Pain Fellowship Overview

The application season begins April 1, 2008 and ends August 1, 2008 for the 2009 program year. Applications will not be accepted if they are submitted outside of the time frame listed above. Please be sure to include 4 letters of recommendation (one letter must be from your program director if you are currently in residency), personal statement and CV.

The Division of Pain Medicine at Johns Hopkins University is committed to providing excellence in patient care for both acute and chronic pain patients, utilizing all techniques and modalities currently available. Education of our residents and fellows, along with ground breaking research are primary goals of the department. As one of the few multidisciplinary pain programs in the country, trainees will gain invaluable insight and experience in the diagnosis and treatment of chronic pain from a variety of perspectives. The Johns Hopkins Pain Treatment Center is closely associated with anesthesiologists, neurologists, and physiatrists. Trainees also have the opportunity for interaction with neurosurgeons, psychiatrists, and oncologists who have an expertise in pain management. Special programs in addition to the Acute and Chronic pain services include the Pediatric Pain, Cancer Pain, Pelvic Pain, and Behavioral Health oriented pain programs which are offered in conjunction with the Departments of Oncology OB-GYN, Neurology and Psychiatry.

The Pain Treatment Center is located in a state-of-the-art outpatient center. The clinic has four exam rooms, two procedure rooms with a fluoroscopic C-arm, and a six monitored bed recovery room. Currently, the clinic has 7000 patient visits per year, with approximately 1000 being new evaluations, staffed by two attending physicians daily and a nurse practitioner.

Educational objectives are achieved through didactic lectures, clinical care, procedural interventions, and involvement with ongoing research projects. Lectures are held for one hour three times a week. Also there are weekly oncology and spine conferences, grand rounds, journal clubs, as well as multidisciplinary pain conferences held twice per week. Trainees are encouraged to participate in ongoing clinical investigations and laboratory research. Current fields of interest include the sympathetic nervous system and outcomes-based investigations. Trainees will become proficient in the performance of numerous procedures including but not limited to: celiac plexus blockade, hypogastric plexus blockade, ganglion impar blocks, stellate ganglion blocks, neurolytic techniques, facet blocks, radio frequency ablation, pulsed radio-frequency techniques, spinal cord stimulation, implantable intrathecal pumps, epidural steroid injections, peripheral nerve blocks, lumbar sympathetic blocks, transforaminal nerve blocks, discography IDET, and percutaneaus decompression (nucleoplasty). Exposure to CT guided procedures will also be included.

Fellowships

The Division of Pain Medicine offers a one year fellowship with the goal of producing physicians who will not only be technically skilled in interventional pain management, but will become leaders in the field. Training will emphasize the ability to analyze and manage clinical and research problems, and to arrive at innovative and practical solutions using procedural, pharmacoththerapatic, physiatric, and/or mind/body therapies.

Fellows' clinical time will be divided amongst the inpatient and outpatient pain consultation services. Elective time is offered as well, which may be used for clinical experience with the Departments of Neurosurgery, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Psychiatry, Radiology or Interventional Neuroradiology. Clinical and basic science research is also a part of the fellowship. Research is performed utilizing the extensive research resources of the Johns Hopkins Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine laboratories. Fellows can expect support in the form of supervision, equipment and supplies. Current division research includes mechanisms of pain, pharmacology of pain therapy, outcomes and cost effectiveness of therapeutic options.

Fellows are expected to participate in the educational functions of the division, which includes teaching medical students and residents. The pain management fellowship, most importantly, is tailored to the career goals of each individual.

Paul J. Christo, M.D., M.B.A.
Assistant Professor
Director, Multidisciplinary Pain Fellowship
Director, Pain Treatment Center
Department of Anesthesiology & Critical Care Medicine
Division of Pain Medicine
The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
550 N. Broadway, Suite 301
Baltimore, Maryland 21205
Phone: 410-955-1818
Fax: 410-502-6730