Pediatric Anesthesia
Advanced and International Fellowships

Advanced and International Fellowships in Pediatric Anesthesiology

Many Fellows in Pediatric Anesthesiology seek additional training opportunities to further develop the specialized skills demanded by our specialty. In addition to our “core” one-year fellowship, we also offer a variety of Advanced and International Fellowships in Pediatric Anesthesiology subspecialties. 

Additional information about these Advanced Fellowships in Pediatric Anesthesiology is listed below.

Advanced Fellowships

The department offers a twelve-month advanced pediatric cardiac anesthesia fellowship to physicians who are board-eligible/certified in anesthesiology. The fellowship is designed to provide clinical training, didactic instruction, and clinical or basic science research to produce a trainee who is well prepared for a clinical and / or academic career in Congenital Cardiac Anesthesia. Fellows will be exposed to a variety of procedures in children with congenital heart disease, including open heart surgery, heart and lung transplantation, cardiac catheterization, electrophysiologic intervention, cardiac MRI and echocardiography sedation. Cincinnati Children’s and the Heart Institute provides the breadth and depth of experience, while developing an understanding of the anatomy and physiology of congenital heart defects, gaining a broader insight into the management of these complex patients, as well as becoming proficient in arterial and central line placement.

Director: Jennifer Lam, DO
jennifer.lam@cchmc.org

The department offers a one-year fellowship in pain management combining clinical training in both pediatric and adult pain medicine with an emphasis on the former. The program has a strong focus on chronic pain management of in-patients and out-patients. After completion of the fellowship, the anesthesiologist candidate will be eligible for certification in Pain Medicine by the American Board of Anesthesiology.

Director: A. Szabova, MD
alexandra.szabova@cchmc.org

The department offers a one-year fellowship program in pediatric palliative care which involves the care of children with life threatening conditions and their families. Physicians who are board eligible in anesthesiology or pediatrics are welcome to apply. The clinical training includes exposure to children with pain, special needs, and other complex medical conditions in the in-patient and out-patient setting. After completion of the fellowship, the candidate will be eligible for certification in Palliative Care Medicine by the American Board of Anesthesiology or the American Board of Pediatrics, depending on their previous training.

Director: Hilary Flint, DO, MEd
hilary.flint@cchmc.org

The department offers a six month and one-year program in pediatric neuroanesthesia and neurophysiological monitoring combining clinical training with research or quality improvement. Education in research methodology or quality improvement science and conduction of a research study or quality improvement project is an integral component of the fellowship program. This fellowship will facilitate the certification in Neurophysiological Monitoring by the American Board of Neurophysiological Monitoring.

Director: J. McAuliffe, MD
john.mcauliffe@cchmc.org

The Pediatric Palliative Care Program provides a one-year fellowship in Quality Improvement and Safety in Pediatric Palliative Care.

Director: Rachel Thienprayoon, MD
rachel.thienprayoon@cchmc.org

This advanced six to 12 month program consists of formal training in quality improvement science and safety. The fellow will complete courses such as Intermediate Improvement Science Series offered at the James M. Anderson Center for Health Systems Excellence at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. Participants will conduct a quality improvement project with the assistance of our experienced quality-improvement faculty; the project will be presented at a national meeting and published in a peer-review journal. The quality improvement fellowship may be combined with a clinical fellowship.

Director: David Buck, MD
david.buck@cchmc.org

The Advanced Pediatric Anesthesia in Education fellowship is a 12-month GME-approved training program designed for the pediatric anesthesiologist with a strong interest in medical education. Applicants who have completed a core fellowship in Pediatric Anesthesiology are eligible to apply. Through collaboration with the University of Cincinnati College of Education, advanced fellows will complete coursework towards the degree of Masters of Medical Education, learning vital skills for success in academic medicine. In addition, fellows will continue clinical expertise as part-time attendings in the busy Cincinnati Children’s Hospital operating rooms. The clinical experience also allows fellows to apply their developing educational skills through exposure to trainees such as anesthesiology residents, clinical fellows, and others.

Acting Director: Deepika (Naina) Rao, MD
deepika.rao@cchmc.org

Director: Smokey Clay, MD
smokey.clay@cchmc.org

We also offer a unique program for the anesthesiologist who has already completed their residency training: “Pediatric Anesthesia for the Practicing Anesthesiologist”, also known as the PAPA Program. The PAPA Program is designed for the practicing anesthesiologist who desires additional experience in pediatric anesthesia care. Participants will augment their skills and experience in a one-week program combining one-on-one teaching with hands-on experience in our busy operating rooms. Clinical activities are highly customizable depending on the interest of the student.

Director: Paul J. Samuels, MD
paul.samuels@cchmc.org

International Fellowships

The purpose of the Fellowship in Neuro-Anesthesia for Internationally Trained Candidates is to offer advanced training in Pediatric Neuro-Anesthesiology to fully-trained anesthesiologists from abroad with an interest in advancing the practice of the specialty in their country of origin. The Program is 18 months in duration.

General Information:

  • An eligible candidate for the Fellowship in Neuro-Anesthesia for Internationally trained candidates is a Doctor of Medicine who has satisfactorily completed a post-graduate training program in General Anesthesiology.
  • The “Fellowship in Neuro-Anesthesia for Internationally Trained Candidates" (FNA) is NOT accredited by the American College of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), as ACGME guidelines do not permit certification of a non-US residency graduate.
  • The program will be 18 months in duration. Training may be lengthened for up to six additional months following mutual agreement between the trainee and program director.
  • Upon completion of the program, it is the expectation that the candidate will return to their country of origin to practice medicine, with special emphasis on pediatric Neuro-Anesthesia.
  • The first six months of FNA (stage 1) will include rotations on the following services:
    • General OR
    • Neurosurgical Suite
    • Neuro-Monitoring Service
    • Neuro-Imaging Service
    • Acute Pain Service
    • Medical Intensive Care Unit
    • Cardiac Intensive Care Unit
    • Other rotations at the discretion of the program director. Potential clinical and research opportunities include working in our labs, emergency room, outpatient surgery (Liberty Township), Palliative Care, and dental clinics.

