Established in 2012, the Montefiore Einstein Regional Anesthesia and Acute Pain Medicine Fellowship has been a world-class training program for leaders in the sub-specialty for more than a decade. In the first year of accreditation in 2017, Montefiore’s program became one of nine inaugural ACGME-accredited fellowship programs in the country. Since its inception, the fellowship has grown to 5 positions – 3 ACGME-accredited fellowship positions (applications accepted through the SF Match) and 2 combined attending/fellowship positions (separate interview process). All positions are open to candidates who have successfully completed residency training in anesthesiology at an accredited training program and who are board-eligible or certified in anesthesiology.
The Montefiore Einstein Regional Anesthesia and Acute Pain Medicine Fellowship emphasizes the perioperative management of patients receiving neuraxial and/or peripheral nerve blockade for anesthesia or analgesia. Fellows will become experts in the practice and theory of regional anesthesiology and acute pain medicine. The fellowship focuses on multimodal analgesic techniques such as neuraxial and peripheral nerve catheters, local anesthetics and narcotic infusions, and non-narcotic analgesic adjuvants with an emphasis on indications, contraindications, side effects, potential complications, and daily management of patients on the acute pain service.
The fellowship program is a collaboration between the main teaching centers at Montefiore's Wakefield Hospital and the outpatient-based Hutchinson Ambulatory Surgery Center. Rotating between the two campuses, the fellows care for patients undergoing a wide range of procedures, including orthopedic, vascular, plastic surgery, and general surgery in both inpatient and outpatient settings.
Wakefield Hospital has received the Joint Commission’s Advanced Certification for knee replacement surgeries and is our Joint Replacement Center and main orthopedics hospital. Wakefield houses Montefiore’s busiest Acute Pain Service, and fellows learn the art of perioperative analgesia and regional anesthesia techniques to optimize preoperative pain management for complex inpatients.
Montefiore’s Hutchinson Campus provides fellows with experience in an exciting, fast-paced outpatient ambulatory regional service environment. Using innovative nerve block techniques, they work preoperatively to optimize the flow of outpatient surgery
At both facilities, fellows have access to a wide range of nerve block techniques and the ability to perform peripheral nerve catheters and neuraxial blocks. Fellows also complete rotations at Montefiore's Moses Campus, the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, and Weiler Hospital for a well-rounded training experience.
Throughout the program, fellows will become experts in:
Through their clinical and academic training, Montefiore Einstein’s fellows learn how to become leaders and educators in regional anesthesiology and pain medicine. Fellows participate in educational activities including Grand Rounds, Journal Club, regional anesthesia workshops, and clinical and/or laboratory research. In addition, the Department of Anesthesiology holds a monthly Fellows’ College conference that unifies all clinical Anesthesiology fellows covering topics including the business of anesthesia, medical litigation, and financial planning.
Our Regional Anesthesiology faculty mentor our fellows and are actively involved in a variety of quality improvement and research projects to which all fellows contribute. Fellows also have the opportunity to attend and present their research at national conferences including the Regional Anesthesiology and Acute Pain Medicine Meeting.
– Please email applications to Program Administrator, Ms. Debbie Lopez, at deblopez@montefiore.org
For further information about the fellowship, please contact our Program Director:
Karina Gritsenko, MD
Professor of Anesthesiology, Family & Social Medicine,
and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation,
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
kgritsen@montefiore.org
Dr. Luiz de Costa Lima Filho
Dr. Luiz de Costa Lima Filho came to Montefiore Einstein after completing his anesthesiology residency at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Originally from Rio de Janeiro, Dr. Filho previously worked as a military dentist and anesthesiologist in Brazil before coming to the United States. During residency, Dr. Filho garnered an interest in regional anesthesiology after learning more about ultrasound-guided nerve blocks and the benefits of regional anesthesia to patients’ recovery. This interest was further augmented by his exposure to many patients struggling with opioid use disorder and seeing the importance of regional anesthesia in decreasing opioid use throughout the perioperative period. Dr. Filho was interested in coming to Montefiore Einstein for the unique opportunity to train at the institution’s multiple hospitals and the fast-paced Hutchinson Ambulatory Surgery Center, as well as its proximity to all New York City has to offer. Dr. Filho received his Doctor of Medicine from Universidade Federal Fluminense in Brazil
Dr. Jovanna Linnen established herself as a talented attending anesthesiologist at Montefiore Medical Center prior to commencing the Regional Anesthesiology and Acute Pain Medicine Fellowship in August 2022. She completed her anesthesiology residency at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, where she developed an interest in nerve blocks and providing pain relief for underserved populations. Dr. Linnen was attracted to the Montefiore Einstein RAPM Fellowship Program for the opportunity to perform a wide range of nerve blocks on patients undergoing diverse procedures as well as the program’s commitment to trainees’ wellness. Dr. Linnen attended the Sophie Davis Biomedical Education Program in New York City and received her Doctor of Medicine from SUNY Downstate.
Dr. Jovanna Linnen
Dr. Alyssa Lowenwirt
Dr. Lowenwirt’s first exposure to Montefiore’s Regional Anesthesia and Acute Pain Medicine Division was as a fourth-year medical student on a regional rotation at Montefiore in 2018. She was inspired to return to Montefiore Einstein as a fellow in August 2022 to hone her skills in nerve blocks and learn from the excellent attendings she met as a student. She was also attracted to Montefiore’s high volume and the diverse range of blocks regularly performed including lower extremity, upper extremity, and truncal nerve blocks. Dr. Lowenwirt completed her anesthesiology residency at SUNY Downstate and received her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine.