Message from the Program Director

The Obstetric Anesthesiology fellowship program at the University of Maryland Medical Center offers clinical experience and training to provide excellent care for complex obstetric populations, enhancing perinatal safety and outcomes. We are committed to preparing the next generation of Obstetric anesthesiologists to deliver high-quality health care with integrity and compassion and to discover innovative ways to improve health outcomes for our community and worldwide. The fellowship program with an academic and research focus encompasses clinical, research, and educational expertise for high-acuity, critically ill obstetric patients provided by highly experienced faculty members and other inter-disciplinary resources like Maternal Fetal Medicine, Neonatology, and Critical Care Medicine. Our comprehensive program allows the fellow to become experts in all areas of anesthetic care for obstetric patients. We ensure our fellows are equipped to practice in an ever-changing healthcare environment by providing high-quality and equitable patient care and supporting growth in scientific knowledge, problem-solving, knowledge application, and an understanding of people and responsibility for resources while leading in service.

The Obstetric Anesthesiology fellow is an integral part of the perinatal care team along with Maternal-Fetal Medicine physicians and fellows, the Complex Obstetric Surgical Service directed by Dr. Ozhan Turan, and a multi-disciplinary program in simulation. Over the past 39 years, the Division of Obstetric Anesthesiology has trained over 35 fellows, many of whom have moved on to leadership roles in Obstetric Anesthesiology at other institutions. Fellow experience in obstetric anesthesiology includes three months of research, two weeks of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, two weeks of Neonatology, and two weeks of ECMO/POCUS training. Each fellow gets experience in leadership, communication, and practice management skills by developing and implementing interdisciplinary Patient Safety/Quality Improvement projects. There are opportunities for limited moonlighting.

The University of Maryland Division of Obstetric Anesthesiology has four full-time and 10 contributing faculty providing 24/7/365 coverage of senior residents and fellows. There are approximately 2,000 deliveries a year (approximately 80% high risk), with 70% of women undergoing vaginal delivery receiving epidural analgesia. With a 30% abdominal delivery rate, this translates to approximately 80% of our parturients receiving anesthesia. We have approximately 4,000 non-delivery admissions and are actively involved in the care of approximately 3-4 critically ill gravidae per month, often hospitalized with severe cardiac, neurologic, or traumatic disease and requiring invasive monitoring, mechanical ventilation, or ECMO.

The program aims to recruit motivated fellows and train them to be significant contributors to women’s health in the community by providing high-quality, cost-effective clinical care to pregnant women – particularly those with complicated medical and obstetric illnesses requiring anesthesia

 

Shobana Bharadwaj, MBBS
Associate Professor
Program Director