Fellowship in Pediatric Cardiology: The pediatric cardiology department at AIMS is one of four hospitals in India that offer the fellowship in pediatric cardiology. This program is accredited by the national board of examinations. Two candidates are selected each year through a competitive examination conducted by the National Board of Examinations. Details on the selection process are available at the website of the National Board of Examinations (www.natboard.nic.in)

Overseas Fellowship: The pediatric cardiology program is now training fellows from overseas. We have committed to train a fellow from Sri Lanka each year fro the next 5 years. Presently we have also a fellow from the UK who training with us.

CME Courses: Our department has organized a large number of major conferences and CMEs over the past 10 years. Some of the major ones include the annual conference of the Pediatric cardiac society of India ( PCSI) in 2000 and 2008, the first Interventional forum for structural and congenital heart diseases ( IFISCH 2008), teaching program in cardiology (2005), fetal echo workshops ( 2005 and 2006), pediatric echo CME (2002) and CME on neonatal cardiac care ( 2008).

Grant Funded Research Projects

• Registry Component, Jaivigyan Mission Mode Project on Community Control of Rheumatic Fever and Rheumatic Heart Disease in India funded by ICMR. Project completed Nov 2006.
• International Multicenter Study of Sildenafil in Pediatric Pulmonary Hypertension, Pfizer, In Progress since June 2003
• Nutritional recovery after Congenital Heart Surgery, Project commenced in March 2005, completed in May 2008., Kerala Council of the Department of Science and Technology
• Creation and Validation of a Clinical Strategy for Detection of Congenital Heart Disease in Newborns, Project commenced March 2006, completed March 2009, ICMR.
• Satellite center at Wayanad: Jaivigyan Mission Mode Project on Community Control of Rheumatic Fever and Rheumatic Heart Disease in India funded by ICMR. Project commenced in June 2006, completed June 2009.
• Cardiovascular surveillance in an Adivasi population in Wayanad district: Project commenced March 2006, completed March 2009
• Chromosome 22q11 microdeletion in patients with selected Congenital Heart Disease (Conotruncal malformations): Study of Prevalence, Phenotype, Genotype and Mode of Inheritance. (Co-investigator) Project in progress since September 2006

Publications:

Over 40 original papers and 18 reviews have been published from the department in peer reviewed journals. (e.g. Pediatrics, Circulation, Annals of Thoracic Surgery, Cardiovascular and interventional Radiology , Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions, Journal of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery, Journal of Pediatrics, Heart, National Medical Journal of India. The department faculty have helped initiate a new journal (Annals of Pediatric cardiology) and edited two books.

Awards and Distinctions:

• RKK - Chairperson PVRI South East Asia, Fellow of American Heart Association, Vocational Service Award, Rotary International for contributions to the Rotary "Gift of Life" Program
• Balu Vaidyanathan - Commonwealth fellowship in Fetal Cardiology, London, UK; Young Investigator award PCSI 2005.
• K Mahesh -Travel Award, Asia-Pacific Congress, Korea 2008.
• L Srinivas -AV Gandhi award for best Cardiology thesis 2009, Young Investigator PCSI 2008.