1. Fellows attend variety of clinics at University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics (UWHC) and the Veterans Hospital (VAMC): UWHC multidisciplinary spine clinics (orthopedic, neurosurgery, physical medicine and rehabilitation [PM&R], radiology, physical therapy [PT]), multidisciplinary pain clinics (PM&R, anesthesia, psychology, PT), neurology headache clinics, palliative care clinics, and addiction clinics (psychiatry). At the Veterans Hospital, fellows attend the interdisciplinary pain clinic (PM&R, pharmacy, psychology, PT) and the addiction medicine clinic.
2. A high faculty-to-fellow ratio (9:2) allows for undivided attention by faculty, with one-on-one teaching for fellows. The core faculty consists of PM&R and anesthesiology fellowship-trained faculty, Board-certified in Pain Medicine by the American Board of Anesthesiology.
3. Clinical experience is equally divided between time spent in clinics and in procedures/minimally invasive surgical procedures. On a typical week, fellows spend 2-3 days in procedures/operating room or clinics.
4. This university-based hospital is consistently ranked as #1 in Wisconsin, with a large volume and a variety of clinical experiences in common and rare disorders such as spinal and musculoskeletal pain, headaches and craniofacial pain, neuropathic pain, complex regional pain syndrome, nociplastic pain, abdominal and pelvic pain, cancer pain, pain in patients with transplants, pain at end of life, and pain in children and adolescents.
5. This multidisciplinary program provides clinical rotations in headache neurology clinics, palliative care, addiction medicine, Veterans Affairs pain clinics, and the UW Health American Family Children’s Hospital.
6. Fellows will benefit from rigorous teaching, including Board preparation sessions with Q&A, didactics, evidence-based medicine journal reviews, radiology spine imaging review, simulation sessions, and spine and peripheral nerve cadaver labs.

Fellows will obtain procedural experience in various basic and advanced fluoroscopy- and ultrasound-guided procedures involving the spine, peripheral nerves, joints, and interfascial planes; sympathetic and visceral plexus blocks; radiofrequency ablation; peripheral nerve stimulation and spinal cord stimulation trials and implants. Other procedures include intrathecal pump trials and implants, minimally invasive lumbar decompression, and ReActiv8 procedures.

Under the direct supervision of an attending faculty member, fellows are taught all types of  procedures. Cervical transforaminal epidural steroid injections (ESI) are taught once fellows become adept in precise needle placement. We have a high volume of cervical transforamianl ESI, so fellows learn to skillfully perform these procedures.

Fellows are trained in suturing and soft tissue dissection at the start of the fellowship. They spend one half day at the UWHC Simulation Center and two weekends at cadaver sessions in the Neurosurgery Cadaver lab, where they review anatomy of spine and peripheral nerves and practice procedures on the spine with fluoroscopy guidance.

Fellows spend 10% of their time in research and educational activities. The Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation is well resourced for conducting research; we have departmental research staff to assist with Institutional Review Board (IRB) applications, REDCap, biostatistics, and data extraction. We also have a fully equipped quantitative sensory testing (QST) laboratory.

Under direct faculty supervision, each fellow is expected to initiate or continue at least one ongoing research or quality improvement (QI) project during the training year. Fellows present their research at the departmental Annual Pain Research Forum each spring. They are also encouraged to present their work at national and international meetings and publish in peer-reviewed journals. Each fellow typically produces at least one to two publications or book chapters before completing training. Fellows are required to deliver a Grand Rounds presentation on a topic of their choosing during the year.

We have weekly board preparation sessions for our fellows. Fellows also participate in a career planning session with one of our faculty members. Our graduates pursue careers in both private and academic practice settings. The program director and program coordinator share employment opportunities with fellows and connect them with appropriate alumni as needed.

We host wellness and mindfulness sessions with our pain psychologist. Fellows take call from home and average 41 hours of work per week. Madison, Wisconsin, is a vibrant capital city uniquely situated on an isthmus between Lake Mendota and Lake Monona, flawlessly blending a bustling university atmosphere with rich Midwestern culture and endless, easily accessible outdoor recreation.

The training environment is collegial and designed to encourage personal growth, physical, mental wellness alongside academic learning. Fellows undergo graduated independence as their clinical and procedural skills improve. They also participate in social activities throughout the year with our residents.

Our pain medicine fellowship stands out for its (1) multidisciplinary design with rotations in a variety of clinics, (2) clinical experience equally split between clinics and pain procedures/interventions, (3) high clinical volume of patients with a variety of common and rare disorders, (4) two fellows per year, which fosters a culture of collaboration instead of competition, and (5) easily accessible, enthusiastic faculty.