Comprehensive Pediatric Pain Fellowship
Comprehensive Pediatric Pain Fellowship
The Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine at Nationwide Children's Hospital offers one one-year non–ACGME accredited fellowship in comprehensive pediatric pain medicine.
The mission of the Comprehensive Pediatric Pain Fellowship is to develop a physician that expertly assesses and manages complex pediatric pain in the diversified settings of the chronic pain clinic, acute inpatient pain service, and perioperative arena. Historically, pediatric chronic pain fellowships have been heavily based on training in the adult hospital and clinic. Alternatively, the Comprehensive Pediatric Pain Fellowship at Nationwide Children’s creates a novel environment that recognizes that pediatric pain is unique and requires different therapeutic approaches than adults.
This 12-month fellowship is 80% pediatric based with 20% spent in the adult chronic pain clinic setting. The fellowship offers meaningful clinical experiences in pediatric chronic pain, pediatric palliative care, pediatric headache, pediatric abdominal pain, and pediatric rheumatology. In addition, exposure will be provided to adult pain clinics at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. This experience will allow the fellow to develop an important understanding of advanced pain interventions commonly utilized in the adult practice which the fellow will be expected to apply in the pediatric setting.
Our Comprehensive Pediatric Pain Fellowship will develop a physician skilled in the practice of pediatric regional anesthesiology and acute pain management. The skills learned in this setting will be readily applicable in any chronic pain clinic or perioperative practice. In course of the fellowship, skills will be developed necessary to collaborate across service lines. The fellowship strives to instill keen awareness of opportunities for academic and quality improvement work.
What You Need to Know
Experience
The fellow will train to identify, assess and manage the unique aspects of pediatric pain, including acute postoperative pain, post-traumatic pain, acute pain related to medical illnesses (including pancreatitis, infectious disease, and sickle cell disease), chronic pain syndromes, cancer-related pain and pain and symptom management at the end of life.
Through supervised patient care and didactic teaching, the fellow can expect to acquire the knowledge base to adequately evaluate pain in preterm/term infants, children, adolescents, non-verbal and developmentally delayed children. Through the course of the year, the fellow will learn and dispel the common myths related to children’s pain experiences. In addition, they acquire knowledge of the mind-body spectrum of pain and suffering in the pediatric population. Competency is gained in the applications and contraindications of the major drug groups used to manage the different classes of pain.
The fellow will also become adept at implementing interventional therapies including peripheral nerve and neuraxial local anesthetic and steroid injections. The fellow will acquire knowledge of the non-pharmacological and non-injection approaches to pain management and when they are appropriate in children. The legal and regulatory issues that impact pain management are instilled throughout the training process.
Over 12 months, the fellow will rotate through the various subspecialties essential for directing care of diversified and complex pediatric pain. The fellowship is distributed into the following blocks:
- Pediatric Chronic Pain Clinics: 4 months
- Pediatric Regional Anesthesia: 3 months
- Pediatric Palliative Care: 1 month
- Adult Chronic Pain: 2 months
- Headache Clinic (Pediatric Neurology): 0.5 month
- Pediatric Psychology: 0.5 month
- Pediatric Rheumatology: 0.5 month
- Complex Abdominal Pain Clinic (Pediatric Gastroenterology): 0.5 month
Research/Scholarly Activity
Fellows will participate in clinical research and will be given appropriate non-clinical time to fulfill these goals. The Department of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine has a robust research and QI team. The fellow will have ample opportunity to work closely with our Director of Research and Vice-Chair for Quality Improvement. It will be expected that the fellow will take full advantage of our research nurses and statistical support team. There will be opportunities for the fellow to become involved in research already in progress or to develop an original project. Expected fellowship activities include the following:
- Submission of research paper, case report, or review article to a peer-review journal or book chapter
- Grand Rounds presentation
- Presentation of an abstract at a national meeting (ASRA, IARS, SPA/SPPM, ASA).
Didactics
- A weekly lecture series, which covers topics relevant to pain management and regional anesthesia is provided by core regional/acute pain faculty members.
- The fellow is encouraged to attend relevant palliative care lectures at The Ohio State University James Cancer Hospital occurring throughout the year.
- A “Journal Club” (current literature review) will be held at least once during the course of the fellowship
Research
Research education and training are vital to the mission of Nationwide Children's Hospital and The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital. As a top-ten free-standing pediatric research center and an academic affiliate of The Ohio State University, The Research Institute has an outstanding faculty, dedicated to training and mentoring the next generation of scientists in pediatric research.
Research at Nationwide Children's Hospital
Advocacy
Advocacy training fosters and encourages interest in child advocacy by early involvement and exposure to its many aspects such as addressing social determinants of health, community collaboration, health finance, health policy and legislative advocacy.
Application & Selection
A successful candidate will have completed an ACGME/AOA accredited anesthesiology residency and pediatric anesthesiology fellowship or be currently training in a pediatric anesthesiology fellowship. The candidate must also be able to apply for and obtain an Ohio State Medical training license. Financial assistance for travel expense related to candidacy interviewing is available for applicants invited to interview.
If you would like to be considered for a fellowship position, please send the following application materials to the appropriate staff listed below.
- Application
- A current curriculum vitae
- Two letters of recommendation from anesthesiologists with whom you have worked during your fellowship training
- A letter of recommendation from your anesthesiology training program director or chair
- A summary of your clinical experience and a brief statement explaining your interest in pursuing a Comprehensive Pediatric Pain Fellowship position.
Inquiries and application materials should be sent to:
Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine
Nationwide Children's Hospital
700 Children's Drive
Columbus, OH 43205
Contact
For more information regarding the fellowship, please contact:
Giorgio Veneziano, MD
Program Co-Director
Timothy Smith, MD
Program Co-Director
Bree Bower
Program Coordinator
Bree.Bower@NationwideChildrens.org
(614) 722-4201
