About the Pain Management Fellowship

The goal of the pain management fellowship at the University of Cincinnati Department of Anesthesiology is to provide a one-year advanced training in the medical discipline concerned with multidisciplinary management of acute, chronic and cancer pain. 

The educational program consists of both didactic and clinical components as outlined in the Residency Review Committee for Anesthesiology Program Requirements for Residency Education in Anesthesiology Pain Management. This is done with the goal of ensuring that trainees upon completion of the program have acquired sufficient knowledge, clinical/technical skills and judgment to competently practice pain management and become board certified. 

The Department of Anesthesiology has a long tradition of innovation and excellence in regional anesthesia.The Division of Pain Management is based on the same foundation.

Clinical fellows will spend their time on the Inpatient services (cancer pain management, palliative care and acute pain) and on the outpatient service (chronic and cancer pain clinic). Fellows shall spend a two to four week period on neurology and physical medicine. They will also provide rehabilitation services with a comprehensive multidisciplinary experience.

Fellows can expect to become proficient in comprehensive management of a chronic pain patient. Fellows will be trained in evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of complex pain problems including low back pain, neck pain, failed back surgery syndrome, neuropathic pain, as well as cancer pain.

A strong interventional approach integrated with multidisciplinary management of pain patient differentiates this fellowship from other programs. Fellows will be proficient in performing interventional procedures ranging from transforaminal selective nerve root blocks to most advanced spinal cord stimulators, radiofrequency ablative procedures, advanced disc procedures and vertebroplasty. Other disciplines available for patient care include physical medicine and rehabilitation services, neurological and psychological evaluation and management.

The inpatient pain service experience involves advanced regional techniques for perioperative patient comfort. To name a few, it includes continuous thoracic epidurals, single and continuous peripheral nerve blocks as well outpatient continuous peripheral nerve catheters experience.

There is also an integrated cancer pain experience, which involves taking care of cancer pain by advanced interventional approaches, such as intrathecal pumps and neurolytic blocks.

There is a strong basic and translational pain research group under direction of Jun-Ming Zhang, MD, MSc, with NIH funding and there are opportunities available for interested fellows to involve in current projects and start new research protocols.

Fellows interested in pediatric pain management may take a one month elective at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

The service provided by the UC Health Pain Management Center is of large volume. Approximately 2000 neural blockade procedures are performed annually. New referrals for acute and chronic pain each are in the range of 150 to 200 patients per month.

The pain fellowship is busy and rigorous considering the clinical work done; however is one of the best opportunities for training for pain management as both academic or private practice.

Facilities

Inpatient pain management services are available at University of Cincinnati Medical Center. Chronic pain management services are available at the UC Health Pain Center located at University of Cincinnati Medical Center and at University Pointe.

Pain Fellows rotate to both locations during their one-year fellowship.

Services for children are available at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. AcutePain Service, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. The attending faculty of the Pain Fellowship Program consists of anesthesiologists, dentists and clinical psychologists.

Faculty

• Harsh Sachdeva, MD, Fellowship Director
• Will Chan, MD
• Laura DeVita, MD
• Shuchita Garg, MD
• Kenneth Goldschneider, MD