Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellowship | Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine | Department of Internal Medicine | UC Davis Health

Fellowship Programs

Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellowship

Thank you for your interest in the Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine fellowship program here at UC Davis Health. We are an ACGME accredited program in Pulmonary and Critical Care medicine. Our three (3) year combined program is designed to allow for 18-24 months of required clinical experiences and 12-18 months of creative/research/elective time to fulfill the training requirements for ABIM Certification in Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Medicine. The program is designed for Diplomates of the ABIM.

Fellowship group od doctors.

The goal of our training program is to produce skilled pulmonary and critical care clinicians, teachers, and investigators. Tracks for careers in biomedical research, clinical education, and clinical care are tailored to each fellow.  Our fellows go on to become full-time academic faculty or successfully entered private practice.  

We offer an individualized curriculum with a minimum of 18 months clinical service, which provides patient care experience with a broad range of diseases and hands-on experience in all diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. An educational curriculum running the duration of the three-year program includes active participation in interventional bronchoscopy, point-of-care ultrasound, and peri-operative patient management and cardiopulmonary exercise testing. Specialized clinic-based exposures include cystic fibrosis, severe asthma, pulmonary hypertension, interstitial lung disease, and pulmonary rehabilitation. Regular conferences employ seminars, journal clubs, case studies, and simulations to address the topics of molecular and cellular biology, genetics, biochemistry, physiology, immunology, and clinical medicine.  Faculty meet with fellows monthly to review progress on research and individualized learning plans.   

Our program is also designed to assure an adequate research experience for all fellows who are potentially interested in academic, research-focused careers. For those fellows who do not have a strong interest in research, it is expected that the fellow and program director will together formulate an individualized plan of scholarly activities and additional clinical experiences to complete the training experience in lieu of dedicated research time. Clinical research opportunities include patient- and disease-oriented studies and epidemiologic investigations. Research collaborations include the UC Davis Center for Comparative Respiratory Biology and Medicine (CCRBM), UC Davis Medical Center, California National Primate Research Center, UC Davis Clinical and Translational Science Center (CTSC), Department of Engineering, Informatics, and UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. An optional fourth year of fellowship training may be available to those individuals desiring additional protected research time. 

UC Davis Pulmonary and Critical Care Program Aims 

  • To foster the development of Internists into competent, experienced and tested Pulmonologists and Intensivists. 
  • Specific areas of study and skill acquisition include: 
    • Clinical care and management of the critically ill patient 
    • Diagnosis and management of respiratory diseases in adults 
  • To train specialists competent to perform the procedures expected for practice in the subspecialty 
  • To graduate fellows with a strong understanding of respiratory physiology and its assessment in health and disease 
  • To graduate fellows competent in scientific literature interpretation and clinical application 
  • To graduate fellows capable of scientific research and authorship 

The majority of clinical activities are located at the University of California, Davis Medical Center. This tertiary care hospital is the site of outpatient clinics and inpatient management. Rotations at this site include Medical ICU, pulmonary consultations, critical care management, exercise and physiology testing, and subspecialty pulmonary clinics. Additional clinical experience is obtained at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Mather.

Fellows are expected to participate in one or more subspecialty-focused areas, in addition to the core clinical activities. The subspecialty-focused areas commonly included are advanced lung disease, cystic fibrosis, pulmonary fibrosis, granulomatous diseases, neuromuscular/respiratory diseases, sleep medicine, pulmonary hypertension, and interventional bronchoscopy.

