One year as research fellow at King’s College Hospital London: Report of clinical experiences and research in the National Health Service

This article describes the author’s experiences during a 1‑year research fellowship from 15 April 2015 to 15 April 2016 in the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at King’s College Hospital London. The scientific focus during this period included clinical and academic studies on transcatheter heart valve therapy and specific aspects of conventional heart valve therapy. The article focuses on organizational aspects of the National Health Service and King’s College Hospital and also describes the general life as a research fellow. This included not only writing various publications but also attending international conferences with numerous presentations. The author’s research work focused mainly on transcatheter and conventional heart valve treatment. Besides experiences as a research fellow, aspects of social life in London are also discussed. © 2016, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.