Pediatric Anesthesiology Fellowship
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Program Overview
We are pleased to offer an ACGME-accredited one-year clinical fellowship in Pediatric Anesthesiology. The fellowship provides outstanding clinical experience in all aspects of pediatric anesthesiology, including neonatal, cardiac, craniofacial, neurosurgical, ophthalmic, head and neck, and outpatient anesthesia, plus pediatric pain management and critical care. The program is designed to navigate trainees through increasing levels of experience and responsibility, and prepare them for board certification in pediatric anesthesiology and careers as consultants in pediatric anesthesiology. The Fellowship Program Director is Wendy Ren, MD, FAAP, and the Associate Program Director is Michelle Harvey, MD.
Training takes place within the UCLA Health System, a tertiary/quaternary care academic referral center comprised of four hospitals: Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center (RRUMC), UCLA Medical Center at Santa Monica, Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital at UCLA, and the Mattel Children's Hospital at UCLA.
The Mattel Children's Hospital, named among the top pediatric medical centers in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, provides a full spectrum of healthcare to neonates, infants, and children in all subspecialties. It is integrated with the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center (RRUMC), one of the most technologically sophisticated hospitals in the world and a Level I trauma center. RRUMC has been voted one of the top five hospitals in the country and #1 hospital in the West for more than 20 consecutive years by U.S. News & World Report.
Our training environment offers a truly unique experience for the practice of pediatric anesthesia in the context of an integrated adult hospital. Due to UCLA’s wide catchment area, our fellows benefit from diverse patient populations and challenging cases, including transplantation, congenital cardiac, major craniofacial, and neurosurgical procedures. Care sites include the operating rooms and remote locations at RRUMC, UCLA Medical Center at Santa Monica, our Ambulatory Surgery Centers in Westwood and Santa Monica, and the Jules Stein Eye Institute.
For additional information about the fellowship, please contact our Fellowship Coordinator, Lucine Torosian, either by phone at (310) 267-8653 or via email at [email protected].
Thank you for your interest.
Wendy Ren, MD, FAAP
Director, Fellowship Program
Clinical Professor, Pediatric Anesthesiology
Faculty

Ihab A. Ayad, MD
Clinical Professor
Assistant Chief, Pediatric Anesthesiology
Fellowship: Pediatric Anesthesia, Children's Hospital Boston
Residency: Anesthesiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Surgery, USC University Hospital
Internship: Surgery, USC University Hospital
Medical School: MD, Cairo University Hospital

Reza M. Borna, MD
Assistant Clinical Professor
Pediatric Anesthesiology
Fellowship: Pediatric Anesthesiology, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC
Residency: Anesthesiology, John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County
Internship: General Surgery, Union Memorial Hospital
Medical School: MD, Tehran University of Medical Sciences

Judith E. Brill, MD
Professor of Clinical Pediatrics and Anesthesiology, Pediatric Critical Care
Residency: Anesthesiology, Massachusetts General Hospital
Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Pediatrics, Children's Hospital Boston
Internship: Pediatrics, Children's Hospital Boston
Medical School: MD, Harvard Medical School

John T. Chalabi, MD
Associate Clinical Professor, Pediatric Anesthesiology
Medical Director, Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center Surgery Center
Fellowship: Pediatric Anesthesiology, Loma Linda University Medical Center
Residency: Anesthesiology, University of Chicago Hospitals
Internship: Surgery, University of Chicago Hospitals
Medical School: MD, Kermanshah University of Medical Science

Michelle L. Harvey, MD
Assistant Clinical Professor
Assistant Medical Director, Westwood Ambulatory Surgery Center
Associate Director, Pediatric Anesthesiology Fellowship Program
Fellowship: Pediatric Anesthesiology, Children's Hospital Los Angeles
Residency: David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Medical School: MD, Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago

Diana H. Hekmat, MD
Assistant Clinical Professor, Pediatric Anesthesology
Director, Visiting Professor Program
Fellowship: UCLA School of Medicine
Residency: Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Medical School: MD, Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Yeshiva University

Marc Iravani, MD
Clinical Professor, Pediatric Anesthesiology
Fellowship: Pediatric Anesthesia, Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center
Surgery/General & Vascular, Stanford University School of Medicine
Residency: Anesthesiology, Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center
General Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine
Internship: Transitional Internship, Santa Clara Valley Medical Center
Medical School: MD, Medical College of Wisconsin

