Pain Medicine Fellowship

Program Director: Nabil Sibai, M.D.
Program Coordinator: Shatoya Collins, B.S.

The Department of Anesthesiology offers four positions yearly through the NRMP for a one-year ACGME accredited fellowship supported by Henry Ford Health, one of the largest and leading academic medical centers in the country. Fellows utilize the latest technology and train from a highly skilled clinical staff at Henry Ford Hospital, a nationally renowned specialty care, teaching and research institution that is the flagship of Henry Ford Health. Fellows benefit from being exposed to a wide spectrum and large number of patients, as our hospital serves the metropolitan population of Detroit as well as the surrounding suburbs. This provides an exceptional environment for learning because of the multiple populations we serve and the breadth of experience they provide. Consistently ranked among the top five NIH-funded institutions in Michigan, Henry Ford Health engages in more than 2,000 research projects annually. We are equally committed to educating the next generation of compassionate health professionals, Henry Ford Health trains more than 4,000 medical students, residents and fellows every year across 50+ accredited programs.

The goal of the Pain Medicine Fellowship is to provide trainees with an intellectual environment conducive to acquiring the knowledge, skills, clinical judgment, and attitudes that are essential for becoming an exceptional well-rounded Pain Medicine physician. The multidisciplinary faculty are fully committed to providing the educational programs, resources, and facilities necessary to meet this goal.

Clinical Experience

Fellows will gain a broad range of comprehensive, interdisciplinary, and collaborative clinical experiences in the management of acute and chronic, malignant and nonmalignant pain. They will gain exposure to the full spectrum of pain treatments from psychological, physical, pharmacological including infusion therapies, complementary modalities (acupuncture, yoga, massage), injections, and advanced interventions.

Interventional techniques using fluoroscopy and ultrasound guidance include epidurals, facet joint injections, medial branch blocks, radiofrequency thermocoagulation, sacroiliac joint injections, muscle and joint injections, sympathetic blocks, neurolytic treatments including cryoneurolysis, vertebral augmentation, spinal cord and dorsal root ganglion neuromodulation, peripheral neuromodulation, percutaneous image-guided lumbar decompression (PILD), and intrathecal pump trials and management.

The core curriculum includes outpatient clinic and inpatient pain consultation services at Henry Ford Hospital. Outpatient rotations are located at Henry Ford Hospital and the numerous satellite clinics in the suburbs of Detroit. Fellows are involved in multiple interdisciplinary teams including the Multidisciplinary Pain Clinic for High Impact Chronic Pain, and the dedicated multidisciplinary clinics focused on treating sickle cell disease and cancer pain.

In addition, fellows rotate in the following specialty areas: Psychiatry, Behavioral Health/Addiction Medicine, Neurology including Headache & Facial Pain, Neurosurgery (clinic and OR), Neuroradiology, Palliative Care, Hospice, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (for non-PM&R fellows) including EMG, Sports Medicine, Physical Therapy, Complementary medicine, Anesthesia (for non-Anesthesia fellows), and are assigned dedicated nonclinical days for quality improvement projects and research. Research grants are available to interested fellows.

Didactics

The Pain Medicine Fellowship Program at Henry Ford has a well-established didactic program that instills a strong scientific base of knowledge and understanding in our fellows. We offer the following conferences:

• Weekly lectures led by senior staff in varying primary specialties
• Weekly textbook chapter review
• Monthly interdisciplinary Pain Medicine Journal Club
• Quality assessment/improvement and morbidity/mortality conferences
• Anesthesia grand rounds
• Neurosurgical and Radiology rounds
• Teaching rounds on the Acute Pain Service
• Cancer Pain conference
• Procedural cadaver labs led by senior staff

Staff

One of the greatest strengths of our program is the commitment to excellence of our staff. The Henry Ford Health Faculty are trained in a broad range of primary specialties including Anesthesiology, Neurology, Physiatry, Palliative Care, Psychology, and Neurosurgery. Fellows will have the opportunity to train under the guidance of physicians with different practice styles, backgrounds, and varied clinical interests.

Stipends & Benefits

All Henry Ford Health residents and fellows have a competitive stipend and benefits package. In addition, the pain fellowship offers:

•  Educational reimbursement funds of $1,500 and an additional $1,500 for travel funds to conferences
• iPhone with paid phone plan
• Subscription to Board Vitals Board Review
• Access to educational resources such as PubMed, ClinicalKey, etc
• Personalized lab coat
• Free onsite, secure parking
• Paid vacation - four weeks during the academic year
• Food stipend
• Professional travel for fellows presenting or lecturing at conferences
• On-campus apartment rental
• On site recreational facilities including basketball court, tennis, handball, racquetball courts
• Employee-Assistance Program offering confidential assessment and referral services as well as short-term counseling
• Eligibility for X-plan auto purchase through Ford Motor Company
• Special deal on GM, Chrysler, Audi, Porsche, Volvo, Lexus, and Mercedes-Benz Vehicles

Application process

Residents or graduates from residencies including Anesthesiology, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Neurology, Emergency Medicine, Psychiatry, Radiology, and Family Medicine are eligible to apply. Applications will be accepted through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) for four (4) fellowship openings starting in July. For specific application requirements, please refer to the ERAS application process guidelines or contact our program coordinator. Interviews are conducted virtually.

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