Core Rotations/Experiences:

  • Orientation: All incoming fellows spend 24 days in education and simulations prior to patient-based learning. Orientation includes a review of pulmonary physiology, simulation experiences and “nuts and bolts” training to prepare for the patient based learning in the upcoming months. Near the Thanksgiving break, fellows are given an additional block of training time to hone procedural skills, consider research projects, and initiate an individualized learning plan.
  • UC Davis Medical Center Medical Intensive Care Unit: The MICU is a closed unit managed by the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care. It has over 1,300 admissions per year and, as a tertiary care center, receives patients from Northern California and sections of Nevada. Fellows complete at least 6 months of service leading two teams of learners from Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, Emergency Medicine, and Anesthesiology.
  • UC Davis Medical Center Pulmonary Consults: Fellows complete inpatient pulmonary consult training at the University of California, Davis. Fellows will complete all new inpatient and emergency room consults, and round on established patients. As a teaching service, the fellow will work with one or two residents and a medical student. Emergent procedures (e.g. bronchoscopies) are completed under the supervision of an attending.
  • VA of Northern California, Mather: At this site, fellows gain experience through inpatient ICU management of combined medical/surgical/critical care, and provide inpatient and outpatient pulmonary consultations. The VA rotation encompasses the full range of inpatient, outpatient, and procedural experiences.
  • Critical Care Management: The critical care rotation focuses on critical care consults as well as participation in the Cardiothoracic ICU, with the progression of responsibility based on the fellow's level of experience. As fellows progress in experience, the CTICU provides training experiences in ECMO. For interested fellows, there is the opportunity to rotate through the Neurocritical Care ICU.
  • Pulmonary Outpatient Clinics: In the second and third year, all fellows have two half-day pulmonary clinics (at UC Davis Medical Center and VA Mather). In addition, two week outpatient clinic blocks allow fellows to experience subspecialty clinics in advanced lung disease, cystic fibrosis, sleep medicine, pulmonary hypertension, lung cancer, and interstitial lung disease. In the third year, fellows have the opportunity to spend 6 months of their half day clinics in the subspecialty clinic that best fits with their practice goals.
  • Procedures: Fellows at UC Davis have the opportunity to learn and practice a variety of procedures. With no interventional fellows and a closed ICU, the UC Davis pulmonary and critical care fellows hone their skills to prepare for independent practice in the full range of Critical Care procedures. Initial training for most procedures takes place at the UC Davis Medical Center Simulation Suite.
  • Fellow Didactics: Weekly didactic conferences are a key part of the learning experience and establish relationships between faculty and fellows. The weekly fellows didactic on core topics in pulmonary and critical care medicine anchors the schedule. Additional chest case conference, journal clubs, both within the program and also among all the critical care programs in the hospital (including our Veterinary Medicine colleagues), pathology, CQI, and ethics conference round out the didactics offerings.

The annual fellow schedule for the UC Davis Pulmonary and Critical Care program combines pulmonary, critical care, and research activities over three years. The Fall of the first year emphasizes inpatient clinical activities at UC Davis Health. A 2-week period of non-patient-based activities punctuates the first year. The remainder of the year reflects expansion of clinical autonomy and progression of responsibility at the VA Medical Center-Mather, UC Davis MICU nights, and scholarly and research activities. Fellows in their 2nd and 3rd years of the program start to decrease the amount of time on clinical service and are able to focus on creative projects.

Generic Schedule Breakdown

 

1st Year

2nd Year

3rd Year

UC Davis MICU (Including Nights)

3.5 Months

2 Months

1.5 Months

UC Davis Pulmonary Consult

1.5 Months

1 Month

1 Month

UC Davis Outpatient

2 Months

1 Month

1 Month

UC Davis Critical Care Consults/other non Medical ICU

1.5 Months

1 Month

1 Month

VA Mather

1 Month

2 Months

--

Research/Creative Activity/Other clinical electives

1.5 Month

5 Months

7.5 Months

Orientation

1 Month

--

--

All fellows receive 20 vacation days and 4 education days a year. Vacations are scheduled in two week blocks based on individual fellow requests.

Support is available for to for travel and registration expenses for regional and national conferences if a fellow is presenting his/her research.

While a fellow at UC Davis, you will have a wide variety of other scholarly opportunities to enhance your clinical training.   

Each fellow will work with a mentor and the program director to develop a customized scholarly activity curriculum. Collaborations are typically within and among division faculty and established faculty collaborators from the main campus. Fellows have the breadth of opportunities to work in bench research, educational program development and/or CQI development.   

