UPMC Presbyterian (PUH) has an extraordinarily busy neurosurgical service, performing over 4,000 cases per year. This translates into six to seven neurosurgical operating rooms daily. In addition, anesthesia support is occasionally requested in interventional neuroradiology, or for other diagnostic studies. Over 3,000 cases involve neurophysiologic monitoring. A wide variety of cases are performed: spine and spinal cord work, surgical for carotid artery disease and intracranial vascular disease, microvascular decompression on cranial nerves, and a broad variety of tumor surgery and skull base work, much involving stereotactic or image guidance, and trauma neurosurgery. Pediatric neurosurgery is performed at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh (CHP).
In addition to adult neurosurgical cases at PUH, fellowship rotations include neurophysiologic monitoring, neuroradiology, neurosurgical intensive care, and pediatric neuroanesthesiology at CHP. Research activities in neuroanesthesiology, brain resuscitation, and neurosurgical critical care continue to expand. Opportunities exist for collaborative work with members of the Department of Neurological Surgery, work within the Safar Center of Resuscitation Research, or with members of the neuroanesthesiology division at PUH. The division director is working on an NIH grant involving functional MR imaging.
There are monthly neuroanesthesiology division meetings at PUH, as part of the weekly PUH anesthesiology conferences. Anesthesiology Grand Rounds are held weekly. Additionally, there are weekly stroke conferences and the neurosurgical department meetings, including morbidity and mortality.
Didactics focus heavily on intraoperative teaching, although non-clinical time is scheduled for academic pursuits, and a broad range of reference materials are available within the department. As the fellows progress, they will also contribute to the teaching of the CA1-3 residents who rotate on the neuroanesthesiology service.
Clinical excellence in providing neuroanesthesiology care is the first goal of the fellowship. Individuals interested in developing teaching and research skills will have ample opportunity to do so. On completion of the neuroanesthesiology fellowship, the anesthesiologist will be ready to enter academic practice or assume a leadership position in neuroanesthesiology within a non-academic group.
Application Process
The qualifications for the Neuroanesthesiology Fellowship Program are that the applicant will have completed an AGCME-Accredited Anesthesiology Residency Program by the start of the fellowship. Upon completion of the below fellowship application, fellows will be selected by a review committee on the basis of letters of reference and the interview.
For further information please contact:
Angela Benvenuti Schultz
c/o Brian Gierl, MD, Program Director, Neuroanesthesiology Fellowship
Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
University of Pittsburgh
3471 Fifth Avenue, Suite 402
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Phone: 412-692-4528
benvenutia@upmc.edu