New learning opportunities

Five new prestigious Francis Fontan Fellowships will give recipients the opportunity to expand their knowledge in areas such as robotic surgery and clinical trials.

The first recipients of these new fellowships highlight what they hope to learn from taking part in the FFF programme.

TSF/FFF/LACES Travelling Fellowship

Márcio Rufino Barbosa Jr

Cardiovascular Surgeon at HUCAM-UFES, Brazil

“I feel honoured to be the first South American to receive this Fellowship.

Through this experience I hope to contribute to the development of cardiovascular surgery in South America, with techniques that reduce the cost of surgery and increase the survival of our patients. Unfortunately, rheumatic disease is still very prevalent in Brazil, which makes valvular patients even more in need of good treatment. In the majority of our centres, we still practice valve surgery from the 1990s, where we only decide between bioprosthetic or mechanical valves. The price of these prostheses makes heart surgery even more expensive for our public health system.

I will have a lot to learn from Professor El Khoury. Professor El Khoury and his entire team at the U.C. Louvain, Brussels/Belgium are at the forefront of valve procedures. They have extensive experience in sparing and valve repair, with excellent outcomes, as a result of building a complex and functional heart team, and surgeons with exceptional dedication and technical ability.

My goal is to bring back all the knowledge acquired on this Fellowship and build a strong valve disease programme in our University Hospital, HUCAM, being a reference for the treatment of complex structural diseases of approximately 4 million patients, raising the bar with good results and low costs.”

About the TSF/FFF/LACES Travelling Fellowship

The TSF/FFF/LACES Travelling Fellowship fosters the continued growth and development of cardiothoracic surgeons by providing members of the Latin America Association of Cardio and Endovascular Surgery the chance to learn from the highest standards of cardiothoracic care in Europe and North America, and gain knowledge of novel techniques and innovative technologies used by other institutes around the world.

Clinical Trials & Statistics Fellowship

Vincenzo Caruso

Cardiovascular Department, St Thomas’s Hospital, London

“I am really honoured to be selected for this fellowship. I have a lot of passion and love for studying medicine and statistics and am keen to improve my knowledge. I hope to meet the expectations of EACTS/ UCL for this fellowship. I really think it is important to further my education and be the best I can be with such an amazing opportunity from EACTS.

Since I received the fellowship, everyone has been supportive and encouraging, and the team at the Institute of Clinical Trials and Methodology at UCL has excellent teaching skills. The online programme covers all sorts of trials, with the use of STATA or R software. I am most drawn to the Non-inferiority trials, MAMS (multi-arm, multi-stage trials), the Bayesian approach, meta analysis and health economics.

As a clinician this fellowship will mean that I will collaborate with statisticians in trials design and analysis. I want to start a trial at St Thomas’ Hospital (my home centre) in the cardiovascular department, that has a long research tradition. I would also like to be part of the research team at EACTS and be involved in the review of publications and guidelines.

When the fellowship ends, I will explore further academic study to improve the statistical methodology in cardiovascular medicine.”

About the Clinical Trials & Statistics Fellowship

The Clinical Trials and Statistics Fellowship provides an excellent grounding in statistics for clinical trials. Fellows have an opportunity to learn about all types of trials, from early to late phase trials and simple to complex interventions. This will be both from a design and analysis perspective. In addition, EACTS Fellows will learn to code in R and STATA.

Robotic Surgery – Cardiac Fellowship

Laura Besola

Pisa University Hospital

“It is a great honour to be the 2022/23 Robotics in Cardiac Surgery Fontan Fund Fellowship Award Fellow; this is a big opportunity for me and my institution to start and build a local robotic programme in cardiac surgery. I am really looking forward to beginning this exciting adventure!”

About the Robotic Surgery – Cardiac Fellowship

The Robotic Surgery - Cardiac Fellowship provides the successful Fellow with the chance to gain both theoretical and practical skills on robotic cardiac surgery and visit Medical Research and Advanced Technological Institutes in Europe.

OPCAB Fellowship

Emre Yasar

Istanbul Mehmet Akif Ersoy Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Research and Training Hospital

“Francis Fontan Fund has provided a once-in-a-lifetime learning experience to surgeons around the world for years. I am proud to become a part of this community. The opportunity to learn from experts will not only have a great impact on my career but also offers the chance to build friendships that will last a lifetime.”

About the OPCAB Extended Fellowship

The OPCAB Extended Fellowship, in partnership with Medtronic, provides an opportunity for a cardiothoracic surgeon to gain an in-depth clinical understanding of cardiothoracic surgical outcomes. Fellows will also acquire theoretical and practical knowledge in the surgical and anaesthesiologic management of patients with coronary artery disease, with particular interest in off-pump (OPCAB) techniques.

Become a Francis Fontan Fund Fellow

Become a Francis Fontan Fund Fellow and join the global cardiothoracic community.

• Learn new skills and techniques from experts in their field.

• Share knowledge and expertise around the world.

• Improve clinical outcomes and enhance patient care.

Applications for the 2023-24 Fellowship Programme are open from 1 July 2023.