Clinical and basic science research opportunities are widespread in UC Davis. Our fellows have participated in studies spanning from basic biology investigations to clinical interventional trials. Collaborations range from the UC Davis School of Engineering to the California National Primate Research Center to the UC Davis Children's Hospital. 

First year fellows receive 4-6 weeks of research/creative time, and each subsequent year the amount of research/creative time increases to total  16 - 18 months.   Fellows have the option to take an additional year of research to work on an independent project or pursue additional degree training through UC Davis. Programs available to fellows include a Master's of Advanced Studies in Clinical Research and a Master's in Public Health. Training beyond the basic levels is available in molecular and cellular biology, genetics, biochemistry, physiology, immunology, clinical research, and informatics.

Scholarly Activities Projects

All fellows have the opportunity to select a research/creative project that interests them.  Projects have led to publications, abstracts, and poster presentations.  Those project topics include Cell Free DNA assay and Stage III/IV NSCLC as well as Ventilator Education Curriculum. Click here for more samples of research projects from the past five years.

Medical Education Experience and Projects

The Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Fellowship at UC Davis allows for a broad experience in medical education. These experiences include bedside teaching, opportunities to lead small groups and lecture in the Schools of Medicine and Nursing, and opportunities to participate in, or lead, mentored scholarly education projects.  Recent Fellow-Driven projects include curriculum in airway management, simulation based education, and mechanical ventilator education.

Research and Training Resources

All the fellows involved in basic and clinic research have the assistance of experienced researchers in the division as well as resources through UC Davis National Institutes of Health Funded Clinical Research Center. The UC Davis Center for Comparative Respiratory Biology and Medicine is the home for our multidisciplinary research in the area of asthma, lung cancer, emphysema, chronic bronchitis and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Our Division Fellows have the opportunity to interact and participate the division’s clinic trial.

NIH HL T32 Training Grant in Comparative Lung Biology

Fellows considering a career which includes research are invited to apply for the Division’s NIH funded T32 Training Grant in Comparative Lung Biology. Participation in this grant provides additional research training with our faculty at the Medical Center and on the main UC Davis campus.  Fellows who participate in the T32 extend their training for a 4th year via a non-ACGME fellowship.

Other Degree Opportunities

A number of our fellows have extended their education time with the UC Davis Pulmonary and Critical Care Program to pursue a Masters of Advanced Studies in Clinical Research. Fellows start the program in their 3rd year and then continue in a non-ACGME fellowship role to complete the program.  A Masters in Public Health is available for interested fellows.

2027 Fellows

Sahand Ghodrati, M.D.

  • Medical School: Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine
  • Residency: University of California Davis

Alexandro Marquez, M.D.

  • Medical School: University of California San Diego
  • Residency: Kaiser Oakland

Brian McGarry, M.D. 

  • Medical School: University of California Davis
  • Residency: VA Portland Health Care

Jothika Tamizharasu, M.D.

  • Medical School: Morehouse School of Medicine
  • Residency: University of California Davis

Aishwarya Yenepalli, M.D.

  • Medical School: University of Arizona - Phoenix
  • Residency: Santa Clara Valley Medical Center

2026 Fellows

Muhammad Arif, M.D.

  • Medical School: University of Arizona College of Medicine - Tucson
  • Residency: Creighton University School of Medicine

Neharika Khurana, M.D.

  • Medical School: University of Queensland School of Medicine
  • Residency: Santa Clara Valley Medical Center

Tanwe Shende, M.D. 

  • Medical School: University of Arizona College of Medicine - Tucson
  • Residency: Los Angeles County and University of Southern California

Scott Slusarenko, D.O.

  • Medical School: Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • Residency: Legacy Emanuel Medical Center

2025 Fellows

Tyler Denman, M.D.

  • Medical School: University of Washington School of Medicine
  • Residency: Kaiser San Francisco

Robert Hardwick, M.D.

  • Medical School: University of Washington School of Medicine
  • Residency: University of Vermont Medical Center

Gregory Heinicke, D.O.

  • Medical School: Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine of Midwestern University
  • Residency: Spokane (WA) Hospitals

Chih-Huan, Lu, M.D.

