Nuclear Medicine PET / CT Fellowship (non-ACGME)
The University of Washington division of Nuclear Medicine offers a one- or two-year PET/CT Fellowship program with emphasis on cancer imaging.
The Nuclear Medicine division at the University of Washington was established in 1962 by Dr. Wil Nelp and has had a postdoctoral training program since its inception. It is part of the Department of Radiology within the School of Medicine. Our division has a long tradition of excellence in PET imaging, PET/CT physics and PET radiopharmaceutical development.
Since its inception in July 2006, the PET/CT Fellowship program was designed as a one-year program of clinical training. Teaching encompasses all clinical applications of PET imaging for cancer, neurologic disorders, and cardiac disease.
A second year of advanced PET/CT Fellowship is optional for those seeking additional training in hybrid imaging (PET/CT and SPECT/CT). Second year fellowship training availability is contingent on good training performance during the first fellowship year.
The first and second year of PET/CT training are non-ACGME accredited programs. Fellows meeting eligibility requirements may be considered as acting instructors – provisional in the Department of Radiology.
More specifically, the PET/CT fellowship program allows Nuclear Medicine specialists to gain extensive specialty training in hybrid imaging (PET/CT and SPECT/CT imaging), an area of imaging that has rapidly expanded over the past few years. The UW Division of Nuclear Medicine has been a leader in developing these areas of imaging for which there is a real deficit of trained providers. The training consists of interpretation of the more complex PET/CT and now SPECT/CT scans, development and review of clinical protocols, and selection of protocols for patients. All activities are under the supervision of expert faculty members. This fellowship program also consists of one-on-one instruction by faculty and attendance at state-of-the-art lectures designed to teach hybrid imaging. Research opportunities are also provided. Fellowship responsibilities also include teaching basic nuclear medicine and PET imaging to nuclear medicine residents, diagnostic radiology residents, and medical students rotating on the nuclear medicine service.
The optional second year fellowship training is for those wishing to continue to advance their knowledge base by interpreting more complex imaging cases. This advanced hybrid imaging fellowship position emphasizes either PET/CT or SPECT/CT training across oncologic, neurologic and cardiac applications.
ABR Alternate Pathway
An alternate four-year pathway is available for international medical graduates who are board certified in radiology in their home country. This pathway provides an opportunity to complete four years of radiology training and become eligible to sit for the American Board of Radiology (ABR) board certification examinations. Nuclear Medicine is an integral part of the four-year training program. For more information about this opportunity please visit our 4-Year ABR Alternate Pathway page.
