About the fellowship

The ACGME-accredited Pediatric Anesthesiology Fellowship Program is designed to provide a comprehensive clinical experience that will allow trainees to acquire and maintain knowledge, psychomotor skills and attitudes necessary to become perioperative consultants in pediatric anesthesiology. Moreover, our program includes a broad educational curriculum, integrated with simulation training, to ensure that graduates gain the scholarly experience, team leadership skills, and supervisory experience expected of future leaders in the field of pediatric anesthesiology.

Our graduates include many of the top clinicians, recognized educators, and scientific investigators around the nation and the world. True to our spirit of innovation, our educational program changes every year to keep up with changing trends in medicine.

Several training pathways are offered at CHOP, including the standard 12-month training pathway and two separate 24-month tracks (the Academic Pediatric Anesthesiology Fellowship Track and the Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesiology Track). The initial 12 months of training for each of these training options includes the following:

Clinical experience

Thirteen 4-week rotation blocks, including:

• Three cardiac anesthesiology blocks, as well as experience caring for children with congenital heart disease presenting for non-cardiac surgery
• One regional anesthesiology block
• One pediatric difficult airway block
• One acute pain service block
• One pediatric critical care medicine block
• One half block of Non-OR Anesthesia (imaging, oncology, GI suite, etc.)
• One supervisory block where the fellow supervises two rooms, functioning like an attending
• One vacation block (up to 25 days total for vacation and meetings)
• The remainder of the year in general pediatric anesthesiology

Educational programming

• Certification in POCUS (Point of Care Ultrasound)
• Fellow didactic series, including lecture-based sessions, problem-based learning, and hands-on simulation skill training
• Oral and written board preparation activities
• On rotation cardiac and PICU didactic sessions
• Grand Rounds series
• Professional Development series
• Multidisciplinary simulation series
• Research lecture series
• Journal club
• Participation in two full-day national Pediatric Anesthesiology Fellow Boot Camps, hosted in CHOP’s operating suite each September and Hopkins each May

Career preparation

• Formal career mentoring
• Exposure to multiple diverse exciting pediatric research opportunities
• Participation in departmental continuous quality improvement activities
• Didactic teaching and clinical supervisory experience for all fellows
• Preparation for lifelong learning in pediatric anesthesiology
• Participation in an annual fellowship retreat for career planning and life-skills development
• Monthly academic non-clinical time to support completion of academic projects

The CHOP Pediatric Anesthesiology Fellowship Program meets or exceeds all of the requirements for Pediatric Anesthesiology Fellowship Education established by the ACGME. Additionally, our fellows benefit from exposure to unique aspects of our program, including:

Surgical experience

• Fetal and intrapartum surgery
• Surgical procedures on ECMO
• Organ transplantation program (kidney, liver, heart, lung, and heart-lung)
• International leadership in care of the infant with congenital heart disease

Research

• Our departmental expert medical informatics group created the free PediCrisis app, endorsed by the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia
• All fellows are expected to complete a scholarly project in research, medical education, quality improvement, patient safety, or another field prior to graduation.
• Visit the CHOP Research Institute for more information about investigational programs at CHOP 

Two year fellowship tracks

We offer two innovative 24-month tracks for those individuals interested in preparing for a career in either academic pediatric anesthesia or pediatric cardiac anesthesia. Fellows participating in each of these training pathways will experience a similar 12-month intensive training in pediatric anesthesia, including the same rotations, educational curriculum, and research exposure as the traditional 12-month fellows. To lay the foundation for a robust academic experience, during the initial part of the first year of their fellowship, trainees in the 24-month tracks are given 4 weeks of dedicated academic time with customized “round robin” exposure to multiple mentors, experiences, and projects based on individual academic areas of interest. By the end of the first year of training, individuals in these tracks will have committed to a project and mentor and will be ready to build on their academic pursuits more fully during the second year. The pediatric anesthesiology two year fellowship commitments enjoy a substantial salary enhancement to honor the fellow’s extended commitment to training.

Academic Pediatric Anesthesiology Track

The Academic Pediatric Anesthesiology Fellowship Track is suited for those interested in developing a career in academic pediatric anesthesiology. The possibilities for academic involvement are vast and may include clinical or basic science research, quality improvement, patient safety, medical education, global health or other important academic missions. Following the first year of rigorous clinical pediatric anesthesia training (including the additional 4 weeks of academic non-clinical time), the second year of training includes 6 months of additional academic time to work in-depth on the fellow’s chosen mentored project. The remaining 6 months are spent as an attending anesthesiologist in general pediatric anesthesia, with salary supplemented to reflect this role as well as the fellow’s additional time commitment. The ideal candidate for this pathway would start the fellowship with an academic interest already identified, and will have the opportunity to benefit from world expert mentors in that field to help develop and define the project.  The ideal candidate would also be interested in academic pediatric anesthesia for their career long-term.

Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesiology Track

For those considering pediatric cardiac anesthesiology as a career, an additional 2-year training track exists to give the fellow both the rigorous clinical training necessary to excel in his/her career, as well as an academic experience highly sought after for top centers like CHOP and others. Following the ACGME-accredited first year of clinical pediatric anesthesia training (including the additional 4 weeks of academic non-clinical time), the second ACGME-accredited year of training in pediatric cardiac anesthesiology includes dedicated clinical cardiac anesthesia fellowship time where the fellow will build upon the clinical skills learned during cardiac exposure during the first year of training in CHOP’s world renowned cardiac center. The year includes additional academic time to pursue longitudinal in-depth mentored projects as well as dedicated training in pediatric echocardiography and perfusion, in addition to other topics germane to the anesthetic care of congenital cardiac patients.

For those interested in either of these unique innovative training options, we invite you to investigate our team members and some of their relevant academic interests on our website. In addition to the wealth of expertise within our department, there are countless experts at CHOP outside of our department – with over 1700 publications per year from CHOP – so if your personal academic interest is multidisciplinary, please contact our team to discuss further options for academic mentoring.

Other opportunities

Advanced Second Year Fellowships are available to both CHOP and non-CHOP fellows (see "how to apply" below), including:

• Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesiology Fellowship
• Pediatric Regional Anesthesiology and Pain Management

Combined training in pediatrics and anesthesiology is possible for interested candidates. Please contact Dr. Stephanie Black for information about these programs. 

International Fellowship Option: For physicians who trained outside of North America/International Medical Graduates, CHOP offers one (1) position annually for a 24-month Advanced Academic Pediatric Anesthesiology fellowship that includes both an in-depth clinical experience as well as academic exposure for career advancement. Candidates should have the following prerequisites/requirements in place or planned as part of the application process:

• Board eligibility or (preferably) board certification in the home country in general anesthesiology, or the equivalent
• Completion of all three USMLE examinations with acceptable scores
• Completion of ECFMG certification
• Must be eligible for J-1 or other U.S. Visa
• Pennsylvania medical license
• Certification in Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) or equivalent
• Completion of the Common Application for Fellowship In Pediatric Anesthesiology. Please note that this application is solely for international fellow applicants; US-based applicants should apply through SF Match as indicated above.
• Three (3) letters of recommendation, including at least one from a current employer or current program director

Applicants must be aware that completion of this International Fellowship Option does not provide American Board of Anesthesiology eligibility; and without completion of residency training in the United States, they will be ineligible for work in the U.S. following completion of training. This option is designed for career development and clinical training for physicians planning to return to their home country after 24 months. Interested applicants should email Sharese Garvin, Program Coordinator, at apply.pedanesfellow@chop.edu with “International Fellow Applicant” in the subject heading.

How to apply

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia currently participates in the Pediatric Anesthesiology Fellowship San Francisco match with up 12 fellowship positions available annually (including 2 spots each for the 2-year Academic Pediatric Anesthesiology Track and the Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesiology Track). In general, fellowship education at CHOP begins on August 1 of the year following the match. For candidates with special circumstances, variable start dates may be negotiated.

All applications for the pediatric anesthesiology fellowship (both traditional one year and two year options) are through the San Francisco Match (ACGME Program ID #0424131044) and are accepted each year from early January until June 10. Letters of recommendation should be addressed to the program director and uploaded through the SF Match system.

Basic examination and CA-1 (and CA-2, if available) ITE scores should be emailed to Ms. Sharese Garvin, the Fellowship Program Coordinator. If you have any questions concerning your application, please contact Ms. Garvin:

Sharese Garvin
Pediatric Anesthesiology Fellowship & Education Administrative Coordinator
Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
3401 Civic Center Boulevard
Suite M905
Philadelphia, PA 19104-4399
Phone: 215-590-4557
Fax: 215-590-1415
Email: apply.pedanesfellow@chop.edu

Applications for CHOP Advanced Second Year Fellowships are accepted from both CHOP and non-CHOP pediatric anesthesiology fellows between September 1 and November 30 each academic year, to begin the subsequent academic year. These fellowships utilize the SPA "Application for Advanced Second Year Fellowship in Pediatric Anesthesiology," available by clicking on the Common Advanced Fellowship Application link (bottom of the page) on the SPA website.

