Accreditation

The Pulmonary Hypertension Fellowship is an unaccredited program.

Program history

The Comprehensive Pulmonary Hypertension Center has been accredited by the Pulmonary Hypertension Association since 2015. The Pulmonary Hypertension Fellowship at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, will have its first fellow starting in July 2027. One fellow will complete training in this program annually.

Positions

One position is available on a competitive basis each year in the Pulmonary Hypertension Fellowship at Mayo Clinic's campus in Jacksonville, Florida. It is anticipated that several strong candidate applications will be received each year. A glowing recommendation from your prior program director and a commitment to long-term practice in pulmonary vascular disease will be emphasized.

Qualifications

To be eligible for the Pulmonary Hypertension Fellowship, you must have completed an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited fellowship program in pulmonary and critical care medicine or cardiology.

Also see general admissions requirements.

How to apply

Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education does not process printed applications for this program. You must apply through Recruit, a third-party application service.

Our next position will be for July 2027. We will be offering interviews and potential positions on a rolling basis starting in July 2026, so it is recommended that you turn in your application materials promptly.

Complete the following steps to apply:

1. Create an account to begin the online Application for Admission
2. All applications to Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education programs must include these application materials
3. After submission, view the required Supplemental Items and Documents
   • Upload each required item in the Supplemental Items section
   • Complete the Recommendation Request section

In addition to the standard application materials required by Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education, this program requires:

• Three letters of recommendation from your fellowship program must be completed in the Recommendation Request section. Each recommender will receive an email with a link to upload a letter.

 Applicants considered for an appointment will be invited for a personal interview with the program director and selected faculty.

Most interviews are conducted from September through October each year. Interviews will be virtual until further notice.

Clinical training in the Pulmonary Hypertension Fellowship includes the following:

• Rotations in the Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) Clinic, pulmonary hypertension inpatient consult service, and cardiac catheterization laboratory
• Rotations in advanced inpatient and outpatient heart failure, congenital heart disease, and heart and lung transplant
• Training in chest radiology and echocardiography
• Electives in rheumatology, interstitial lung disease, pulmonary function testing, cardiopulmonary exercise physiology, and cardiopulmonary rehabilitation

Block	Rotation name	% outpatient	% research	% inpatient
1	Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) Clinic	70	20	10
2	Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) Clinic	70	20	10
3	Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) Clinic	70	20	10
4	Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) Clinic	70	20	10
5	Heart Failure Clinic	70	20	10
6	Imaging	70	20	10
7	Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) Clinic	70	20	10
8	Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) Clinic	70	20	10
9	Advanced Heart/Lung Disease	70	20	10
10	Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) Clinic	70	20	10
11	Elective	70	20	10
12	Elective	70	20	10

Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) Clinic: Outpatient evaluation and management of pulmonary hypertension (PH) patients, including 10% in right heart catheterization procedures.

Heart Failure (block 5): Time is split between pulmonary hypertension (PH) and Heart Failure Clinics, with evaluations of those patients with group 2 pulmonary hypertension from heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.

Imaging rotation (block 6): Two weeks in Chest Radiology (MRI, CT, VQ, pulmonary angiograms) and two weeks of echocardiography.

Advanced Heart/Lung Disease (block 9): Two weeks on transplant rotation with focus on lung/heart transplant and two weeks in the adult Congenital Heart Disease Clinic.

Inpatient 10% of time for blocks 1-12: Dedicated to inpatient pulmonary hypertension (PH) consultations that involve management of pulmonary hypertension (PH) and right ventricle failure, including the critically ill patient with pulmonary hypertension (PH).

Interstitial Lung Disease Clinic (two-week rotation)

Pulmonary function submaximal exercise stress tests (two-week rotation)

Rheumatology (two-week rotation)

Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing and Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation (two-week rotation)

Didactic training

Clinical conferences, seminars, small discussion groups, journal clubs, and one-on-one instruction are integral parts of this fellowship.

Call frequency

The maximal hours devoted to clinical duties will typically be 40 hours, but not exceed 50 hours. The call schedule will depend on the rotation and be flexible, not exceeding one evening per week or one weekend per month. Call will generally be pager call, but the pulmonary hypertension fellow may choose to evaluate a PH patient in person if that reinforces the educational experience. No compensatory time off will be provided unless reviewed and approved by the Program Director on an individual basis.

Procedures

There are no mandatory requirements for procedures but there will be sufficient opportunity to obtain proficiency with right heart catheterizations.

Moonlighting

Moonlighting is permitted but requires approval of the Program Director and limited to no more than two days or one weekend monthly. No compensatory time off will be provided for moonlighting.

Pulmonary Hypertension Provider Conference: Twice monthly, difficult case review and discussion.

Pulmonary Hypertension Research Conference: Monthly, all active clinical protocols reviewed.

Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension Conference: Patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension are reviewed by a multidisciplinary team to determine best treatment, including potential eligibility for pulmonary endarterectomy or balloon pulmonary angioplasty.

High Risk Anesthesia: Weekly, perioperative planning for patients with portopulmonary hypertension that are eligible for liver transplantation.

Pulmonary Grand Rounds: Monthly, selective attendance suggested depending on relevance to pulmonary vascular disease. The pulmonary hypertension fellow will be asked to present on a pulmonary vascular topic once during the year.

Pulmonary Fellow Lectures: Monthly, selective attendance suggested depending on relevance to pulmonary vascular disease. The pulmonary hypertension fellow may be asked to present on a pulmonary vascular topic once during the year.

Medical Grand Rounds: Weekly, selective attendance suggested depending on relevance to pulmonary vascular disease.

Research opportunities

Fellows have allocated time to conduct scholarly activity during their fellowship under the direction of supervising faculty.

Teaching opportunities

Opportunities are available for teaching fellows, residents, and medical students.

Mentorship

There will be one-on-one mentorship from the program director, but also from each faculty member, as each has unique experience and expertise.

To ensure that fellows acquire adequate knowledge and develop their skills, their performance will be monitored carefully during the course of the program training. Fellows will be evaluated formally by supervising faculty members after each clinical rotation and will meet with the program director to review these evaluations. This is accomplished through an electronic process (MedHub) available 24/7 from any Mayo Clinic workstation or via remote access.

 MedHub is linked to the six core competencies identified by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, which are patient care, medical knowledge, interpersonal and communication skills, professionalism, practice-based learning and improvement, and systems-based practice.

Completed faculty evaluations are reviewed by the program director who assigns a pass/fail grade based on the scores and comments by the faculty members. 

Upon approval of the evaluation by the program director, the evaluation immediately becomes available electronically to the fellow in the MedHub system. Fellows also have an opportunity to complete an evaluation of faculty following each rotation, as well as evaluating the program on an annual basis.

The Pulmonary Hypertension Clinic is located on the seventh floor of the Davis Building. Likewise, the Interstitial Lung Disease Clinic is located on Davis 7. Rotations in the electives may be in the Davis Building, Mayo Building ,or Mayo Clinic Hospital, all of which are located on a single campus.

Pulmonary Hypertension fellows will work closely with highly experienced and knowledgeable clinical and research faculty in both cardiology and pulmonary/critical care, and the training program can be customized to meet an individual’s career goals.

The Pulmonary Hypertension Fellowship program at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, is a Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA)-accredited pulmonary hypertension care center with expertise in the complex management of patients with pulmonary hypertension.

	Charles Burger, M.D. Program Director Professor of Medicine and Director of the Pulmonary Hypertension Clinic, Mayo Clinic in Florida   Dr. Burger is a nationally recognized expert in pulmonary vascular disease, including pulmonary arterial hypertension and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension. He leads a Pulmonary Hypertension Association–accredited Comprehensive Care Center and has extensive experience in advanced diagnostics and therapeutics. Recognized as Mayo Clinic Distinguished Clinician and Mayo Clinic Distinguished Educator. Past Editor-in-Chief for Advances in Pulmonary Hypertension. Dr. Burger's research focuses on improving diagnostic strategies and treatment outcomes for pulmonary hypertension, levering quantitative risk scoring, and prospective registries.   View full profile
	Abubakr Bajwa, M.D. Associate Program Director Senior Associate Consultant and Associate Professor of Medicine, Mayo Clinic in Florida   Dr. Bajwa brings expertise in pulmonary hypertension and interstitial lung disease, with a strong focus on advanced diagnostic imaging. He previously served as Division Chief of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Florida and has a robust research portfolio in pulmonary vascular disease. Dr. Bajwa is the Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator for several interventional trials in interstitial lung disease associated with pulmonary hypertension.   View full profile
	John Moss, M.D. Consultant, Pulmonary Medicine, Mayo Clinic in Florida   Dr. Moss is the Co-Director of the Pulmonary Hypertension Clinic. He led our accreditation team and oversees our participation in the Pulmonary Hypertension Association Registry. He is actively involved in clinical trials and advanced diagnostic techniques, including right heart catheterization at rest and with exercise. Dr. Moss is committed to education and has received multiple teaching awards during his training. He is the Principal Investigator for several interventional trials in pulmonary hypertension.   View full profile
	Hollie Saunders, M.D. Senior Associate Consultant, Pulmonary and Critical Care, Mayo Clinic in Florida   Dr. Saunders has specific expertise in echocardiography and advanced chest radiography for assessment of chronic thromboembolic disease pulmonary hypertension, particularly assessment of eligibility for pulmonary thromboendarterectomy and balloon pulmonary angioplasty. She is Principal Investigator involved in trials for new therapeutic agents in pulmonary hypertension and Co-Investigator in other interventional trials in pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary embolus.