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Vascular Surgery Fellowship Program

Each July Deborah Heart and Lung Center extends a warm welcome to a new Fellow in our ACGME General Vascular Fellowship program. Deborah is proud of the fact that we are able to provide the best in medical care while maintaining the warm and friendly atmosphere of a small hospital environment. Our fellows will find our institution to be a comfortable learning environment while also being academically challenging throughout the two year program. The General Vascular Surgery Fellowship Program provides a meaningful education that prepares residents upon graduation to meet certification requirements for the Vascular Surgery Boards as administered by the American Board of Surgery.


Program Overview

Vascular surgery fellows at Deborah are expected to achieve the six core competences to the level expected of a new practitioner. The vascular surgery fellow will have progressive responsibility for patient management that will demonstrate competence in technical skills and clinical decision-making. Competency-based objectives are expected to be a cumulative experience throughout the fellowship.

The first year of the General Vascular Surgery Fellowship Program focuses on the anatomy, pathophysiology, differential diagnosis and diagnostic studies, and management of common vascular problems. The fellow is expected to fluently discuss open and endovascular surgical approaches and perform surgical dissections tailored to the individual patient. The fellow should competently perform various vascular accesses and basic diagnostic and interventional procedures.

The second year of the General Vascular Surgery Fellowship Program focuses on clinical research skills, comprehensive experience in noninvasive vascular diagnostic laboratory, and preoperative and postoperative assessment in the outpatient setting. The Vascular fellow will continue to gain experience in surgical decision-making and is expected to perform complex surgical revascularization through a combination of open and endovascular techniques.

The General Vascular Surgery Fellowship Program at Deborah Heart and Lung Center builds upon the core education of general surgery to provide the knowledge, skills, and abilities to develop proficiency and mature surgical judgment in the diagnosis and management of diseases of the arterial, venous, and lymphatic circulatory systems, exclusive of the vessels of the heart and intra-cranial vessels. Fellows are trained in both open and endovascular approaches to vascular disease. The program aims to:

  • Provide contemporary education and experience across all vascular surgery services.
  • Cultivate the next generation of physicians who are committed to providing safe, effective, and efficient care for patients.
  • Ensure fellows are proficient at the diagnosis, treatment, and management of vascular disease.
  • Equip fellows to provide the highest quality of care to patients in all settings
  • Ensure fellows evolve into the ultimate leaders, giving back not only to the hospital but to the community
  • Educate fellows on how to provide patient-centered care that results in excellent clinical outcomes

The Deborah Vascular Surgery Fellowship provides these training experiences without distinction as to race, gender, sexual preference, creed, color, religion, age, national origin, handicap, or ability to pay. Inpatient and outpatient services are to be provided on a timely basis and consistent with cost-effectiveness and financial responsibility.


Training Program

The General Vascular Surgery Fellowship Program prepares its graduates to demonstrate these competencies:

  • Cognitive skills.
  • Integrate the sciences applicable to general vascular surgery with clinical experiences in a progressive manner.
  • Develop critical thinking skills which result in making decisions for patient management.
  • Understand the relevance of research to the practice of general vascular surgery.
  • Read, interpret, and participate in clinical research.
  • Psychomotor and technical skills.
  • Demonstrate proficiency with the necessary technical skills required for the practice of general vascular surgery.
  • Demonstrate the ability to provide progressive patient management. responsibilities based upon knowledge of the basic and clinical sciences.
  • Communication skills.
  • Demonstrate the ability to collaborate with colleagues and allied healthcare professionals.
  • Educate patients and their families concerning healthcare needs.
  • Demonstrate the ability to teach medical students, interns, other residents, and allied healthcare staff within the context of fellowship education.
  • Practice management.
  • Demonstrate leadership and management skills.
  • Provide cost-effective care to patients.
  • Professional attitudes and abilities.
  • Demonstrate a broad understanding of the role of general surgery as it relates to other medical disciplines.
  • Appreciate the value of lifelong learning in medical education and as related to a professional career in the field.
  • Demonstrate the ability to provide sound ethical and legal judgments.
  • Participate in continuing education to promote personal and professional growth.
  • Participate in community and professional organizations.
  • Apply the principles of evidence-based medicine to their professional practice.

Each fellow must document by program completion a minimum of 200 major vascular surgery procedures performed as surgeon or first assistant and under supervision.


Ongoing Research

Vascular surgery fellows are required to participate in ongoing clinical research trials at the Hospital as well as staying current and reading, understanding, and interpreting currently available relevant research studies. Fellows will have the opportunity to participate in professional symposia and conferences as appropriate.


Program Director

Division Director of Vascular Surgery
Dr. Domer is a vascular surgeon and is board-certified in vascular surgery. After medical school, he completed a residency in surgery at St. Lukes’s – Roosevelt Medical Center in New York. He completed a fellowship in vascular surgery at UMDNJ – Robert Wood Johnson University Medical School in New Brunswick, NJ. He also completed an endovascular surgery fellowship at Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore, MD.

Fellowship Coordinator
Karen Goebel
GoebelK@Deborah.org
609-893-1200, ext. 4771

Salary and Benefits

Deborah Heart and Lung Center offers a comprehensive salary and benefits package including health, dental, disability, life insurance and paid vacation. On campus apartments are also available.


Application Process

Applicants interested in a position should submit a completed application via Electronic Residency Application Services (ERAS). Contact the Fellowship Medical Secretary for additional deadline and interview schedule information. ERAS accreditation ID number is #4503344127 under the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University. Deborah participates in the NMRP for programs. Deborah is currently not sponsoring visa applications for Fellows or hosting J1 support.

Current Program Participants

Terms & Conditions

By participating in this quiz, or screening or health assessment, I recognize and accept all risks associated with it. I understand that the program will only screen for certain risk factors and does not constitute a complete physical exam. For the diagnosis of a medical problem, I must see a physician for a complete medical exam. I release Deborah Heart and Lung Center and any other organization(s) involved in this screening, and their employees and agents, from all liabilities, medical claims or expenses which may arise from my participation. Thank you for investing in your health by participating today.