Breast Imaging Fellowship

Timeline

November 1, 2023: Programs may begin accepting applications
January 1, 2024: Virtual interviews may begin
March 31, 2024: Virtual interviews completed

Applicants must have completed a radiology residency program accredited by the ACGME or Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada by the time they start their fellowship at BIDMC. Applicants must be certified or qualified for certification by the American Board of Radiology and have obtained a Massachusetts medical license by the beginning of the fellowship.

Your application must include:

1. The SSR Fellowship application
2. Curriculum vitae
3. Personal statement
4. A letter of recommendation from your program director or current director
5. Two additional letters of recommendation
6. USMLE scores, steps 1-3
7. Medical school transcript and Dean’s Letter

Please email your application materials to our Radiology Education Office.

On behalf of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) Breast Imaging Fellowship team, led by Janet Baum, MD, we thank you for your interest in our program. Our one-year, fellowship-level Breast Imaging curriculum provides an organized educational experience to graduate expert breast imaging consultants and practitioners for either the academic or private practice setting.

Our breast fellows have the opportunity to learn to interpret all types of imaging including screening and diagnostic mammograms, contrast-enhanced mammograms, breast ultrasound, and breast MRI. Screening services include mammography, MRI, and whole breast ultrasound. Our Breast MRI volume is robust with at least 20-25 cases per week. We have an active interventional service with over 40 breast procedures performed weekly.

Fellows have the responsibility of performing challenging procedures including localizations, ultrasound, and stereotactic-guided core biopsies and MRI biopsies each week. In addition, fellows rotate through breast pathology and the Breast Care Center to get a complete overview of what is involved in caring for and managing patients with breast issues.

1. To provide an organized, comprehensive, and highly supervised educational experience in breast imaging so that the fellow can function as an independent breast imaging consultant and practitioner in academic or private practice settings
2. To train fellows to screen healthy populations for breast cancer including screening mammograms, whole breast ultrasound, and high-risk screening MRI
3. To train fellows in the selection, performance, and interpretation of:
• diagnostic breast imaging studies in all modalities
• interventional procedures along with an understanding of radiologic-pathologic review for concordance of pathology findings
4. To provide sufficient experience to advise referring clinicians on the most expeditious and efficient imaging techniques to answer clinical and imaging breast problems
5. To encourage and provide opportunities and skills for research in the field of breast imaging
6. To train fellows in quality control, quality assurance, and peer review for breast imaging to comply with all state and federal regulations

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) is a busy Level-I Trauma Center and a major teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. BIDMC is also a major New England referral center for breast oncology cases.

The Breast Imaging fellowship is based at our main Boston outpatient campus where we perform over 10,000 screening mammograms, 8,500 diagnostic mammograms, 4,500 ultrasounds, and 1,000 MRIs each year. Cases are referred from five of our offsite campuses that perform over 25,000 additional examinations annually. We also work closely with BIDMC’s active breast surgery, medical oncology, radiation oncology, and pathology services. Among our facilities are:

• Five digital mammogram units including three with tomosynthesis
• Four state-of-the-art US systems
• 3.0 T and 1.5 T MRI units with biopsy capabilities
• Dedicated prone 2D/3Dand upright 2D/3D stereotactic core biopsy systems
• Three nine-gauge vacuum-assisted core biopsy devices

BIDMC’s Breast Imaging division is also one of the only practices in Boston that offers contrast-enhanced mammography.

We offer a comprehensive curriculum that spans all aspects of breast imaging with a robust didactic curriculum as well as ample hands-on experience. Some highlights are included below. Please contact us if you would like additional detailed information about the curriculum.

Rotations

Fellows typically have week-long rotations in various aspects of breast imaging that include screening mammography, diagnostic mammography and ultrasound, breast procedures (including ultrasound-guided core biopsies, stereotactic core biopsies, MRI core biopsies, and localizations) and breast MRI. Our high volume provides fellows with ample clinical exposure.

Lecture Series

Dedicated breast imaging lectures covering the essential topics of breast imaging will be given weekly to the fellows. In addition, fellows are encouraged to attend resident morning conferences when related to breast imaging.

Research

High-quality research has always been a priority of the Breast Imaging division of BIDMC. The primary work of our group has evolved to focus on new technology, value-based healthcare, and education. To promote further advancement in research related to breast imaging, we have partnered with members of VIR, breast pathology, breast surgery, and primary care on projects. Our program provides many opportunities for trainees to become involved in scholarly projects. Each fellow will work with a faculty mentor to design a research project(s), obtain IRB approval, collect and analyze data, and prepare manuscripts for presentation and/or publication. Academic time will be given for research projects. In addition, fellows will complete a quality improvement project during the fellowship.

Conferences

Fellows will participate in multiple conferences including weekly Breast Radiology Pathology Correlation Conference and Multidisciplinary Breast Cancer Tumor Board. Monthly conferences include journal club and the Breast Imaging Research Meeting. Fellows also participate in quarterly multidisciplinary ‘classics’ journal club with the pathology and surgery departments where we review key articles in breast literature. Finally, our fellows attend the Harvard Breast Imaging Fellows Meeting three times a year, where Harvard breast imaging fellows meet to discuss a topic and review cases.

Elective Time

Each fellow is granted four weeks of elective time based on the needs of the individual fellow. Elective time may include time in other Radiology sections or other clinical sections (i.e. Breast Surgery, Breast Pathology, Breast Oncology, or Breast Radiation Oncology).

Janet Baum, MD
Breast Imaging Fellowship Program Director

Residency: University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers
Internship: St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor
Medical School: University of Michigan Medical School 

Vandana Dialani, MD
Chief of Breast Imaging, BID-Needham
Director of Breast Imaging, Community Network Services

Fellowship: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Residency: Grant Medical College and Sir JJ Group Hospitals
Internship: Grant Medical College and Sir JJ Group Hospitals
Medical Degree: Grant Medical College and Sir JJ Group Hospitals

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