Regional Anesthesia & Acute Pain Fellowship

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Regional Anesthesia and Acute Pain Medicine (RAAPM) Fellowship provides supervised training to board-certified or board-eligible anesthesiologists in the practice of regional anesthesia and acute pain management in addition to medical consultation for the full spectrum of surgical and invasive procedures in the hospital setting.

The goal of this program is to develop expertise in managing acute postoperative pain and utilizing regional anesthesia techniques to optimize perioperative analgesia. This 12-month fellowship will provide significant exposure and training in the management of acute perioperative pain using innovative regional anesthesia techniques, neuraxial anesthesia, implementation of enhanced recovery strategies including opioid-sparing analgesia, and coordination of perioperative care.

MD Anderson serves as one of the largest comprehensive cancer centers in the world, thereby providing a unique opportunity for our fellows to develop additional expertise in managing patients in this clinical environment. Our RAAPM service provides acute pain management for both adult and pediatric patients with a variety of clinical presentations. Fellows will also have designated time for research opportunities and are expected to complete a quality improvement project, present at national conferences, and publish a paper in a peer-reviewed journal.

Fellowship Program Objectives:

Provide perioperative interventions for the management of acute pain following a variety of surgical as well as other invasive procedures
Perform a comprehensive range of advanced regional anesthesia procedures, with a thorough understanding of indications as well as benefits/risks of each intervention
Serve as a medical consultant for other perioperative personnel, including anesthesiologists, surgeons, nurses, pharmacists, hospital administrators, and other medical professionals
Develop leadership skills in the organization and management of an acute pain medicine service within the hospital setting.
Incorporate strategies for multimodal pain management, enhanced recovery, and opioid-sparing techniques in the comprehensive care of patients.
Acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to establish a RAAPM service and to adopt emerging techniques for acute pain management

How to Apply

All candidates for the Regional Anesthesia and Acute Pain Medicine (RAAPM) Fellowship Program must have completed a U.S. or Canada-accredited residency in Anesthesiology in good standing. Each applicant must be ABA board-certified or board-eligible in Anesthesiology in order to begin the fellowship training.

Required Application Materials:

Online Fellowship Application
Curriculum Vitae
Personal Statement/Letter of Intent
Letters of Recommendation – 3 letters from faculty anesthesiologists (one letter from training program director is required)
Letter of Good Standing (at current institution)
Medical School Diploma and Transcript
ABA In-Training and Basic Exam scores

Applications are accepted on a continual basis with a final deadline of April 1 of the calendar year prior to the anticipated start of fellowship training.

Apply Now

Apply to this program using the Common Application form.

Download application

Curriculum

Fellows will be assigned to core rotations and will provide perioperative care under the direct supervision of a faculty anesthesiologist. These rotations will include:

Regional Anesthesia
Acute Pain Medicine
Chronic Pain
Operative Room Anesthesia
Research/Quality Improvement
Electives

During the regional anesthesia rotations, the fellow will perform a variety of peripheral and neuraxial blocks for a full spectrum of surgical specialties, including orthopedic, breast, plastics, neurosurgery, and general surgery. These blocks will encompass analgesic approaches for managing truncal procedures, spine surgery, as well as various upper and lower extremity orthopedic surgical interventions. The regional anesthesia rotations will include clinical time at both the main campus (MD Anderson Cancer Center) as well as at an affiliated ambulatory surgery center.

On the acute pain medicine service, the fellow will be expected to act as a consultant in evaluating patients and developing strategies for the treatment of acute postoperative pain. Clinical care will involve the use of multimodal medication regimens, performing rescue blocks, as well as managing neuraxial and peripheral nerve catheters. Fellows will also rotate though the chronic pain service, where he/she will develop skills in the management of chronic pain as well as cancer pain.

As part of the academic year, the fellow will also spend clinical time managing the care of patients in the operating room under the supervision of a faculty anesthesiologist. The goal will be to assign the fellow to surgical cases that incorporate the utilization of peripheral/neuraxial blocks, enhanced recovery protocols, and management of extensive postoperative pain.

In addition to clinical time, fellows will have designated time for research, with the expectation to write and present an abstract at annual conferences as well publish a paper in a peer-reviewed journal. Each fellow will also be required to finish a quality improvement (QI) project prior to completion of the fellowship. Fellows are expected to lead case discussions and journal club as part of monthly RAAPM departmental meetings.

Faculty

Hart Donahue, M.D.
Semhar Ghebremichael, M.D.
Shannon Hancher-Hodges, M.D.
Andrzej Kwater, M.D.
Keyuri Popat, M.D.
Barbra Speer, D.O., M.Jurs.
Antoinette Van Meter, M.D.
Udua Ursula Williams, M.D.

Benefits

Please see the MD Anderson Graduate Medical Education (GME) page for details of benefits.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does the application process start?
Applications are accepted on a continual basis. Final deadline is April 1 of the calendar year prior to the anticipated start of fellowship training.

Do you use ERAS for the application process?
No, we use a common application in addition to supplementary materials (listed above).

Do all listed documents have to be provided in order for the application to be reviewed?
Yes, only complete applications with all required materials submitted by the deadline will be considered for review by the faculty.

How many positions are offered for the RAAPM fellowship?
One fellow position is offered each academic year.

When are interviews held?
Fellowship interviews will be extended to chosen applicants during the period of April-June.

Living in Houston

MD Anderson Cancer Center is located in the heart of Houston, Texas which is home to:

Texas Medical Center – largest medical center in the world
Numerous outdoor parks, including Hermann Park (outdoor theater)
Houston Zoo, Museum of Fine Arts, Museum of Natural Science
Multiple academic institutions: Rice University, University of Houston, St. Thomas University, Baylor College of Medicine, UTHealth McGovern

Other nearby site/venues: Houston Symphony, Houston Grand Opera, Houston Ballet, Downtown Aquarium, NRG Stadium (Texans, Rodeo events), Minute Maid Park (Astros), Toyota Center (Rockets), George R. Brown Convention Center, Space Center Houston, Moody Gardens, Sam Houston Race Park, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, Museum of Contemporary Arts

The cost of living is moderate and housing costs are affordable. For more information, visit our About Houston page.

Contact Information

Barbra Speer, D.O., M.Jurs.
Fellowship Program Director

Andrzej Kwater, M.D.
Associate Fellowship Program Director

Juana Villareal
Administrative Director
Email: JMVillar@MDAnderson.org

Monique Rodriguez
Program Coordinator
Email: MJValdez@MDAnderson.org

Department of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
1515 Holcombe Blvd., Unit 409
Houston, Texas 77030

Related Resources

Department of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine
Division of Anesthesiology, Critical Care & Pain Medicine

MD Anderson Cancer Center is committed to encouraging good health and staying true to our mission to end cancer. If you are applying for a GME fellowship or residency program starting on or after July 1, 2016, please be advised that MD Anderson will have instituted a tobacco-free hiring process as part of its efforts to achieve these goals. If you are offered an appointment, you will be subject to a Pre-Employment Drug Screen for tobacco compounds in compliance with applicable state laws. If you do not pass the urine drug screening which includes testing for tobacco compounds, you CANNOT be appointed at MD Anderson. Should you fail to meet this contingency, MD Anderson will withdraw your offer of appointment for the academic year. You may reapply for the following academic year, but there are no guarantees that you will be offered a position as many of our programs are already filled for several years out.