From time to time, students inquire about the path to becoming a pain medicine specialist. Basically, pain medicine is sub-specialty accessible through fellowship-level training in either anesthesiology, PM&R, neurology, or psychiatry.
The ACGME is largest accrediting organization for residency programs and fellowships. There are a multitude of quality fellowship programs in the country in a variety of settings, but those approved by the ACGME are viewed by hospitals and third-party payors as having attained a specified level of quality education and training.
ACGME rules specify that an institution cannot have the same kind of fellowship offered in more than one academic or clinical department. Thus, when the field of pain medicine started out most fellowships were housed within anesthesiology departments and the field of anesthesiology came to dominate pain medicine. However, physiatrists and other specialty trained physicians are eligible to apply to any pain medicine fellowship regardless of its academic affiliation within an institution. Below is an updated list of ACGME-approved pain fellowships housed specifically within PM&R departments. I've also included a couple non-ACGME approved "interventional physiatry" fellowships that offer similar training. Please let me know if there are others that I've over-looked.
LIST OF ACGME APPROVED PM&R RUN PAIN FELLOWSHIPS:
[3410531003] VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System Program
Greater Los Angeles Veteran Affairs Health Care System
11301 Wilshire Boulevard (w117)
Los Angeles, CA 90073
Pain Management (PM) Quynh Pham, MD (310)268-4935
[email protected]
[3410713011] University of Colorado Program
University of Colorado
1635 North Ursula Street
Anschutz Outpatient Pavilion, 4th Floor
Aurora, CO 80045
Pain Management (PM) Venu Akuthota, MD
(720)848-1980
[email protected]
[3411222008] Emory University Program/Georgia Pain Physicians
2550 Windy Hill Road, Suite 215
Marietta, GA 30067
Pain Management (PM) Robert E. Windsor, MD (770)850-8464
(770)850-9727
[3412312007] Sinai Hospital of Baltimore Program
York Center for Pain Management and Rehabilitation
2901 Pleasant Valley Road
York, PA 17402
Pain Management (PM) Michael B. Furman, MD, MS (717)848-4800
(717)755-9618
[email protected]
[3412412004] Harvard Medical School/Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Program
Harvard Medical School/Spaulding Rehabilitation
125 Nashua Street
Boston, MA 02114
Pain Management (PM) Alec Meleger, MD (617)573-2178
(617)573-2769
[email protected]
[3412521006] University of Michigan Program
University of Michigan
1500 E. University Drive
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Pain Management (PM) J. Steven Schultz, MD (734)937-7210
(734)936-7048
[email protected]
[3412812012] University of Missouri-Columbia Program
University of Missouri-Columbia
52 Medical Park East Drive, Suite 115
Birmingham, AL 35235
Pain Management (PM) Bradly S. Goodman, MD
(205)838-3900
[3414112010] Temple University Hospital Program
Temple University
139 East Chestnut Hill Road
Newark, DE 19713
Pain Management (PM) Frank J. Falco, MD
(302)369-1700
[3414813005] Baylor University Medical Center (Oklahoma City) Program
St. Anthony North Ambulatory Surgery Center
6205 North Santa Fe Avenue, Suite 200
Oklahoma City, OK 73118
Pain Management (PM) Michael J. Carl, MD (405)427-6776
(405)419-5646
[3415121001] Virginia Commonwealth University Health System Program
Medical College of Virginia/VA Commonwealth Univ. Program
P.O. Box 980661-0677
Richmond, VA 23298
Pain Management (PM) David X. Cifu, MD (804)828-0861
(804)828-5074
[email protected]
UC Davis Pain Program (sponsored by the Anesthesia Dept)
University of California, Davis Medical Center
Scott Fishman, MD and Gagan Mahajan, MD
916-734-6824
LIST OF INTERVENTIONAL PHYSIATRY FELLOWSHIPS
Curtis Slipman, M.D.
Director, The Penn Spine Center
Chief, Division of Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation
Associate Professor, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine
Ground Floor White Building
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
3400 Spruce Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104
(215) 349-8062
[email protected]
Univ of Penn Interventional Physiatry Fellowship
Gregory E. Lutz, MD, Chief of Physiatry for Hospital for Special Surgery
Hospital for Special Surgery
535 East 70th Street
New York, NY 10021
[email protected]
Raj Mitra, MD, Director of the Interventional Spine Center
Stanford University Medical Center
900 Blake Wilbur Drive
W1001
Stanford, CA 94305
Stanford Interventional Spine Center
Andrew Haig, MD
University of Michigan Spine Program
The Spine Program
325 E. Eisenhower Parkway
Ann Arbor, MI 48108
734-998-6644
University of Michigan Spine Program
Gerard Malanga, M.D., Program Director
Sports and Musculoskeletal Medicine
Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
University of Medicine and Dentistry New Jersey
University of Medicine and Dentistry New Jersey