The Neuroanesthesiology Fellowship Program at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center provides a unique experience at an extremely busy hospital where about twenty-one hundred neurosurgical cases are performed annually. In addition, a number of faculty members have laboratories in which they conduct research that directly relates to the central nervous system. These laboratories are an integral component of our training program.

The fellowship program is designed to provide fellows with the skills necessary to become academic Neurosurgical Anesthesiologists at a time when major advances are being made in surgery, radiology, anesthesiology and neuroscience. The neurosurgical anesthesiology fellowship program has two tracks, which emphasize different interests; one is clinical, the other is research. In order to accomplish this, fellows primarily in the clinical track will have extensive clinical experience including patient management where appropriate within the operating room, neuroradiology suite, Neurosurgery/Neurology Intensive Care Unit and clinical electrophysiology laboratory. Fellows will also participate in research projects either laboratory based or clinical. Fellows in the research track will engage in ongoing research projects and develop their own research area. Their time will be spent primarily performing research.

Clinical fellows will learn both the fundamentals of cardiovascular and neurologic monitoring techniques, including transesophageal echocardiography, electroencephalography, evoked potential monitoring and blood flow monitoring techniques using xenon and transcranial Doppler ultrasonography. These skills will be acquired by rotations with clinical electrophysiologists, cardiologists, invasive neuroradiologists, and neurointensivists. Many members of the neurosurgical anesthesiology team are actively involved in clinical and laboratory based research projects. It is expected that a fellow will participate in one or more of these projects.

The clinical rotations will consist of two to three months each of Clinical Neurophysiology, Neurosurgery/Neurology Intensive Care, and Neuroradiology. First, the fellow will learn the basis of recording and interpretation of electroencephalography, and evoked potential monitoring (somatosensory, motor and brainstem auditory evoked potentials). Second, the fellow will become aware of the requirements for management of invasive neuroradiologic procedures. And third, the fellow will understand the important pre- and postoperative issues, which are essential to manage intraoperatively patients with neurosurgical lesions.

Fellows will provide anesthesia for neurosurgical cases. These will be assigned based on their complexity.

Faculty:
Eric J Heyer, MD, PhD, Chief
Zirka H Anastasian, MD
Mitchell F Berman, MD
A. Donald Finck, MD
Shailendra Joshi, MD
C. David Mintz, MD, PhD
Eugene Ornstein, PhD, MD
Joseph Rumley, MD
Mark Weller, MD

Current Fellow 2012/13:
John VanDriest, MD

Previous Fellows:
David Mintz, MD, PhD – Columbia University
Laura Friedman, MD – Columbia University
Zirka H Anastasian, MD -  Cornell University
Claudia Praetel, MD – University of Florida
Maria Bustillo, MD – Columbia University
Paolo Trubiano, MD – St Lukes-Roosevelt – Columbia University
Joy Graham, MD – Columbia University
David C. Adams, MD – Columbia University

Fellowship Application Checklist
Fellowship Application

For further information write or contact:

Eric J. Heyer, MD, PhD
Professor of Clinical Anesthesiology
and Clinical Neurology
Director, Division of Neurosurgical Anesthesia
630 West 168th Street (PH5-523)
New York, NY 10032
Tel: 212-305-9072
Fax: 212-305-8287
E-mail: ejh3@columbia.edu

The Department of Anesthesiology has supported medical students who wish to engage in research. Currently there is support for medical students who wish to pursue research for one year between their third and four years of medical school through the DORIS DUKE CLINICAL RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM FOR MEDICAL STUDENTS.

Summary

The Doris Duke Clinical Research Fellowship Program, established in 2000, is designed to encourage medical students to pursue careers in clinical research by giving exceptional students the opportunity to take a year to experience clinical research first hand.

Each participating medical school's Doris Duke CRF Program (a) provides medical students with an outstanding one-year fellowship experience in clinical research that includes both didactic and research components; (b) solicits applications from students at any U.S. medical school; (c) matches students to outstanding clinical research mentors; and (d) offers fellowships to at least 5 students per year.

During the academic year 2001-2002, Daniel H. Sahlein worked for a year with Eric J. Heyer, MD, PhD on a project: "Cognitive Changes Associated with Patients having Carotid Artery Surgery: An Exploration of Cellular and Vascular Physiology and Genetics."

During the academic year 2007-2008, E. Thomas Yocum worked for a year with Eric J. Heyer, MD, PhD on a project: "Cognitive Changes Associated with Patients having Carotid Artery Surgery: An Exploration of the Effect of Polymorphisms of iNOS on Cognitive Performance."