Maternal mortality rates in the United States reached 23.8 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020, the highest among industrialized nations, and driven by the high medical complexity of our aging maternal population, as well as racial and geographic disparities (Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2020, CDC, accessed August 2022).
Anesthesiology training emphasizes skills in critical thinking and critical care medicine, bringing "intensivist" principles to the perioperative and peripartum settings. Building on a long-standing history of academic and clinical excellence, two of our anesthesiology fellowship programs, namely obstetric (OB) anesthesiology and anesthesiology critical care medicine (ACCM), have joined forces to offer a two-year enhanced training program for unique candidates who are committed to a lifetime of excellence in the care of critically ill OB patients. One fellowship position in each program will be dedicated to this pathway/track at the discretion of the program directors based on applicant interest.
Both our OB and ACCM Fellowship programs are ACGME-accredited, and the directors of both programs are committed to training the next generation of leaders in the care of critically ill patients in the peripartum period. Candidates are expected to aspire to build a career in either academic or clinical leadership, or both. The programs will tailor the educational needs of each fellow towards achieving their career goals by offering structured didactic courses, simulation, and quality improvement and research projects mentored by world-class faculty at the University of Pittsburgh and other universities within the greater Pittsburgh area.
To achieve fellows’ career goals and in addition to the individual program’s didactic curricula, fellows in the combined program will have the opportunity to:
- Acquire skills in research methodology under mentorship
- Gain practical experience and skills in multidisciplinary care leadership and coordination for complex patients
- Develop quality improvement initiatives and innovations for systems improvement and work around complex patient care
- Build presentation skills at local, regional, and national conferences
Interested fellow applicants are invited to reach out to our program coordinators and program directors via email to share their interest:
- OB Anesthesiology Fellowship Program Director: Patricia Dalby, MD
- OB Anesthesiology Fellowship Program Coordinator: Ann Martin
- ACCM Fellowship Program Director: Murat Kaynar, MD
- ACCM Fellowship Program Coordinator: Susan Fancsali