• Applications for Pediatric Regional Anesthesiology and Pain Management Fellowship should be emailed directly to Dr. F. Wickham Kraemer at kraemer@chop.edu.

Additionally, acceptance into any CHOP anesthesiology fellowship is conditional upon the following:

• Successful completion of your core residency in anesthesiology.
• Certification in Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) prior to arrival for fellowship.
• An unrestricted Pennsylvania medical license and graduate medical training registration with the Pennsylvania State Board of Medicine. (Required once accepted into the fellowship).
• Compliance with all Human Resources policies established by Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Other requirements

To carry out its mission, it is of critical importance for the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) to keep our patients, families and workforce safe and healthy and to support the health of our global community. In keeping with this, CHOP has mandated all workforce members (including trainees) on site at any CHOP location for any portion of their time be vaccinated for COVID-19 as a condition of employment.

This mandate also applies to workforce members or trainees performing work for CHOP at non-CHOP locations. Additionally, all workforce members based in or regularly scheduled to work at any New Jersey location are mandated to be both vaccinated and boosted for COVID-19, with booster timing consistent with applicable guidelines. The CHOP COVID-19 vaccine mandate is in alignment with applicable local, state and federal mandates. CHOP also requires all workforce members and trainees who work in patient care buildings or who provide patient care to receive an annual influenza vaccine. Employees may request exemption consideration for CHOP vaccine requirements for valid religious and medical reasons. Please note start dates may be delayed until candidates are fully immunized or valid exemption requests are reviewed. In addition, candidates other than those in positions with regularly scheduled hours in New Jersey, must attest to not using tobacco products.

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, religion, national or ethnic origin, disability, protected veteran status or any other protected category. CHOP is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor seeking priority referrals for protected veterans.

CHOP is committed to building an inclusive culture where employees feel a sense of belonging, connection, and community within their workplace. We are a team dedicated to fostering an environment that allows for all to be their authentic selves. We are focused on attracting, cultivating, and retaining diverse talent who can help us deliver on our mission to be a world leader in the advancement of healthcare for children.

We strongly encourage all candidates of diverse backgrounds and lived experiences to apply.

Current fellows: 2024-2025

• Zachary C. Affrin: Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine (Medical School), Walter Reed national Military Medical Center. (Residency)
• Kenneth G. Alabre: Albany Medical College (Medical School), Brown University (Residency)
• Maureen A. Banigan: George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences (Medical School), The University of Pennsylvania (Residency)
• Katherine P. Banks: George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences (Medical School), The University of Pennsylvania (Residency)
• Shyam J. Deshpande: Vanderbilt University School of Medicine (Medical School), University of Washington (Residency)
• Emily J. Niewiarowski: University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School (Medical School), University of Texas Health Science Center (Residency)
• Dhaval D. Rana: Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine - New York (Medical School), Cooper University Hospital (Residency)
• Scott M. Seki: University of Virginia School of Medicine (Medical School), The University of Pennsylvania (Residency)
• Wendy M. Wang: Weill Cornell Medicine (Medical School), Yale University (Residency)
• Andrea P. Villa: St. George's University School of Medicine (Medical School), Cooper University Hospital (Residency)
• Alexandra G. Zoraian: Drexel University College of Medicine (Medical School), The University of Pennsylvania (Residency)

Contact

We appreciate your interest in our programs and we hope you found the information on this website helpful. More importantly, we welcome any questions about the program at any time, and we look forward to meeting you!

Program Coordinator
Sharese Garvin
Pediatric Anesthesia Fellowship & Education Administrative Coordinator
Phone: 215-590-4557
Fax: 215-590-1415
Email: apply.pedanesfellow@chop.edu

Program Director, Pediatric Anesthesiology Fellowship
Stephanie A. Black, MD, EdM
Program Director, Pediatric Anesthesiology Fellowship
Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine
Phone: 215-590-1858
Email: black@chop.edu

Associate Program Director, Pediatric Anesthesiology Fellowship
Laura A. Petrini, MD
Associate Program Director, Pediatric Anesthesiology Fellowship
Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine
Phone: 215-590-5145
Email: PetriniL@chop.edu