Cardiology Education & Training Programs

At VCU Health Pauley Heart Center, our world-class team takes each patient’s heart health personally.  Building on our history of innovation in patient care, scientific discovery, diversity and collaboration, we improve cardiovascular care for all, while continuously training the next generation of healthcare providers. Directed by Dr. Greg Hundley, Pauley is an internationally recognized cardiac and vascular service leader. Established in 1838, VCU Medical Center continues to be central Virginia’s only academic medical center.

Below you will find information on the educational opportunities and training programs offered by the Division of Cardiology.

The George Vetrovec Cardiology Symposium was started in 2015 by Dr. Kenneth Ellenbogen in honor of Dr. Vetrovec’s retirement from VCU. Many donated, including colleagues and alumni who consider Dr. Vetrovec a mentor.

The purpose of the symposium is to support an annual symposium or lecture for the Division of Cardiology and it was officially launched in 2021 as a virtual symposium with enduring content available on the Department of Cardiology website.

Dr. Vetrovec received his Bachelor's of Arts and Medical Degree from the University of Virginia. Internal Medicine and Cardiology training was at VCU. During his VCU faculty tenure, Dr. Vetrovec was Chairman of Cardiology (18 years), Director of the Cardiac Catheterization laboratory (38 years) and Associate Chairman of Medicine for Clinical Affairs (23 years). Dr. Vetrovec was the first recipient of the Martha and Harold Kimmerling Eminent Professorship.

After retirement from clinical practice in 2015, Dr. Vetrovec continues as a Professor Emeritus, serves on the MCV Foundation board (Emeritus), the Pauley Heart Center Board and the MCV Physicians Board. Other activities include ACC committee and editorial leadership, participation on the FDA New Cardiovascular Devices Panel and serving as a medical consultant.

Recently, VCU Division of Cardiology was awarded the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) T32 Multi-disciplinary Training Program in Translational Cardiovascular Research for an M.D. and Ph.D. investigators. These two separate fellowships will augment the supply of physicians and scientists capable of developing new advances in multi- disciplinary translational cardiovascular research directed toward the treatment and prevention of cardiovascular disease, a major public health issue.

Designed as a 2-3 year training program, these investigators will gain deep research experience under the mentorship of a senior VCU Cardiology faculty member who represents a diverse selection of Departments.

Some areas of interest include (but are not limited to):

• Cardiotoxicity related to cancer therapy
• Role of inflammation in acute myocardial infarction and heart failure
• Cardiovascular pathophysiology in the context of metabolic disease
• Mechanisms of myocardial protection in ischemia/reperfusion injury
• Mitochondrial biology as it relates to heart injury and the aged heart
• Nanoengineering novel platforms for therapeutic delivery of miRNA in cardiopulmonary disease
• Molecular and cellular mechanisms of electrical remodeling in diseased hearts
• Development of computational models to study electrical signaling in cardiac electrophysiology

Pauley Heart Center Undergraduate Research Fellowship

The VCU Health Pauley Heart Center invites undergraduate students to apply for our annual mentored research fellowship in which students will be paired with a faculty mentor and take part in a cardiovascular research project. The purpose of this fellowship is to provide undergraduate students with an introduction to conducting translational multi-disciplinary cardiovascular research. By the end of this fellowship, students will develop cardiovascular disease research skills through experiential learning, with the goal of applying this experience to future research opportunities and post-graduate careers in cardiovascular research. Students will prepare and present a poster summarizing their research findings at the end of the program.

We have multiple fellowship opportunities with varying requirements and application dates. For more information, please visit our website here: https://pauleyundergradfellowship.vcu.edu/