Education and Professional Development OPPORTUNITY
EACTS Francis Fontan Quality and Outcomes Fellowship
Offered through a collaboration between the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) and the Michigan Society of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeons Quality Collaborative (MSTCVS-QC), this fellowship provides a four-month immersive experience in Ann Arbor focused on quality improvement and clinical outcomes in cardiothoracic surgery.
Fellows work closely with multidisciplinary teams to analyze data, participate in quality initiatives, and visit participating hospitals for hands-on learning. The program includes financial support for travel, accommodation, and attendance at the EACTS Annual Meeting. It culminates with an opportunity to present a clinical topic of interest at the MSTCVS Annual Meeting.
The fellowship is supported by the Francis Fontan Fund, named after the pioneering French cardiothoracic surgeon Francis Fontan. This fund promotes education and research initiatives aimed at advancing quality and outcomes in cardiothoracic surgery, fostering international collaboration and innovation through fellowships and training programs.
The European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) is a global professional organization dedicated to education, research, and advancement in cardiac, thoracic, and vascular surgery. Together with MSTCVS-QC, EACTS provides a platform to share knowledge, promote best practices, and improve patient care worldwide.
Important Information
Application Dates
1st July – 1st September 2026
Recent scholarship recipient
2026 The Francis Fontan Fund Fellow
Dr. Mohammed Abiduddin Arif, M.Ch., FACS
King Abdullah Medical City (KAMC), Makkah
Mohammed Abiduddin Arif, M.Ch., FACS, recipient of the prestigious 2026 Francis Fontan Fund: MSTCVS-QC Quality and Outcomes Fellowship, is a cardiac surgeon currently serving as the Quality & Patient Safety Lead for the Cardiac Surgery Department at King Abdullah Medical City (KAMC), Makkah, and as Chairman of the Cardiac Surgery Morbidity & Mortality Committee.
In these roles, he leads systematic outcome reviews, drives quality improvement initiatives, and ensures compliance with institutional and national standards.
Dr. Arif’s academic work focuses on data-driven surgical outcomes, including studies on risk stratification systems (EuroSCORE II vs STS), CABG outcomes during the Hajj season, and endoscopic vessel harvesting. His research involves prospective data collection, rigorous analysis, and presentations at international conferences.
Looking ahead, Dr. Arif aims to establish a Cardiac Surgery Outcomes & Quality Collaborative within the Makkah Health Cluster, centered on standardized registries, data-driven quality initiatives, regional benchmarking, and the advancement of outcomes-based surgical practice. His long-term goal is to become a leader in surgical quality and outcomes research, contributing to both regional healthcare advancement and the global cardiac surgery community.
Past Fellowship Recipients
2025
Dr. Vincenzo Caruso, MD, from the Cardiovascular Department at St Thomas’ Hospital in London, UK, was the Francis Fontan Fund MSTCVS-QC Quality and Outcomes 2025 Fellowship. He arrived in late May 2025, and presented at the MSTCVS Annual Summer meeting on “Statewide Trends in Aortic Dissection and Patient Reported Outcomes, Frailty, and QALYs”.
2023
Ronald Estrada, MD, from Italian Hospital of Buenos Aires was the Francis Fontan Fund MSTCVS-QC Quality and Outcomes 2023 Fellowship. He arrived in July 2023, attended the MSTCVS Annual Summer meeting and presented at the November MSTCVS-QC Meeting on Updates and Trends in Heart Transplants”.
2022
Dr. Ahmet Can Topcu, MD joined the MSTCVS- QC Coordinating Center in August 2022, where he participated in collaborative activities, including attending the MSTCVS Annual Summer Meeting and presenting at the November Quality Collaborative Meeting on “Trends for Surgical Treatment of Endocarditis: Data from State-Wide Experience.”
Motivated to enhance cardiac surgical care in Turkey, Dr. Topcu has played a key role in efforts to establish an Adult Cardiac Surgery Database at his institution in Istanbul. He further shared his experience at the February 2024 Virtual Meeting, presenting “Lessons Learned in Fellowship: Starting a Quality Improvement Program in Turkey.”
2022
Dr. Dimitrios Magoulitois, MD joined the MSTCVS-QC Coordinating Center in May 2022, from the University Hospital of Larissa, Greece. His interests are in quality and outcomes, Statistical dexterity, and is working on his second master’s in molecular medicine.
2019
Chris Bond, Mb ChB joined the MSTCVS Coordinating Center in late April 2019 and stayed though the end of August 2019. He is completing his Senior registrar year in Birmingham, England
2018
Milan Milojevic, MD, PhD, MSc spent four months at the MSTCVS Quality Collaborative Coordinating Center. He returned to the Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam (Netherlands) where he completed his PhD and is practicing as an Intensivist in Serbia and is leading Clinical Practice Guidelines for EACTS.