Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine

The Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine department at UT MD Anderson Cancer Center is comprised of a highly skilled and collaborative team of physicians, certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs), certified anesthesiologist assistants (CAAs), and allied health professionals dedicated to delivering exceptional anesthesia and pain management care to patients with cancer. Our mission centers on excellence across the pillars of clinical care, research and education.

Our clinicians provide more than 55,000 anesthetics annually across the main campus and multiple affiliated sites, supporting the largest and most complex oncologic programs in the world. In parallel, our research enterprise continues to expand, consistently ranking among the top anesthesia departments nationally in NIH funding. We are particularly proud of our growing contributions in pain medicine, neuroscience, artificial intelligence, and proteomics, driving innovation in perioperative care. We offer advanced clinical fellowships in perioperative medicine/oncologic anesthesia, regional anesthesia and acute pain medicine, advanced airway management and neuroanesthesia.  Through strong partnerships with affiliated institutions, we also provide comprehensive training experiences for resident physicians, fellows, student anesthesiologist assistants (SAAs), student registered nurse anesthetists (SRNAs) and anesthesia technologist trainees.

Educational programs

Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine offers four specialized fellowship programs designed to advance the skills and expertise of anesthesiologists.

The purpose of the Advanced Airway Management Fellowship is to provide supervised training to board-certified or board eligible anesthesiologists in the practice of Advance Airway Management. Fellows will have the opportunity to enhance their knowledge base and master the most advanced techniques of airway management. After completion of this one-year fellowship training, the individual should be able to manage the most complex and challenging airways. This one-year fellowship program consisting of clinical training, teaching, and research components will prepare future experts to not only serve as valuable resources for enhancing airway safety in clinical practice, but also in the development of airway-related teaching and research for the future.

The Perioperative Medicine and Onco-Anesthesia Fellowship is a one-year program designed to provide specialized training in both perioperative medicine and onco-anesthesia. You'll work alongside leading experts, gain hands-on experience with cutting-edge techniques, and become an integral part of a world-renowned team dedicated to improving patient outcomes. With a focus on the continuum of care for surgical patients, particularly those with cancer, the fellowship addresses gaps in traditional residency curricula by offering comprehensive expertise in these growing subspecialties. This combined curriculum equips trainees to become consultants in both fields, meeting the increasing demand for advanced care in these areas.

The 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 one-year 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.

The Clinical Neuroanesthesiology Fellowship is a one-year advanced training program designed to prepare anesthesiologists for independent subspecialty practice in perioperative neuroscience. Aligned with International Council on Perioperative Neuroscience Training (ICPNT) standards, the program provides comprehensive exposure to complex adult and pediatric neurosurgical anesthesia with focused training in neuro-oncology, neuroprotection and cerebral physiology, intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM), neurocritical care and multidisciplinary perioperative neuroscience care. Fellows will gain progressive, hands-on experience managing high-acuity cases including complex cranial and spine surgery, awake craniotomy, functional neurosurgery, pediatric neurosurgery, and neuro-endovascular procedures.