Temple University Hospital’s three-year Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellowship is recognized as one of the most rigorous, diverse, and prestigious training programs in the nation. At Temple, we are committed to our tripartite mission of patient care, research, and education, ensuring that our fellows are comprehensively prepared to excel in their careers.  

Key Highlights of Our Fellowship Program:

• Dedicated Faculty: With over 39 faculty members, our program is led by passionate educators and highly respected clinicians who are committed to mentoring the next generation of pulmonary specialists.
• Protected Time for Scholarship: We prioritize uninterrupted time for scholarly pursuits, research, and writing, supported by a strategic reduction in clinical hours and an increase in the number of fellows to ensure balance.
• Pride in Tradition: Our faculty take great pride in being part of Temple, upholding the hospital’s 125-year legacy of advancing healthcare through research, education, and exceptional clinical care.
• Large and Diverse Fellowship: As one of the nation’s largest pulmonary and critical care training programs, we currently have 29 fellows who benefit from exposure to a large, diverse, and complex patient population.
• Advanced Patient Care: Fellows gain significant experience with advanced lung disease patients, including both medical and surgical treatment options.
• High-Volume Procedures: Our fellows engage in extensive procedural training, with over 1,500 interventional pulmonary procedures, 7,000 pulmonary function tests, and 2,500 sleep studies annually.
• Top-Ranked Lung Transplant Program: Our lung transplant program ranks among the top five in the nation by volume, offering fellows unmatched experience in transplantation.
• Cutting-Edge Technology: We are at the forefront of life-saving technologies, including extracorporeal life support (ECLS), advanced bronchoscopy, and Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS).
• Robust Clinical Trials Program: Our program is one of the most active and wellfunded in the country, with a strong focus on COPD, pulmonary fibrosis, pulmonary vascular disease, and asthma.

At Temple, our pulmonary fellows are deeply engaged in research that explores the epidemiology, treatment, outcomes, and pathophysiology of lung disease. This integration of research with patient care ensures that our graduates are not only wellprepared for careers in academic medicine but also confident in their ability to thrive in any practice environment they choose.

Maria Elena Vega Sanchez, MD
Program Director, Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellowship

Parag Desai, MD
Associate Program Director, Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellowship

Kartik Shenoy, MD
Associate Program Director, Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellowship

Fatima Anjum, MD
Associate Program Director, Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellowship

Massa Zantah, MD
Associate Program Director, Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellowship

Parth Rali, MD
Director of Fellowship Wellness and Social Media