Pediatric Anesthesiology Fellowship

The Department of Anesthesiology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine offers a 12-month, ACGME accredited fellowship in Pediatric Anesthesiology, as well as four advanced fellowship options. Our fellowship provides the clinical training, educational programming, and scholarship opportunities necessary to embark on your career as a successful consultant in pediatric anesthesiology. We strive to train physicians who will provide compassionate and safe care for our smallest and most complex patients and who will advance the practice of pediatric anesthesia.

Clinical Training 

The primary clinical site for our fellowship is Children's Hospital Colorado (CHCO), a tertiary care children’s hospital located on the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, Colorado. With a network of care spanning seven states, a level IV NICU, and the only level 1 pediatric trauma center in the region, we are truly a regional leader in pediatric care. We are consistently ranked within the top 10 Children’s Hospitals Nationally by the U.S. News & World report and we are the number one Children’s Hospital in the Rocky Mountain Region. In addition to our main campus, fellows will complete rotations at our two surgery centers and have the option to complete an elective rotation at our Colorado Springs campus.

We administer approximately 35,000 anesthetics annually to children of all ages and severity of illness. Our fellows provide anesthesia for a wide range of neonatal and pediatric surgical procedures in all surgical subspecialties, including:

• Pediatric cardiac surgery and diagnostic and interventional procedures
• Complex neurosurgery and craniofacial reconstruction
• Major orthopedic surgery, including spinal fusions
• Routine and complex otolaryngology, urology, and plastic surgical procedures
• Solid organ transplantation, including heart, liver, and kidney transplants
• Surgical procedures on ECMO and at the NICU bedside
• Fetal interventions, including open fetal surgeries and EXIT procedures

In addition, our fellows will gain broad exposure to pediatric perioperative medicine during their non-operative rotations, including:

• Acute and chronic pediatric pain service rotations
• Pediatric and neonatal intensive care unit rotations
• Post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) rotations
  

Didactic Curriculum

Our Pediatric Anesthesiology Fellowship has a comprehensive educational curriculum, including:

• Twice-weekly morning conferences covering core pediatric topics in preparation for the Pediatric Anesthesiology Board Exam
• Weekly fellows’ conference that includes journal clubs, pediatric POCUS workshops, career development workshops, and quality improvement lectures
• Weekly departmental grand rounds
• Monthly departmental morbidity and mortality (M&M) conference
• Applied board exam preparation
• Access to online didactic curricula via the Anesthesia Toolbox
• Multidisciplinary simulation exposure

Scholarly Activity

We are dedicated to providing our fellows adequate protected academic time to pursue scholarly and research activities. Each of our fellows receives approximately 30 days protected academic time per year for this purpose. Our fellows complete a variety of scholarly activities, including:

• Two required presentations in our morning conference series
• Required participation in a Quality Improvement project under the mentorship of a faulty member
• The opportunity to present invited lectures to other institutions through the Visiting Scholars in Pediatric Anesthesia Program (ViSiPAP) .
• Submission of projects for peer-reviewed publication
• Submission of posters or abstracts to the annual meetings of the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia/American Academy of Pediatrics (SPA/AAP), Congenital Cardiac Anesthesia Society (CCAS), and Society of Pediatric Pain Medicine (SPPM). Fellow attendance at these conferences for both educational and professional development opportunities is highly encouraged.

Advanced Pediatric Anesthesiology Fellowships

• Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesiology
• Pediatric Chronic Pain Medicine Fellowship
• Pediatric Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine Fellowship
• Pediatric Perioperative Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Fellowship

Stipend and Benefits

The University of Colorado Graduate Medical Education (CU GME) office determines the salary and benefits for our trainees. Time way from training is scheduled in compliance with leave policies set by the ACGME and American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA).

• Salary (PGY-5 level): $90,473 (2024-2025)
• Travel and Education Funds: up to $2,500
• Leave
  • Vacation: 15 days
  • Sick Days or Personal Leave: 5 days
  • Education and/or Conference Time: 5 days
• Details for benefits provided by the CU GME are listed here
  • Medical, dental, and vision plans
  • Disability and life insurance plans
  • Voluntary retirement savings plan

   

Application Process

Our program accepts up to seven fellows every year through the San Francisco (SF) Match. Applications will be completed, submitted, and distributed through the Central Application Service (CAS). The ACGME Program Identification Number for our fellowship is 0420721020. Your application should include your personal statement, curriculum vitae, letters of recommendation, in-training exam scores, and ABA examination results. All interviews will be completed virtually. For any questions about the application process, please contact our program coordinator, Ms. Lindsay Baumgartner (Lindsay.Baumgartner@childrenscolorado.org).

Pre-Requisites

• Completion of an anesthesiology residency accredited by one of the following organizations:
  • American Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)
  • Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC)
  • College of Family Physicians Canada (CFPC)
• Eligibility for medical licensure in the state of Colorado, including a passing score on the USMLE or COMLEX step 3 exam
• Authorization to work in the United States. For international applicants, we accept J1 visas, but are unable to support H1B visas.

Application Timeline (2025 application cycle)

• January 6: SF Match system opens for submissions
• January 20: Begin invitations for interviews
• March-June: Virtual interviews are conducted (dates TBD)
• June 10: Rank lists due
• June 24: Match Day