  • Medical School: University of Virginia School of Medicine
  • Residency: University of North Carolina Hospitals 

Samantha Quon, M.D.

  • Medical School: Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California
  • Residency: University of Southern California Internal Medicine

Jared Rosen, M.D.

  • Medical School: University of California, San Diego School of Medicine
  • Residency: University of California San Diego

2024 Fellows

Katyayini Arbindi, M.D.

  • Medical School: University of Miami LM Miller School of Medicine
  • Residency: University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

Jacob Blount, M.D.

  • Medical School: University of South Florida
  • Residency: University of Colorado

Jennifer Israel, D.O.

  • Medical School: College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific
  • Residency: Scripps Mercy Hospital

Jennifer Miller, D.O.

  • Medical School: AT Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine
  • Residency: University of Washington (Boise)

Samantha Quon, M.D.

  • Medical School: University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine
  • Residency: University of Southern California

We have five first year fellowship positions in pulmonary and critical care available each year starting on July 15. Applications are accepted through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). Our positions are filled through the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP). For full consideration, please submit your application and supporting materials by mid-August. We begin offering interviews by the end of the 3rd week in August. Required application components to include in your ERAS application:

  • Personal Statement
  • Medical school transcript
  • USMLE/COMPLEX transcript
  • Medical school Dean's Letter (MSPE)
  • Two (2) letters of recommendation from physicians who have served in a direct supervisory capacity
  • Preferred: Letter of recommendation from a division head or department chair

Eligibility 

To be eligible for the Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellowship, you must have completed an ACGME or AOA accredited residency program in Internal Medicine. Plan to sit for the ABIM Board exam before or during your fellowship. Please review the complete eligibility requirements listed in the UC Davis Health System Eligibility and Selection Guidelines (PDF). Please review the eligibility for a California License.  Applicants must be meet eligibility requirements for a California Medical license.  

Visa Requirements

Non-US Citizens must have a J-1 Visa or Work Authorization permit to apply to the UC Davis Health System fellowship training program. UC Davis Health System does not accept H1-B Visas.  

Graduates of Foreign Medical Colleges

You must be eligible for a California state license. Please review the complete policy in Requirements for International Medical Graduates at UC Davis Health.

Interviews

We hold interviews on Tuesday in September, October and November.

Contact

Lina Villegas
Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Fellowship Coordinator

lvillegas@ucdavis.edu
916-734-4597

Fax 916-734-7924 

Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine 

Our Division was established in 1968. Since that time, its programs have been nationally recognized for their excellence in patient care, medical education, basic and clinical research, and service to the community. The mission statement of the Division closely reflects that of UC Davis Health.    

To heal, to teach, to discover and to serve 

Patient care: To provide access to the latest advances in pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine and consistently deliver high-quality care with competence, respect, dignity and compassion. 

Education: To provide current and future health care professionals with the knowledge and skills in pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine to provide exemplary patient care and to foster and support continued learning throughout their careers. 

Research: To advance the understanding of pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine through basic and applied research and translation of these discoveries into effective approaches to disease prevention, diagnosis and treatment. 

Service: To provide leadership and promote collaborative relationships with the public and private sectors to build a healthier community and region, with particular regard to pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine. 

The Division is committed to the UC Davis Principles of Community:

We recognize that to create an inclusive and intellectually vibrant community, we must understand and value both our individual differences and our common ground. 

Diversity: The diversity of the people of California has been the source of innovative ideas and creative accomplishments throughout the state’s history into the present.  Diversity – a  defining feature of California’s past, present, and future – refers to the variety of personal experiences, values and worldviews that arise from differences of culture and circumstance

Program Leadership

Nick Stollenwerk, M.D.
Program Director  

Florence Chau-Etchepare, M.D.
Associate Program Director 

Lina Villegas
Program Administrator
lvillegas@ucdavis.edu 
916-734-4597

University of California Davis 
Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine 
4150 V Street, Suite 3400 
Sacramento, CA 95817 

Fax 916-734-7924

For verifications, please send all requests to lvillegas@ucdavis.edu. We do not require payment for verifications.