i have... actually talked with the chairmen of cardiology at JHMI, MGH, Duke, BWH, and UCSF. we generally talked about the afrementioned programs. CC and Mayo are fine programs, but they did not even enter into the discussions...
certainly, specific research interests should drive an applicant's ultimate decision with regard to insitution choice in academic cardiology.
Duke, aside from an aggressive research program, has the DCRI. Hopkins, beside having the most NIH resarch grant $$$, has a collaborative agreement for research years at NIH intramural labs. UCSF also has Gladstone. MGH has the CVRI. BWH and MGH have close relationships with HMS, HSPH, MIT, Whitehead, Broad, Children's, TIMI group, and more.
same tier? how's about NIH grant money as a surrogate for research productivity?
NIH awards in 2004 in hundreds of millions of $:
Johns Hopkins -- 599
UCSF -- 473
Duke -- 343
Harvard -- 325, plus 231 from Brigham, plus 285 from MGH (841 total)
Mayo -- 166
Cleveland Clinic -- 7