Fellows | Kaiser Permanente Undergraduate & Graduate Medical Education Northern California

There are 3 fellows each year with their own areas of interests and plans for the future. The program gives them a firm grounding in general cardiology, but also allows them the flexibility to focus on a specific sub-specialty, if desired.

Welcome: Chief Fellow

Welcome to our Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC) Cardiology Fellowship Program! We appreciate your interest in our program. Our program is a strong start to becoming a phenomenal world-class practicing cardiologist. Our program boasts several high value aspects: 1. The enriched, high caliber of training provided. 2. The focus and investment in each fellow’s professional growth. 3. The dedication of program leadership to continuous enhancement, and 4. The strong camaraderie amongst our group.

Within the KPNC system, patients requiring specialized cardiovascular care are funneled to our two cardiac specialty hubs in San Francisco and Santa Clara. Given the expansive reach of KPNC, which serves over 4.5 million members, our hospitals and longitudinal clinics cater to a diverse and enriched population of patients with cardiovascular ailments. Throughout our training, we gain exposure to a wide spectrum of cardiovascular medicine, encompassing invasive procedures like cardiac implantable electronic devices, cardiac imaging including cardiac CT and MRI and innovative structural heart interventions. Additionally, we are highly involved in subspecialty care such as adult congenital heart disease, pulmonary hypertension, advanced heart failure/mechanical circulatory support/pre- and post-transplant, women’s heart health, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, genetics and aortopathy. Consequently, our program equips graduates with comprehensive skills to independently manage various cardiovascular conditions.

Professional development is a central focus of our fellowship program. Under the distinguished leadership of Program Director, Dr. Jonathan Zaroff, and our esteemed faculty, each fellow receives substantial support. Here, we are exposed to a collaborative and nurturing learning environment. For those inclined towards clinical research, the Division of Research offers access to one of the largest research databases in the western world, alongside leading experts in clinical informatics, epidemiology, and healthcare delivery science. Increasingly, as fellows, we engage in and produce highly impactful scholarly work and present at several of the national and international conferences. Along this line, we have our Delivery Science Fellowship Program (which prior fellows have benefitted from) which allows protected time for dedicated scholarly work. Additionally, we prioritize nurturing other interests, including medical education, quality improvement, and healthcare leadership. Our leadership maintains open channels of communication with fellows and readily implements fellow-driven initiatives and feedback, facilitating swift adaptation and enabling fellows to play an active role in our program’s evolution and advancement. Additionally, I would like to highlight how influential and invested the non-MD staff are in our professional development, such as our cardiac sonographers, nurse practitioners, cardiac catheterization lab staff, amongst others.

Finally, the strong camaraderie among our fellow and attending groups is a distinctive hallmark of our program. Whether collaborating clinically within the hospital or enjoying social engagements like happy hours, fellows and attendings foster genuine collegiality and support. Along this line, Dr. Zaroff and our program continue to increase our efforts to attain a more diverse and inclusive body; as such we respect and encourage applicants of all backgrounds to apply. We appreciate that having fellows of diverse backgrounds offers a more representative team of physicians to serve our large patient population. Of note, our broader Kaiser house staff group has meetings fostering the development and progression of staff from underrepresented groups.

Thank you for considering our program. In choosing to join us for this next phase of your career, you’ll receive exceptional preparation for a career as a world class general cardiologist or a solid foundation in pursuit of sub-specialty training. Repeatedly, our fellows secure coveted employment opportunities and positions in advanced training programs both locally in the Bay Area and nationwide. We eagerly anticipate the opportunity to connect with you and encourage you to reach out with any inquiries.

Looking forward to meeting you,
Steven A. Hamilton, M.B., B.S