Pain Medicine

The Pain Medicine Fellowship provides trainees with an intellectual environment conducive to acquiring the knowledge, skills, clinical judgment and attitudes that are essential for becoming an exceptional pain management physician.

The fellowship is co-sponsored by the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, the Department of Anesthesiology, Fairview Medical Group and the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VA). Across the multiple training sites within the program, fellows are exposed to a diverse environment of multidisciplinary pain management, where training and staff clinicians from many specialties work together. 

Overview

We aim to train future leaders in pain medicine. This is accomplished by developing advanced knowledge and skills in managing patients in pain while practicing excellent patient care and participating in a rigorous didactic environment. Clinical education is continuously integrated with didactic teaching sessions starting with basic foundations of pain management, advancing to more detailed management, new treatments and technology within the pain medicine specialty. Across the multiple training sites within the program, fellows are exposed to a diverse environment of multidisciplinary pain management where training and staff clinicians from many specialties work together. The clinical experiences are exceptionally varied. Fellows are exposed to the full range of pain treatments from interventional to medical and from a medical model to behavioral rehabilitation.

Mission

The mission of the Pain Medicine Fellowship is to provide trainees with an intellectual environment conducive to acquiring the knowledge, skills, clinical judgment and attitudes that are essential for becoming an exceptional pain management physician.

Objectives & Goals

Pain medicine and management is a rapidly evolving field that draws from many disciplines including anesthesiology, physical medicine and rehabilitation, neurology, psychiatry, oncology, palliative care, rheumatology and general medicine.

Pain problems are an important aspect of every medical and surgical specialty and there is a rapidly growing body of sophisticated basic science that forms the foundation of new therapies for complex pain problems. In order to meet the diverse educational needs of fellows specializing in pain medicine, the Pain Medicine Fellowship must provide a diverse patient and faculty base to promote a well-rounded educational experience.

At the completion of this fellowship, fellows will be able to:

  • Understand the concepts of the impact of nociception, suffering and pain behavior on the pain complaint
  • Understand the fundamental principles and skills involved in the evaluation and management of acute, chronic and cancer pain
  • Characterize a variety of painful conditions and develop appropriate treatment plans
  • Participate in a pain management team and understand the biopsychosocial model of chronic pain
  • Participate in shared care of a pain patient and understand the concept of interdisciplinary care
  • Demonstrate independent thought and action in assessing and managing a problem appropriate for the level of experience or expertise
  • Demonstrate independence in performing basic pain interventional procedures
     

Overall Program Goals

As a program, we are dedicated to:

  • Supporting opportunities to individualize the fellowship program to match the objectives of the trainee
  • Maintaining a diverse faculty and patient group to create a balanced and varied educational experience
  • Educating and training fellows in superior patient care
  • Fostering an environment for personal learning and research in the field of pain management

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Program Aims

  • Recruit the best residents who are interested in pain medicine
  • Train fellows in the full breadth of pain conditions and comprehensive pain treatments as well as provide significant exposure to complex chronic pain conditions and innovative treatment options
  • Prepare fellows for their future careers in academic or community practice

Sites & Rotations

Sites

Fairview Medical Group

  • Outpatient Clinic
  • Interventional Procedures

Minneapolis VA Medical Center

  • Outpatient Clinic
  • Interventional Procedures
  • Inpatient Consults
  • Palliative Care
  • Addiction Medicine

University of Minnesota Medical Center

  • Outpatient Clinic
  • Interventional Procedures
  • Regional Anesthesia
  • Inpatient Consults 

Rotations

Rotations allow each fellow to have ample experience at each site. The schedule will be apportioned approximately 45% outpatient clinic, 45% interventional procedures and 10% inpatient consults/palliative care. Fellows will have a weekly continuity clinic that they will maintain throughout the year.

Didactics/Teaching

Didactic lectures are held two/three times per week over the course of the year. Fellows are responsible for leading lecture at least once per month. This will include chapter/topic reviews, case conferences, journal clubs and grand rounds.

Program & Policy Manuals

For information that applies to all fellows in a training program at the University of Minnesota, consult the Institution Policy Manual. Information in the Institution Policy Manual takes precedence over the Program Manual in cases where there is conflict.

Pain Medicine Fellowship Manual

Contact

Fellowship Program Director

Franz Macedo, DO

Associate Program Director

Deborah Hudleston, MD

Program Coordinator

Lindsey Christ

Contact us:

painmedfellow@umn.edu | 612-626-5578

Mailing Address

Pain Medicine Fellowship Program
420 Delaware Street SE
MMC 297
Minneapolis, MN 55455