First-ever disease focused fellowship program supports specialized endovascular training for physicians across Europe

By Jane Hart, VP of Clinical Affairs, BD Interventional – Peripheral Intervention

I’m proud to share the early success of BD’s partnership with the Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiological Society of Europe (CIRSE). What began as a new opportunity to support the interventional radiology community is already creating meaningful training pathways—helping physicians expand their skills, deepen their experience and advance their practice in some of the fastest-growing areas of care.

Together with one of Europe’s leading medical societies and a global voice for minimally invasive care, BD helped launch CIRSE’s first-ever disease-focused fellowship program for interventional radiologists. The response underscores both the demand for hands-on, real-world learning and the importance of investing in focused training as minimally invasive care continues to evolve.

Strong response and meaningful reach

The inaugural Endovascular Fellowship Grant Program generated notable interest: 26 eligible applications were submitted for seven available grants across three important areas of interventional radiology—vessel preparation, deep venous treatment and ambulatory care. From this highly engaged applicant pool, seven fellowship grants were awarded.

In total, the program will support 15 months of fellowship training across five hosting institutions in five countries, expanding access to advanced learning experiences and creating new opportunities for physicians to build expertise in specialized procedures and care models. Fellows will gain practical exposure to advanced endovascular procedures, case-based learning and mentorship from experienced interventional radiology teams.

These results point to a clear need for focused, hands-on training in emerging areas of minimally invasive care. They also demonstrate the value of collaboration between industry and scientific societies in creating practical development opportunities that can help physicians strengthen clinical practice and bring new expertise back to their care teams.

Daniel Waigl, CIRSE Executive Director, highlighted the importance of the partnership:

“CIRSE’s collaboration with BD represents a meaningful step forward in how industry and scientific societies can work together to support physician education. By combining CIRSE’s clinical expertise with BD’s commitment to innovation, we are creating opportunities that directly benefit both clinicians and their patients.”

Why this matters now more than ever

Demand for minimally invasive options continues to grow, along with the need for practical training that reflects how care is evolving. The success of this program shows that physicians are actively seeking opportunities to deepen their expertise in specific disease areas and bring new skills, ideas and best practices back to their patients and care teams.

Through this collaboration, BD and CIRSE are helping to:

• Support hands-on learning in therapeutic areas where specialized training can make a meaningful difference
• Advance care models that are focused on patient outcomes, not just procedures
• Connect with the next generation of physician leaders shaping the future of interventional radiology

This work is also part of a broader effort within the Peripheral Intervention at BD to build long-term, practical partnerships with scientific societies around the world—partnerships focused on education, collaboration and real impact for clinicians and patients.

Looking ahead

Interventional radiology is evolving quickly, with new techniques, new tools and new ways of caring for patients across vessel preparation, venous intervention and ambulatory settings. As that pace of change continues, structured, hands-on learning will remain essential.

The strong response to this inaugural program is an encouraging sign of what’s possible when education, clinical expertise and industry collaboration come together with a shared purpose. By helping physicians build the skills and confidence to advance minimally invasive care, BD and CIRSE are supporting progress that can reach far beyond the fellowship experience, strengthening care teams, expanding access to specialized expertise and helping improve outcomes for patients.