Fellows complete interventional and multidisciplinary pain medicine rotations at the University of Illinois Health and at Jesse Brown VA Hospital. The facilities are within walking distance of each other. At UIH, fellows will alternate days between outpatient clinic visits and interventional procedure days, and work together daily with our residents, medical students, and PA to staff inpatient consults. On procedure days, our fellows work closely with our fluoroscopy technician who helps guide fellows on obtaining optimal imaging. At the VA, fellows work in tandem with a resident to complete interventional procedures on Mondays and Thursdays, and staff the outpatient clinic on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. At the VA, fellows learn to operate their own fluoroscopy machine in order to better prepare them for independent practice. In addition to ongoing pain medicine rotations, fellows will complete the following interdisciplinary rotations at Jesse Brown VA:

• Neurology
• Psychology
• Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
• Palliative Care

Research Requirement

Participation in at least one scholarly research project during the year as well as various QA/QI projects. There is also ample opportunity to get involved with ongoing research projects through the Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine. Fellows also regularly present at national conferences including ASA, ASRA Pain Medicine, etc.

Administrative Responsibilities

Fellows will rotate through leadership roles, overseeing clinic activities and coordinating schedules. This enhances their educational curriculum and develops leadership and administrative skills​​. Fellows are also encouraged to assist with integration of new treatments and procedures within the pain clinic, enhancing their understanding of the administrative aspects of pain medicine practice development.

Call Responsibilities

Fellows share call coverage responsibilities for the inpatient Chronic Pain Consult service, with in-house calls during the day. This translates to one weekend of consult coverage per month. Fellows are expected to round in the mornings with the help of the anesthesia residents on their pain rotation. Residents hold the pager on the weekends, while the fellows develop care plans and staff consult patients with the on-call attending. Fellows gain experience in inpatient management of post-operative patients as well as patients admitted with an array of chronic pain pathologies including sickle cell disease, chronic low back pain, chronic post-surgical pain, complex regional pain syndrome, chronic abdominal pain, post-amputation pain, and many more.

Teaching Responsibilities

• Helping to orient residents and visiting professionals to the Pain Medicine Service protocols and resources.
• Supervising, teaching, and guiding medical students during their pain medicine rotations.
• Presenting on a regular basis in lecture and journal club formats.
• Presentations and interactive sessions within the Department of Anesthesiology during the academic year.
• Interdisciplinary lectures with other departments within the University of Illinois and the VA.
• Participation in local and national meetings for teaching and learning including the Annual Chicago Pain Summit, ASRA Pain Medicine Meeting, and more.

Facilities

The fellowship is primarily conducted at UI Health Outpatient Care Center, with state-of-the-art facilities including exam rooms, recovery bays, and procedure suites. Surgical procedures are performed in the new Subspecialty Care Building. Fellows will also rotate at the Jesse Brown VA Pain Clinic, comprised of a multi-disciplinary clinic with a fully equipped flouroscopy and ultrasound procedure room. Surgical procedures at the VA are performed in the main operating rooms.

Locations

• UI Health Outpatient Care Center, 1801 W Taylor St, Chicago IL 60612
• JBVA 820 S Damen Ave, Chicago, IL 60612 Damen Building, 5th floor

Interested candidates should apply through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) and participate in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP). Additional application details are provided via the fellowship’s contact information​​.