard Medical School
David S. Ginsburg Associate Professor of Surgery, Harvard Medical School

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Louis Chu, MD
Assistant Professor of Surgery, Harvard Medical School

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Masashi Kai, MD
Surgical Director, Heart Transplant

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Sidney Levitsky, MD
Senior Vice Chair, Department of Surgery
Cheever Professor of Surgery, Harvard Medical School

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V. Senthil Nathan, MD, BS
Assistant Professor of Surgery, Harvard Medical School

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Diana Pratt, MD
Cardiac Surgery

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Hassan Rastegar, MD
Director, Minimally Invasive Thoracic Surgery

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Yusuke Tsukioka, MD, MPH
Cardiac Surgery, Heart Transplant