The primary objective of the Pain Medicine Fellowship is to provide evidence based clinical training and medical education in the development of physicians who will provide outstanding comprehensive pain management. Graduating fellows will be experienced in caring for patients with a broad and diverse catalogue of pain syndromes and be capable of managing those pain symptoms in the context of complicated comorbidities using a multidisciplinary approach.
Burlington Back and Pain Rotation
Fellows will spend the majority of their time at the Burlington Back and Pain Center (BRL) and will work closely with Dual board certified Anesthesia and Pain Medicine faculty. Fellows will be exposed to a variety of complex pain conditions/states and will be educated on diagnosis, assessment and treatment of chronic pain related to the spine, complex regional pain syndrome, peripheral neuropathic pain and cancer pain. Treatments are geared toward a multi-disciplinary approach with management through procedural intervention, pharmacotherapy and cognitive behavioral therapy. Fellows will become proficient in performing facet blocks, radiofrequency ablation, sympathetic nerve blocks, neurolytic techniques, epidural steroid injections, peripheral nerve blocks, trigger point injections and spinal cord stimulation. Fellows will also be encouraged to assume leadership roles while working with residents and medical students and will be given increasing autonomy throughout the course of their training.
Site Director: Ronald Wasserman, M.D. Fellowship Director: Goodarz Golmirzaie, M.D.
Veterans Administration Rotation
The training experience at the Ann Arbor Veterans Administration Health System provides exposure and interaction with a unique and rewarding patient population. Assigned to PM&R, pain, palliative care, and procedure clinics, fellows are afforded increasing autonomy in the evaluation and management of veterans with musculoskeletal dysfunction and a variety of pain symptoms. Under the direct supervision of board certified PM&R, Anesthesia, and Pain Medicine faculty, the VA rotation clinical trainings strengths are in fluoroscopic and ultrasound guided procedures as well as non-surgical musculoskeletal medicine. Additional educational opportunities are available for fellows to pursue in the areas of substance use disorder, mental health disorders, skilled therapies, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), and electrodiagnosis (EMG).
Director: Devon Shuchman, M.D.
Neurology Rotation
The primary objective or outcome of the headache / neurology experience is that the fellow should be familiar with key components of the neurological exam and associated pain and headache syndromes. Fellows should be able to manage such problems, even when complicated by the presence of other symptoms, complex medical illness and psychological distress. It is anticipated that the fellow will receive didactics in migraine, cervicogenic headache, cluster headache and other head pain topics. Additionally, the fellow will have access to key articles in headache and neurology.
Director: Wade Cooper, D.O.
Acute Pain Rotation
Fellows will rotate over the course of the year on our inpatient acute pain service (APS). They will have the opportunity to play an integral role in leading this hospital based service which is comprised of anesthesia pain faculty, residents, medical students, nurses and pharmacists. Fellows will see inpatient consults on a variety of complex pain patients including postsurgical patients, cancer pain patients and palliative patients. Fellows will have the opportunity to learn management of epidurals, peripheral nerve catheters, patient controlled analgesia, and ketamine infusions. The primary objective for the fellow will be to become an excellent consultant who will be able to provide recommendations to primary services in regards to managing acute pain not controlled with conventional modalities.
Site Director: Srinivas Chiravuri, M.D. Fellowship Director: Douglas Anderson, M.D.
