The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) now recognizes interventional radiology as a distinct, stand-alone medical specialty, and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) has established program requirements for this new specialty. Our program obtained accreditation in 2017 and we offer two positions in the National Radiology Fellowship Matching Program (NRMP) Match. Residents who know they want to specialize in interventional radiology may apply to the Independent Interventional Radiology Residency Program at UC San Diego.
Quinn C. Meisinger, MD
Program Director
Interventional Radiology Residency
Rupal Parikh, MD
Associate Program Director
Interventional Radiology Residency
ruparikh@ucsd.edu
This ACGME-accredited program offers 1–2 years of advanced IR training depending on ESIR certification. Fellows gain clinical and procedural expertise across multiple hospitals and rotate in ICU, vascular surgery, neuro-IR and more.
There are two ACGME-approved positions available in our Independent Interventional Radiology Residency (IR) Program per year. The program is one or two years in length and focuses on 12 or 24 months of advanced interventional radiology training. If the resident received Early Specialization in Interventional Radiology (ESIR) certification during diagnostic radiology residency, the resident is eligible for one year of independent training. If the resident did not receive ESinterventional radiology certification, the resident is required to complete two years of independent training. Graduates of the IR-Integrated Residency qualify to take the interventional radiology/diagnostic radiology examination offered by the American Board of Radiology (ABR).
During the one or two years of training in interventional radiology, the UC San Diego interventional radiology resident is exposed to the clinical framework within which interventional radiology is practiced. The development of clinical skills, understanding of procedural indications, pre-operative and post-operative patient management, and proper identification and handling of complications are integral components of the training. Vascular imaging is an integral part of the training program. There are ample opportunities to engage in research during the residency. In addition, residents can rotate in various clinical services such as ICU, oncology, vascular surgery, urology, neurosurgery, nephrology, neurointerventional radiology, among others. The UC San Diego Division of Interventional Radiology participates in outpatient clinics, hospital admissions and inpatient consultations as part of its clinical service.
The Division of Vascular and Interventional Radiology at UC San Diego consists of 13 core, full-time interventional radiology faculty with seven physician extenders. Additionally, there are 15 adjunct interventional radiology faculty within other divisions and at other sites.
There are 12 interventional suites located at four hospitals: UC San Diego Medical Center at Hillcrest, UC San Diego Medical Center La Jolla Campus (Thornton Pavilion and Jacobs Medical Center), and the VA San Diego Healthcare System. In addition, residents rotate through Kaiser Permanente San Diego and Rady Children's Hospital.
Residents should expect the following rotations over the course of one year of training:
Residents who know they want to specialize in interventional radiology may apply to the UC San Diego Independent Interventional Radiology Residency Program. The program has no preference on geographical location of your diagnostic radiology residency. For more information check our Application Process page.
Contact us with questions about our residency and your application!
Our diverse clinical sites provide a comprehensive learning environment, exposing residents to a wide range of complex cases and state-of-the-art procedures. This multi-site approach ensures that our trainees gain the skills, knowledge and experience needed to excel in interventional radiology and beyond.
We have compiled a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) about our fellowship programs.
