The Advanced Heart Failure Program at Sentara Healthcare is expanding its programs involving advanced heart failure, mechanical circulatory support and heart transplantation. We are currently seeking a Program Director for the Advanced Heart Failure program for Sentara Healthcare. Candidates for this position should be Board Certified in Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology with a minimum of three to five years’ experience in a center active in advanced heart failure, heart transplantation and mechanical circulatory support. The clinic offers cardiac genetic testing, CEPT, and follow up for the AHF CardioMems patients.

Sentara HealthCare is a large, fully integrated health care system including 12 hospitals, its own insurance plan, a large multi-specialty Medical Group with greater than 1300 physicians, and long-term care facilities.

The core of the Advanced Heart Failure program is based in the Heart Zone on the campus of Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, a 686-bed hospital and the flagship hospital of Sentara Healthcare. The Advanced Heart Failure Program includes a large outpatient clinic which provides long-term care for transplant patients, left ventricular assist device patients, and advanced heart failure patients.

The Heart Transplant Program has performed more than 500 transplants since 1989, including 17 in 2021.

The Advanced Heart Failure Clinic has nearly 10,000 patient visits annually and operates satellite clinics in Chesapeake, Suffolk, Newport News, Virginia Beach, and Williamsburg

The Heart Zone boasts 5 catheterization laboratories, 5 cardiac operating rooms, a Hybrid Operating room, and 4 Electrophysiology laboratories. The Cardiac Advanced Imaging Center provides both Cardiac CT and MR studies in the Heart Hospital.

The Advanced Heart Failure program includes five transplant cardiologists and four heart transplant/VAD surgeons.

The Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiologists are part of the Sentara Cardiology Specialists, covering 13 practice locations from Williamsburg to Northeastern North Carolina. Sentara Cardiology Specialists has over 70 providers representing specialties including: Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology, Advanced Imaging, Electrophysiology, Non-Invasive Cardiology, Interventional Cardiology, General Cardiology, Structural Heart, and Preventative Cardiology.

The advanced heart failure cardiologists are involved in multiple research projects including drug and device therapy for acute and chronic heart failure. Funding for original research is available.

Snapshot of Position:

• Compensation: between $700-750K, commensurate with experience.
• 0.6 Clinical (with productivity incentive) 0.4 Administrative (with program goals tied)
• Clinical/Administrative allocations are flexible dependent on the candidate and if there will be defined system CHF work included

Clinical Schedule commitments

1. Daily schedule: there is flexibility and will be coordinated with the clinic and administrative needs. Most administrative meetings are at 7AM, some 5:30PM
2. Patient selection is weekly, and occurs 7am Friday morning
3. Work week is not etched in stone, but will depend in part on the candidate’s clinical focus and the skill make-up of the team
   1. Inpatient Service
   2. Procedures
   3. Ambulatory clinic, to include community outreach clinic (typically 1-2x/month)

Administrative Functions

1. Chairing various committees, and participating in regular quality meetings, M&M, and executive meetings for the Heart Hospital and the Transplant Program
   1. Program development (cardio-obstetrics, cardio-oncology, infiltrative heart disease)
   2. Outreach and other program building activities
   3. Quality improvement/clinical pathway development
   4. Heart failure research administration (no IRB)
   5. Participation at national level and research