The curriculum within the Division of Cardiology and the University of Arizona Sarver Heart Center includes cutting-edge educational and training opportunities in clinical cardiovascular medicine and cardiovascular research for undergraduate and medical students, residents and fellows.
Medical Student Education
Medical students at the UA College of Medicine – Tucson participate in a variety of clinical and educational experiences through our Division. Of particular note, highly regarded intensive sessions in cardiovascular examination and identification of heart sounds are held for medical students. Students write back to us years later about how this experience has influenced their skills as physicians over many years.
Medical students also have access to elective courses relating to all of the subspecialties within the UA Department of Medicine, including:
- Cardiac ultrasound echo & doppler
- Cardiopulmonary resuscitation
- Cardiothoracic surgery
- Clinical electrocardiography
- Diabetes enrichment
- Cardiac imaging
- Native American health services
- Pediatric cardiology
See the College of Medicine – Tucson course catalog for specific courses and descriptions. Current medical students interested in Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine should also explore the opportunities offered by University of Arizona Medical Student Cardiology Interest Group. See the MedCats website (NetID login required) for more information.
Awards and Scholarships
The Division of Cardiology firmly believes in fostering interest and feeding the passion of trainees for cardiology. Students with particular interest in cardiovascular research have found many opportunities within the Sarver Heart Center. Many cardiovascular medicine faculty support students pursuing research honors. Annual research awards can include:
- The Zenas B. Noon Award to outstanding cardiology clerkship students in both Tucson and Phoenix, and
- The Margarito Chavez Student Award to an undergraduate or medical student conducting promising research that contributes to the improved prevention, diagnosis or treatment of cardiovascular disease.
Regarding Clerkship and Sub-Internship (Sub-I or SI) opportunities for third- and fourth-years, please contact Kristina Waters at (520) 626-1574 or kew3@email.arizona.edu
Residency Rotations
The Division of Cardiology believes that a strong knowledge of the fundamentals of cardiovascular disease is critical for every internist, as cardiovascular disease is common and will be managed by all primary care providers and specialists. In the interest of ensuring all our trainees have knowledge of common and complex heart diseases, we sponsor a number of rotations and electives at our primary clinical partners, Banner – University Medical Center (UMC) Tucson and South campus and the Southern Arizona Veterans Affairs Health Care System (SAVAHCS).
Cardiovascular Residency Rotations and Electives
- Coronary Care Unit at Banner – UMC Tucson Campus
- Cardiology Consultation Service at Banner – UMC Tucson Campus
- Electrophysiology Service at Banner – UMC Tucson Campus
- Ambulatory Cardiology Clincs at Banner – University Medicine North Campus
- Ambulatory Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Service at Banner – UMC Tucson and North Campuses
- Cardiology Consultation Service at Banner – UMC South Campus
- Cardiology Consultation Service at SAVAHCS
A typical rotation for a resident physician in our division might include exposure to:
- Inpatient guidelines-based management of cardiovascular disease
- Cardiac imaging
- Management of arrhythmias and advanced electrophysiology procedures
- Management of advanced heart failure
- Cardiac catheterization, percutaneous and structural interventions
- Cardiothoracic surgery including bypass and valve surgery
- Cardiopulmonary rehabilitation
- Management of mechanical circulatory support devices
- Heart transplant
- ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation)
The Division of Cardiology firmly believes in fostering interest and feeding the passion of trainees for cardiology. Each year we award the Charles W. Hall Jr. Memorial Award to the Outstanding House Officers on the Coronary Care Unit rotation. Recipients are selected by cardiology faculty and fellows based on the following: Quality of Work, Attentiveness, Decision Making and Knowledge.
See UA College of Medicine resident salary and benefits information
Fellowships
The Division of Cardiology offers the following fellowship programs: Cardiovascular Disease, Electrophysiology, and Interventional Cardiology.
"Joining the Cardiovascular Medicine Division as a fellow means becoming a colleague. Our goal is to provide the very best training in care of patients with heart disease in a supportive and scholarly environment. Our faculty are curious, passionate and devoted to lifelong learning — the opportunity to learn alongside them is a privilege. Cardiology is intense, so we encourage our fellows to embrace that intensity, but also to be kind, patient-centered, and to grow and become the best cardiologist they can be. We have great faculty role models to follow at the UA College of Medicine."
—Elizabeth Juneman, MD, interim director, UArizona Sarver Heart Center, and cardiology division chief, UA College of Medicine – Tucson.
Click image above to view the current class of fellows.
Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship Program
The Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship Program at the University of Arizona College of Medicine Tucson was launched in 1971 and is a three-year ACGME-accredited fellowship. We aim to foster the growth of outstanding clinicians well trained in internal medicine into general cardiologists who will make significant contributions to medical science and society.
Interventional Cardiology Fellowship Program
The one-year Interventional Cardiology Fellowship provides broad exposure to invasive and interventional cardiovascular procedures to two fellows each year who should anticipate 350 to 400 cases per fellow.
Cardiac Electrophysiology
Accredited in April of 2017, the University of Arizona College of Medicine, Division of Cardiology offers sub-specialty training in cardiac electrophysiology.
Fellowship positions enrolling for July 2020 and beyond will use the online ACGME application. Applicants must have completed an ACGME accredited cardiovascular disease fellowship program.
See UA College of Medicine fellowship salary and benefits information
Facilities and Resources
The major Division of Cardiology and Sarver Heart Center training sites are Banner – University Medical Center Tucson and South clinical facilities (on right), Banner – University Medicine North, Building 2 (at left), 
and the Southern Arizona VA Healthcare System (SAVAHCS), with its flagship Tucson VA Medical Center. Details for each of these facilities can be found on our "Where We Teach & Train," "Accolades & Awards" and "Facts & Figures" webpages.
In addition, you can visit our Centers & Institutes webpage to learn more about related research opportunities. We also are affiliated with the UA BIO5 Institute (on left, below right), with recently completed adjacent research and simulation lab facilities involving capital improvements of a quarter of a billion dollars. 
These include the new Health Sciences Innovation Building (HSIB) and Biosciences Research Laboratory (BSRL)—on right at right.