Stage 1 (months 0-6):

  • The trainee will hone their English language skills, further expand their technical and non-technical medical skill set, become facile with our information technology, and develop a greater understanding of the U.S. healthcare system, including expectations of professionalism and work ethic.
  • During this period, the trainee will work one-on-one with our teaching faculty in the OR, and will be supervised by our faculty in the ICUs and pain service. During this period, no overnight call will be required.
  • The trainee will participate in all departmental educational activities, including grand rounds, continuous quality improvement, research conference, simulation sessions, and all fellowship lectures.
  • The clinical fellow will also participate in the Neuro-monitoring program, learning the theory and practice of intra-operative somatosensory and motor evoked potentials.
  • The trainee will be formally evaluated in writing following each rotation during Stage 1 of the fellowship, and on a daily basis during time in the OR.
  • Following satisfactory performance during this phase of training, the candidate will join the formal “core” fellowship in Pediatric Anesthesiology.
    • This advancement may be accelerated under special circumstances; conversely, promotion to the "core" fellowship position may be delayed, or revoked, at the discretion of the program director, if performance is unsatisfactory.
    • If the FNA student is advanced from provisional to core status early, the entire training program will remain 18 months.

Stage 2: Advanced Training in Neuro-Anesthesia (months 7-18)

  • During the advanced training period, the candidate will further hone their expertise in pediatric anesthesia care, with a special emphasis on the broad range of procedures treating pathology of the central nervous system.
  • This experience will include the following if the candidate is promoted to advanced status for at least 12 months. (If the candidate advances for a period less than 12 months these experiences will be pro-rated accordingly)
    • Four one-week rotations in Neuro-monitoring
    • Two one-week rotations in Neuro-anesthesiology
    • Two one-week rotations in Neuro-imaging
    • Two two-week rotations in Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesiology
    • Two two-week rotations in Pediatric Pain
    • Five to 10 reading days (non-clinical)
    • Intermittent days at Liberty Campus out-patient facility and other clinical areas, including neurovascular interventional radiology
    • Four to five weeks of "night float". This call responsibility lasts six nights, followed by a four-day time off without clinical duties.
    • The program abides by all regulations, including duty hours, as delineated by the ACGME.
    • Fully integrated participation in our educational program, including all lectures, workshops, intensive sessions, wellness seminars, continuous quality improvement, simulation sessions, grand rounds, and all expected fellowship presentations
    • Participants in the program will interact on a daily basis with our core fellows in Pediatric Anesthesiology. Learn more about our ACGME-accredited core Fellowship in Pediatric Anesthesiology.

Application Process

  • It is strongly advised that candidates participate in the Visiting Professorship Program offered by the Department of Pediatric Anesthesiology prior to applying to the FNA Program. Admission to the International Program is unlikely without spending time at our institution.
    • The Department of Anesthesia’s Observership program is a two to 12 week program designed to introduce Anesthesiologists to Cincinnati Children’s Department of Anesthesiology. The program is designed around the candidate’s interests. We ask potential international fellows to participate in the observership so that we can carefully assess the candidates, and so the candidates can carefully assess us. An observership is fully funded by the observer.
  • This training position requires satisfactory passage of the USMLE Part 1, USMLE Part 2-CS, and USMLE Part 2-CK examinations, resulting in ECFMG certification. While the application to the program can occur prior to examination completion, the candidate is not eligible to begin the program until ECFMG certification is completed.
  • This fellowship position will require a “J-1” visa, sponsored by the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. The Office of Graduate Medical Education at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital will assist the candidate with administrative logistics to obtain an appropriate visa.
  • In order to complete your application to the program, please submit the following documents:
    • Application information
    • A current CV and a personal statement describing why you are interested in the International Program
    • Documentation to verify your graduation from medical school
    • Documentation to verify the completion of your post-graduate training in General Anesthesiology
    • Documentation to support your ECFMG certification
    • Three letters of recommendation from your current institution. One letter should be from your departmental chair, describing the nature of the institutional interest in the program.
    • A professional color photo of yourself

For additional information please contact:

Lindsay Moyer
Program Coordinator
Email: lindsay.moyer@cchmc.org

Deepika (Naina) Rao, MD
Acting Director, Neuro-Anesthesia for International Trained Candidates
Department of Pediatric Anesthesiology
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital
3333 Burnet Avenue ML2001
Cincinnati, OH 45229
U.S.A.
Email: deepika.rao@cchmc.org

Smokey Clay, MD
Director, Neuro-Anesthesia for International Trained Candidates
Department of Pediatric Anesthesiology
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital
3333 Burnet Avenue ML2001
Cincinnati, OH 45229
U.S.A.
Email: smokey.clay@cchmc.org

The Chinese Pediatric Anesthesiology Research Fellowship program is a two-year program designed for Chinese anesthesiologists to train in research in the areas of neurobiology, pharmacometrics, clinical trials, or quality improvement. The program provides fellows with an opportunity to advance their research skills for the purpose of continuing this research upon return to their home institution. Education in research or quality improvement methodology is an integral component of the fellowship program. The faculty at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital will provide an intensive research or quality improvement experience and continue the mentorship and collaboration upon return of the fellow to China. This fellowship aims to drive scientific discovery, improve safety and perioperative outcomes for children undergoing anesthesia and surgery in China.

Director: Junzheng Wu, MD, ScD
junzheng.wu@cchmc.org

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