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An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Clinical Fellow in Transcatheter Valve Intervention to join the team at Leeds General Infirmary. This is aimed at trainees who have recently completed, or are nearing completion of, PCI training. It is focussed on transcatheter valve intervention, in particular transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). Leeds performs over 500 TAVI procedures annually, using multiple platforms, including JenaValve Trilogy. Leeds has a strong record of innovation in TAVI, and has an active research programme supported by 4 research nurses. Leeds also has a mitral and tricuspid intervention programme, including trans‑catheter edge‑to‑edge repair. The Fellow will participate in all aspects of the trans‑catheter valve intervention programme, and would expect to be fully trained as an independent TAVI operator at the end of the 12 month Fellowship and gain useful experience in mitral, tricuspid, and other structural intervention procedures.

The Fellow will participate fully in all aspects of the trans‑catheter valve intervention programme, including 1 clinic per week, assessment of urgent in‑patient referrals, post‑procedural management, analysis of pre‑procedural CT scans, and presentation at the MDT.

This post will be one of two trans‑catheter valve Fellows in Leeds. Between them the Fellows will be involved in all of the 500+ cases in the 12‑month post.

In addition to TAVI, the Fellows would be involved in and gain useful exposure to mitral and tricuspid procedures.

The Fellowship would also offer continued involvement in PCI, in order to maintain expertise. However, it will not offer full training in PCI to more junior trainees, since the focus is on structural intervention.

Whilst there is no formal commitment to out of hours work, there may be opportunities to contribute to gaps on the StR on call rota where appropriate.

Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is one of the largest acute health providers in the UK and based in one of the fastest growing and vibrant cities in the north.

The Cardio‑Respiratory CSU champions the Leeds Way values.

• Patient‑centred
• Collaborative
• Fair
• Accountable
• Empowered

The Trans‑catheter Valve Intervention team is the Flagship service of the CSU, with a national & international reputation for excellence and innovation. The team is also renowned for togetherness and friendship.

Leeds Teaching Hospitals is committed to our process of redeploying 'at risk' members of our existing workforce to new roles. As such, all our job adverts are subject to this policy and we reserve the right to close, delay or remove adverts while this process is completed. If you do experience a delay in the shortlisting stage of the recruitment cycle, please bear with us while this process is completed, and contact the named contact if you have any questions.

This appointment will be based at the West Yorkshire Heart Centre, Leeds General Infirmary.

Leeds General Infirmary is the largest tertiary cardiac centre in the United Kingdom, providing services to a population of 2.8 million in West Yorkshire, with supra‑regional services to the broader population of Yorkshire & Humber, constituting 5.8 million. The cardiology department consists of 2 inpatient wards (one acute admissions ward), a day case interventional ward, a day case radial lounge, 6 lab catheter suite and a 10 bed coronary care unit. Leeds is a high volume PCI centre performing 2200 PCI per annum, of which 1100 are primary PCI maintaining the centre’s status as the busiest PPCI centre in the UK.

The trans‑catheter valve intervention programme in Leeds is delivered by four interventional cardiologists: Professor Dan Blackman, Dr Chris Malkin, Dr Mike Cunnington, and Dr Noman Ali.

This Fellowship is aimed at interventional trainees who are nearing completion of, or have recently completed, their PCI training. The Fellowship would be focussed on transcatheter valve intervention, in particular transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI).

Leeds performs approximately 600 TAVI procedures annually. Currently Evolut FX+, SAPIEN 3 RESILIA and Navitor Vision valves are used.

Standard TAVI procedures are performed under local anaesthetic. More than 95% of procedures are trans‑femoral, with percutaneous axillary access the alternate access route of choice. We have also performed trans‑caval and BASILICA procedures.

Leeds has a strong record of innovation in TAVI, having been the first centre in the UK to use Lotus, undertaken the first‑in‑human Evolut study, the first‑in‑human Triguard cerebral embolic protection study, and been at the forefront of cerebral embolic protection and subclavian/axillary access. We are one of only a few centres in the UK currently performing TAVI cases with Jena Trilogy Valve for aortic regurgitation.

There is an active research programme supported by 4 research nurses, with multiple peer‑reviewed publications in the field.

Leeds has an established mitral intervention programme and is the sole centre for provision of trans‑catheter edge to edge repair (TEER) for the 5.8 million population of Yorkshire & Humber, with approximately 50 procedures expected to be performed annually.

Leeds has also been involved in trials of a number of novel trans‑catheter mitral valve repair and replacement devices including Intrepid, High‑Life, Carillon, and Millipede.

We also perform mitral valvuloplasty, TAVI‑in‑mitral valve / ring procedures, paravalvular leak closures, tricuspid TEER, TAVI‑in‑tricuspid valve / ring procedures, and transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement with the Evoque system.

The post is fixed term for one year, expected start date 7th September 2026.

MEDICAL STAFF IN THE DEPARTMENT

• 31 Consultants
• 11 Specialist Registrar (ST 3+)
• 22 LSTs working across cardiology and cardiac surgery

Essential

• Skilled in the basics of managing medical/surgical conditions, including emergencies
• Proficient in a range of medical procedures as an indication of manual dexterity and hand‑eye coordination
• Skilled in management of acute cardiological emergencies
• Clarity in written/spoken communication & capacity to adapt language as appropriate to the situation

Desirable

• Skilled in use of femoral vascular closure devices
• Ability to conduct clinical research studies independently
• Ability to write and submit papers for peer‑review publication independently
• Extensive understanding of PCI procedures, including pre and post‑procedural management
• Capacity to operate under pressure, demonstrate initiative & resilience to cope with changing circumstances

Essential

• Eligible for full registration with the GMC at time of appointment and hold a current licence to practice
• Eligibility to work in the UK
• Is up to date and fit to practise safely
• Demonstrable skills in written and spoken English adequate to enable effective communication about medical topics with patients and colleagues.

Desirable

• Experience of working in the UK National Health Service
• Peer‑reviewed publications in English‑language medical journals

Essential

• MBChB or equivalent
• Current ALS certification or equivalent
• Evidence of achievement of Foundation and CT/ST competencies in medicine (as defined by the curricula relating to Core Medical training)

Desirable

• MD, PhD or equivalent
• Completion of a recognised training programme in Cardiology within the last 3 years, or within 18 months of expected completion date
• Completion, or nearing completion, of subspecialty training in PCI

Essential

• Extensive experience of general clinical cardiology
• Competent as independent operator in PCI
• At least 4 years experience in medical specialities
• Involvement in research
• Able to work in multi‑professional teams & supervise junior medical staff

Desirable

• Involvement in TAVI procedures as second operator
• Training and experience in TAVI CT analysis
• Completion of a full‑time research programme leading to an MD/PhD
• Peer‑reviewed publications in the field of interventional cardiology
• Evidence of leading service improvement and audit projects