Stacy Allison Mandras, MD

Welcome from the Program Director

The AdventHealth fellowship is committed to the comprehensive training and professional development of physicians in the field of Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology. Through a meticulously designed curriculum, trainees will engage in a multifaceted learning experience encompassing advanced diagnostic techniques and state-of-the-art therapeutic interventions for the care of the patient with cardiogenic shock, chronic heart Failure, mechanical circulatory support, heart transplantation and pulmonary hypertension.

Our mission is to foster a rigorous academic environment that offers participation in ongoing clinical trials and contributing to scholarly publications and opportunities to present at national and international society meetings.

The fellowship places a strong emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration, exposing fellows to diverse medical specialties. Through close mentorship from seasoned experts, fellows will develop the ability to navigate complex clinical scenarios and make informed decisions grounded in evidence-based medicine.

Thank you for your interest in the AdventHealth Cardiology Fellowship program.

Stacy Mandras, MD, FACC

Program Director

Program Leadership

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Stacy Allison Mandras, MD

Stacy Mandras, MD, FACC

Program Director

Advanced Heart Failure/Transplant Cardiology Fellowship

Associate Program Director, Cardiology Fellowship

Physician Headshot

Akansha Agarwal, MD

Associate Program Director

Advanced Heart Failure/Transplant Cardiology Fellowship

Andrija Vidic, DO

Andrija Vidic, MD

Faculty

Advanced Heart Failure-Transplant Cardiology Section Head

Naveen Bellam, MD

Naveen Bellam, MD

Faculty

Sula Mazimba, MD, MPH

Sula Mazimba, MD

Faculty

Pujan Patel, MD

Pujan Patel, MD

Faculty

Simon Shakar, MD

Simon Shakar, MD

Faculty

Core Curriculum

Core Competencies

Clinical Experience (Inpatient and Outpatient) and Proficiencies (Required for Eligibility for Secondary Subspecialty Certification in Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology):

  • Heart Failure with Dilated or Nondilated LV
  • New-onset heart Failure
  • Acute decompensation of chronic heart Failure
  • Heart Failure in a geriatric population
  • Heart Failure associated with cancer chemotherapy
  • Heart Failure patients who are pregnant or recently postpartum
  • Heart Failure and congenital heart disease
  • Heart Failure in patient from diverse ethnic groups, with attention to specific diagnostic and therapeutic issues within these groups
  • Heart Failure in men and women
  • Pulmonary hypertension
  • Heart Failure pre- and post-cardiac and noncardiac surgery
  • Inherited forms of cardiomyopathy
  • Hypertrophic cardiomyopathies
  • Infiltrative and inflammatory cardiomyopathies
  • Heart Failure and arrhythmias
  • Heart Failure in patients with other organs transplanted
  • Evaluation of patients for cardiac transplant or mechanical assist devices
  • Care of patients who have undergone cardiac transplant
  • Care of patients with mechanical assist devices
  • Evaluation of patients for ICDs and for CRT
  • Device interrogation and interpretation in patients with implanted ICD or ICD-CRT devices
  • Endomyocardial biopsies
Specific Goals

The PGY7 fellows are expected to refine management skills learned in their general cardiology fellowship:

  • Manage Advanced Heart Failure patients
  1. Learn how and when to initiate inotropes
  2. Learn how and when to initiate evaluations for advanced therapies such as transplant and durable mechanical assist device

  • Manage Heart Transplant patients
  1. Gain a complete understanding of immunosuppression, medication management, and rejection monitoring
  2. Be able to evaluate and treat different forms of transplant rejection
  3. Manage transplant patients in the peri-operative period
  4. Be able to perform echo-guided and fluoroscopy-guided endomyocardial biopsies proficiently by the end of their fellowship
  5. Manage patients in both the inpatient and outpatient setting

  • Manage mechanical circulatory support systems
  1. Be able to manage and troubleshoot a durable mechanical device
  2. Be able to appropriately use and manage/troubleshoot a percutaneous device
  3. Manage patients both in the outpatient and inpatient setting

  • Manage pulmonary hypertension patients
  1. Evaluate and treat patients from WHO groups 1-5.
  2. Become familiar with current modalities of therapy for pulmonary hypertension.
  3. Be able to initiate and follow patients with IV therapy, including complications.
  4. Understand indications for lung transplant or heart/lung transplantation.
Schedule of Duties

AHF/PH = (AHF) Training in advanced stages of heart failure/complex medical management of, device therapies and consideration of heart transplantation. (PH) Training and management of pulmonary hypertension involving medical therapies, including consideration for advanced interventions.

