Boston Children’s Hospital is one of the largest and most prestigious pediatric medical centers in the U.S. The Department of Anesthesia at Boston Children’s Hospital and its Cardiac Anesthesia Service has been providing training in pediatric cardiac anesthesiology for more than 20 years

The Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesiology Fellowship Program was created in 1993 and is directly associated with the ACGME-accredited Pediatric Anesthesiology Fellowship Program at Boston Children’s Hospital. The program offers 5 fellowship positions per year, 12 months in duration.  In addition to these fellowship positions, the program also provides training in pediatric cardiac anesthesia for approximately 20 other fellows annually (for 1-6 month periods) as part of their fellowship programs (either at Boston Children’s Hospital or affiliating institutions) in either Pediatric Anesthesiology or Adult Cardiac Anesthesiology.

How to apply to the Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesia Fellowship Program at Boston Children’s Hospital

Applicants may apply separately to the one-year Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesiology Fellowship Program with documentation of satisfactory completion or current enrollment in either a Pediatric Anesthesiology or Adult Cardiac Anesthesiology Fellowship Training Program in the United States or Canada.  Please note, we no longer accept hard copy application materials, all required materials must be submitted through the instructions provided on our program’s application site.

Applicants interested in the ACGME accredited, second year advanced fellowship option must submit a concurrent inquiry as part of their Core Fellowship Training Program Application.

Foreign-trained anesthesiologists are accepted under the above and following conditions: they must complete USMLE steps 1, 2CK, 2CS, as well as ECFMG certification. They must also be in the US on either a J1 clinical training visa, or an H1B visa renewal.

Kindly note that there are standard application instructions and materials common to all Boston Children’s Hospital Fellowship options. To apply or with questions regarding the application process, please contact us at anesfellowship@childrens.harvard.edu.

Fellowship goals and clinical rotations

Advanced clinical training is the primary goal of the one-year ACGME accredited fellowship in pediatric cardiac anesthesiology.  Fellows spend a minimum of 9 months providing clinical care in the cardiac operating rooms and catheterization laboratory under the direct supervision of one of the Division’s faculty. The Cardiac Anesthesia Division’s caseload is the largest in the United States, comprising over 1300 cardiac surgical operations (including more than 800 that utilize cardiopulmonary bypass) and more than 1800 cardiac catheterizations and other procedures (e.g. cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, transesophageal echocardiography, consultation and management of non-cardiac surgery in patients with various forms of congenital heart disease). Members of the Division of Cardiac Anesthesia provide care for infants, children, and adults with various forms of congenital and acquired heart disease having both cardiac and non-cardiac surgery, in the cardiac intensive care unit, cardiac catheterization, electrophysiology laboratories, and other invasive and non-invasive diagnostic and therapeutic procedures.

The remaining fellowship months are spent in the pediatric cardiac intensive care unit (2 X 2 week rotations) and with elective rotations in the imaging  and perfusion service. Depending on individual interests, additional elective time for clinical research can be arranged. At the completion of the program, fellows are expected to have the pathophysiologic knowledge and technical skills to manage the perioperative care of infants, children, and adults with congenital and acquired heart disease undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass- and deep hypothermic circulatory arrest management. Fellows take care of patients with congenital heart disease undergoing non cardiac surgery, patients undergoing hemodynamic and interventional cardiac catheterization, and other procedures such as radiofrequency ablation, transesophageal echocardiography, and magnetic resonance imaging.  Fellows are also expected to develop consultant-level knowledge of relevant areas such as echocardiography and perioperative cardiac intensive care, and the management of children and adults with congenital heart disease having non-cardiac surgery.

Contact Information for the Boston Children’s Hospital Cardiac Anesthesia Fellowship

Annette Schure, MD
Fellowship Program Director Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesiology
Boston Children’s Hospital
Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine
300 Longwood Avenue, BCH3216
Boston, MA 02115
Email: Annette.Schure@childrens.harvard.edu

Ben Paret, MBA
GME Administrative Manager
Boston Children’s Hospital
Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine
300 Longwood Avenue, BCH3216
Boston, MA 02115
Phone: 617-355-5888
Email: anesfellowship@childrens.harvard.edu
Fax: 617-730-0894