Our Mission
The Thoracic Anesthesia Fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), aims to provide training to develop highly skilled thoracic anesthesiologists. Our goal is to prepare the next generation of specialists who can effectively lead teams, collaborate across subspecialties, and provide training.
We aim to develop future leaders capable of performing and supervising anesthesia for thoracic cases both in the operating room and remote locations, manage postoperative care, conduct research, and promote educational programs.
The unique feature of our fellowship is its focus on all non-cardiac aspects of thoracic medicine with special emphasis on caring for people with cancer.
Thoracic Anesthesia Fellowship Program
The Thoracic Anesthesia Fellowship at MSK is a one-year program designed to prepare innovative academic and clinical leaders in thoracic anesthesiology. We want our fellows to develop a global perspective on managing the perioperative aspects of thoracic non-cardiac cases. Our fellowship is one of the few programs in the United States dedicated to this complex and unique subspecialty.
Our fellows train in a busy clinical and academic setting in the heart of Manhattan and gain a breadth of experience across a diverse patient population. As a fellow, you’ll receive vast clinical exposure to lung, esophageal, and mediastinal cases. This includes training in neuraxial and peripheral nerve blockades, including ultrasound-guided blocks of the chest and trunk, and continuous catheter techniques, which are performed for each thoracic case, both in the OR and in the presurgical area.
As a fellow, you will supervise and perform more than 400 cases annually in the OR, in addition to blocks and nerve catheters placement. Our dedicated faculty includes 8 members of our practicing thoracic anesthesia group, 4 ICU attendings, along with 5 regional trained members and 6 pain management attendings.
Together, we contribute to a robust clinical, research, and mentoring program. With their excellent clinical training and the ability to master their skills to teach and lead, our fellows graduate as confident leaders in the world of thoracic and regional anesthesia.
Curriculum
During the academic year, as a fellow, you will be assigned to be in a thoracic OR and work either under the supervision of an attending or paired to either a CA-2 or a CA3 resident (3rd or 4th-year anesthesiology trainee (PGY-4)).
During this time, you will be responsible for teaching in the OR as well as managing cases. Every other week, you will have one day of protected non-clinical time which will be dedicated to research. This includes conducting and implementing our ongoing clinical trials, alternating with a day working as a solo provider (doing non-thoracic complex cases).
Our other rotations, such as research/leadership, point-of-care ultrasound, and truncal blocks, are constructed and constantly revised based on feedback from our current and past fellows to adapt to the latest changes in practice patterns and innovations in our subspecialty field.
You will not be required to work on weekends or take overnight calls. You are encouraged to participate in clinical research projects, present your academic work at local and national conferences, publish peer-reviewed articles, and contribute to patient safety and quality improvement projects.
Didactic Sessions
- We hold weekly conferences with our thoracic surgical fellows. These cover a wide range of topics related to thoracic oncology, anesthesia, and surgery.
- Monthly grand rounds/journal clubs are presented by attendings, fellows, and occasionally CRNAs to the anesthesia department.
- Bimonthly board review sessions are available at Weill Cornell Medical Center (WCMC), in conjunction with the CA-3 didactics. One-on-one oral board practice is also available by faculty at MSK and WCMC.
- Our career development curriculum helps guide fellows through the stages of job hunting and support career growth.
Simulation and Workshops
Simulations and workshops are available in conjunction to the Critical Care Medicine/Interventional Pulmonology didactics. They include:
- Procedural workshops
- Basic and advanced airway workshops
- Cardiopulmonary resuscitation workshop
- Bronchoscopy workshop
- Ultrasound workshop (regional and Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS))
- Communication workshop (elective), designed to guide fellows about supportive and palliative care, and end-of-life discussions.
Clinical Electives
- Echocardiography - POCUS
- Interventional Pulmonology
- Regional Anesthesia
Research
The Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine has ongoing research protocols on the role of adjuvants on cancer recurrence, protective lung ventilation during thoracic anesthesia, as well as collaborative studies with the Interventional Pulmonology Service.
Our faculty includes experts in atrial fibrillation prevention, protective mechanical ventilation, regional anesthesia, and anesthesia and cancer recurrence.
A retrospective study of a personal topic of interest in the field of thoracic or regional anesthesia can be arranged during the academic year. Our past fellows had the opportunity to present their work at national peer-reviewed conferences, such as the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), the Thoracic Anesthesia Symposium (TAS) of the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists, and the Post Graduate Assembly (PGA).
Postgraduate Opportunities
Most of our thoracic anesthesia fellows have secured positions as thoracic anesthesiologists in community-teaching and university-affiliated hospitals throughout the country.
17 fellows have completed fellowship training since 2008. 92% percent remained in academia, while 8% are currently in private practice.
Application Process
Who Can Apply?
Qualified applicants include current trainees or graduates of an ACGME-accredited anesthesiology residency program in the United States, or anesthesiologists abroad with similar level of training and a limited New York State license. You must be board-eligible and hold either a New York state license or limited permit.
Our faculty is dedicated to teaching and providing advanced subspecialty training. Our trainees are highly qualified candidates who come from across the United States or abroad for this unique learning experience.
We appreciate your interest in our program and encourage you to apply to become part of our team.
Length of Program
1 year
Number of Positions
1
Program Eligibility
To apply, you must have a minimum of three years of ACGME residency training in anesthesiology in the United States or abroad, in addition to the USMLE step 1+2 and a limited NY state license.
How to Apply
Interested candidates should submit a CV and a Personal Statement to Erickson Pinales at [email protected].
Interviews are conducted from August through early October.
The following items must be in your application before your application will be reviewed:
- Three letters of recommendation and USMLE results. One letter should be from the training program director, and two letters should be from objective physicians who have direct personal knowledge of your skills and ethics.
- Personal statement
- Research experience/publications/presentations
Fellows receive a salary of $150,000 plus benefits (subject to yearly updates), as well as educational, book allowance, and paid conference reimbursements. Subsidized housing is offered through the MSK housing department.
For additional information, please contact our program coordinator, Erickson Pinales.
Program Director
Alessia Pedoto, MD
Director, Thoracic Anesthesia
Thoracic Anesthesia Fellowship Director
Department of Anesthesiology & Critical Care Medicine
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Contact Us
Erickson Pinales
Graduate Medical Education Coordinator
Department of Anesthesiology & Critical Care Medicine
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
1275 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065
Phone: 212-639-6674
Email: [email protected], [email protected]