  • Week 1: IP1 = IP Transplant
  • Week 2: IP2 = IP + CATH
  • Week 3: OP = AHTI Clinic (AM only); PM (Research/Conference or CATH)
  • Week 4: CATH
  • Week 5: Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) (Clinic or Outpatient Alternating)

Inpatient (IP) Months: 1,3,5,7,9,11,13
Outpatient (OP) Months: 2,4,6,8,10, 12

Notes for Ambulatory: The fellow will rotate through this series 4.5 times (45 weeks total- 14 weeks of which are spent in outpatient clinic (31%). When Cath lab is light, the fellow will flex into the transplant clinic for a small percentage of time (approximately 5%) for a total of (36%).

Conferences
  1. Patient Review Committee meeting (Transplant Selection) occurs weekly.
  2. Pathology Conference occurs monthly, in which the transplant cardiologist will review recent/interesting biopsies with the fellows and the pathologist.
  3. Monthly didactic lectures presented by the transplant and pulmonary hypertension staff physicians that represent the core curriculum.
  4. HF/T Fellow will be expected to participate at monthly Morbidity and Mortality conference.
  5. Quarterly research meetings to review the progress of the fellows’ research projects and provide mentorship.
  6. Monthly Heart Transplant and VAD QAPI meetings.
  7. HF/T Fellow will present one Grand Rounds conference and is expected to attend quarterly cardiology grand rounds.
  8. Journal Club will be offered quarterly.
Research

It is expected that the trainee will submit at least one manuscript to a peer-reviewed journal or present an abstract or poster at a National or International Heart Failure-Transplant Cardiology meeting during their tenure of fellowship. The fellows are mentored in analyzing data and results of clinical trials or other published materials. Similarly, the fellows are expected to use these skills under the direct supervision of a staff attending in the preparation of materials for publications and oral presentations.

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Training Sites

Primary clinical training occurs mainly at the AdventHealth Orlando campus.

Program Information

The Heart Failure and Transplant fellowship is housed within the framework of the AdventHealth Transplant Institute and AdventHealth Advanced Lung Disease Institute. The teaching experience will be conducted by 7.5 fulltime heart transplant cardiologist dedicated to managing all aspects of heart Failure, mechanical circulatory support, cardiogenic shock, and transplantation, as well as 3 cardiologists and one pulmonologist who specialize in the management of patients with pulmonary hypertension. (Dr. Mandras and Dr. Mazimba split their time between the transplant program and pulmonary hypertension)

The Institution houses one of the county’s largest transplant programs having performed nearly 500 transplants during its – almost 12 year tenure. Additionally, the pulmonary hypertension program sees >200 new referrals annually, follows >500 established patients, and has available expertise in using advanced therapeutics including lung transplantation. A prolific research portfolio is also available for the interested trainee’s participation.

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Application Process Join Our Team

All applications are accepted through The Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS®). If you are interested in a Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology fellowship, we invite you to apply through ERAS.

For information about the process or to register for ERAS online, visit www.aamc.org/eras.

The Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology program requests a completed online ERAS application including:

  • Personal statement
  • Curriculum vitae
  • Copy of medical school diploma
  • Completion and passing of all three USMLE steps (with submission of scores)
  • Three (3) letters of recommendation including one from your program director
  • All applicants entering the program must have completed an ACGME-accredited cardiovascular disease training program, or its equivalent, to include complete training in diagnostic cardiac catheterization and coronary angiography
  • ECFMG certification (if applicable)
  • ABIM board certified or board eligible
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Fellowship Coordinator
Contact Information

Randal Torres