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James L. Cox Fellowship in Atrial Fibrillation Surgery

American Association for Thoracic Surgery

Applicant Requirements: Deadline ends at 11:59pm Eastern on 12/1/2026

Career Stage: Early Career Surgeons

Program Type: Fellowship

Specialty: Cardiac

Status: Upcoming

Opens: September 1, 2026

Deadline: December 2, 2026

Program Overview

The specific learning objectives are to provide surgeons with the foundational knowledge of the pathophysiology of atrial fibrillation, the rationale for surgical treatment and the ability to perform the atrial fibrillation correction procedure over a range of surgical approaches. As a result, the provided training and unique mentorship opportunity will assist fellows so that they may ascend to leadership roles in surgical atrial fibrillation treatment over the course of their careers.

Curriculum

Pathophysiology of atrial fibrillation.
Electrophysiologic mechanisms of atrial fibrillation.
Key cardiac anatomy associated with atrial fibrillation and surgical treatment.
Foundational and contemporary peer-reviewed literature on the disease and treatment options.
Heart Rhythm Society Consensus Guidelines for atrial fibrillation Classification and reporting success.
Diagnosis and screening for atrial fibrillation in patients referred for structural heart procedures.
Co-morbidities associated with atrial fibrillation.
The impact of lesion set and energy source on outcomes.
Different approaches and considerations for concomitant and sole therapy procedures.
Decision making and surgical approaches to treatment.
Left atrial appendage (LAA) management and the concept of atrial fibrillation-related stroke arising from the LAA.
Postoperative care of patients including rhythm assessment.
Collaborating with cardiologists and electrophysiologists in atrial fibrillation treatment.
Host surgeons will lead didactic instruction on each of the topics and may engage fellow cardiothoracic surgeons, cardiologists, electrophysiologists, or atrial fibrillation nurses to assist, as appropriate, to further advance the cardiothoracic fellow’s learning.
Recognizing the importance of restoration of sinus rhythm and the correlation with increase in cardiac output
Consequence of undertreatment and impact on life expectancy
Sickest patients | Setting expectations | (Burden reduction | Symptom relief)

The cardiothoracic fellow will be credentialed, if possible, at their host center so that they may scrub in with the host surgeon to facilitate the application of their training to the extent possible. Please note, certain host sites are observation only.

AI Based Application Success Predictor

1. Strong research proposal with clear clinical relevance (highest predictor)

AATS asks for a 5-page proposal covering background, specific aims, significance, and research plan. Successful applications typically show:

a clearly defined research question
direct relevance to cardiac, thoracic, or congenital surgery
strong potential to improve surgical outcomes, techniques, or translational science
feasible methodology with realistic milestones

Reviewers explicitly use peer review to assess scientific merit and feasibility.

2. Strong academic trajectory / early evidence of productivity

Past recipients often already show strong academic momentum before award:

first-author publications in cardiothoracic surgery
prior presentations at AATS/STS or major surgical meetings
evidence of ongoing research productivity
clear pathway toward becoming an academic surgeon-scientist

A 2022 outcome study found AATS-funded investigators later achieved high publication output, strong citation metrics, and frequent academic promotion.

3. Institutional environment & mentor support

This appears especially important.

Applications require a letter of support from:

division chief
department chair
or laboratory director

Strong applications usually demonstrate:

protected research time
access to lab/clinical datasets
senior mentorship from established cardiothoracic investigators
institutional commitment to the applicant’s academic development

Reviewers seem to favor proposals where the institution clearly enables completion of the project.

4. Career-development alignment

AATS emphasizes that the research should fit the applicant’s long-term career goals.

A competitive application usually explains:

Why this project matters now in your career
How it helps transition to independence
What larger grant it will lead to next (NIH K/R awards, foundation funding, multicenter studies)

For mid-career programs AATS specifically asks applicants to describe how the award will lead to future funding.

5. Evidence the project can generate future external funding

One of the strongest indirect predictors.

AATS often supports projects likely to generate:

pilot data
preliminary mechanistic findings
publishable outcomes that can support later NIH or equivalent applications

Notably, ~45% of prior AATS awardees later obtained NIH funding, which suggests reviewers value projects with strong “next grant” potential.

Specialties

Cardiothoracic Surgery

Eligibility Requirements

Candidate is in their final year of training with plans to complete their fellowship prior to the start of a formal appointment or has been in practice less than three years.
Candidate meets all necessary licensure and credentialing criteria required by the host center.
Fluency in English is mandatory.

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: American Association for Thoracic Surgery

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: 10304 Eaton Place Suite 100 #1035 Fairfax, VA 22030

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