Mary A. Keyes, MD
Clinical Professor, Ophthalmologic Anesthesiology
Medical Director, Wasserman Eye Institute OR Suite
Fellowship: Obstetric Anesthesia, McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University
Residency: Anesthesiology, McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University
Internship: Internal Medicine, St. Joseph Health Centers and Hospital
Medical School: MD, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago

Lorraine N. Lubin, MD
Clinical Professor, Pediatric Critical Care
Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology
Fellowship: Pediatric Critical Care, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Residency: Anesthesiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Internship: Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Medical School: MD, University of Michigan

Jure Marijic, MD
Clinical Professor, Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology
Director, Pediatric Cardiac Fellowship Program
Fellowship: Cardiac Anesthesiology,Medical College of Wisconsin Affiliated Hospitals
Cadiovascular Physiology and Pharmacology,Medical College of Wisconsin Affiliated Hospitals
Residency: Anesthesiology,Medical College of Wisconsin Affiliated Hospitals
Internship: Internal Medicine,University Hospital Zagreb Salata
Medical School: MD,University of Zagreb

Swati N. Patel, MD
Clinical Professor
Chief, Pediatric Anesthesiology
Associate Vice Chair of Clinical Services
Medical Director, Ronald Reagan Medical Center Operating Rooms
Fellowship: Pediatric Anesthesiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
Residency: Anesthesiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Internship: Rotating (Internship), Santa Clara Valley Medical Center
Medical School: MD, Thomas Jefferson University Jefferson Med. College

Wendy H.P. Ren, MD, FAAP
Clinical Professor, Pediatric Anesthesiology
Program Director, Pediatric Anesthesiology Fellowship Program
Fellowship: David Geffen School of Medicine (Pediatric Anesthesiology)
Residency: Anesthesiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Internship: Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Medical School: MD, Mount Sinai School of Medicine

Johanna Schwarzenberger, MD
Clinical Professor, Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesiology
Fellowship: Cardiac Anesthesiology, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, New York, New York
Residency: Anesthesiology, Oregon Health Sciences, Portland, Oregon (CA-1) Anesthesiology, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, New York (CA-2/CA-3)
Internship: Internal Medicine, St. Vincent's Hospital and Medical Center, Portland, Oregon

Michael J. Sopher, MD
Clinical Professor, Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology
Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs
Anesthesiology Clinical Director
Fellowship: Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesia, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Residency: Anesthesiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Internship: Rotating (Internship), Harbor - UCLA Medical Center
Medical School: MD, UC San Francisco School of Medicine

Joel Stockman, MD
Associate Clinical Professor, Pediatric Anesthesiology
Medical Director, Perioperative Services, UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica
Director, UCLA Pediatric Acute Pain Management
Fellowship: Pediatric Anesthesiology, Children's Memorial Medical Center
Residency: Anesthesiology, McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University
Internship: Transitional, Cedar Rapids Medical Foundation
Medical School: MD, University of Iowa College of Medicine

Shirley H. Tang, MD, MS
Assistant Clinical Professor
Fellowship: Pediatric Anesthesiology, UCLA Department of Pediatric Anesthesiology
Residency: Anesthesiology, UCLA School of Medicine
Internship: Anesthesiology, UCLA School of Medicine
Medical School: MD, University of Arizona Medical Center
MS, Stanford University School of Medicine

Christine T. Trieu, MD
Assistant Clinical Professor
Fellowship: Pediatric Anesthesiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Residency: Anesthesiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Medical School: David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

Barbara M. VanDeWiele, MD
Clinical Professor
Vice Chair for Faculty Affairs
Fellowship: Pediatric Anesthesiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Anesthesiology, Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons (Research)
Residency: Anesthesiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Internship: Surgery, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Medical School: MD, Columbia University College of Physicians,Surgeons

Tiffany M. Williams, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor in Residence
Fellowship: Cardiac Anesthesiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Residency: Anesthesiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Internship: Surgery, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Medical School: MD, Baylor College of Medicine

Theodora E. Wingert, MD
Assistant Clinical Professor
Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine
Fellowship: Pediatric Anesthesiology, UCLA School of Medicine
Residency: Anesthesiology, UCLA School of Medicine
Medical School: MD, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Clinical Experience


Required clinical rotations during the fellowship year consist of at least six months of general pediatric anesthesia (general, urologic, orthopedic, otolaryngologic, ophthalmologic, craniofacial, thoracic, neurosurgical, offsite), two months of cardiac anesthesia including pediatric cardiac catheterization lab experience, one month of pediatric pain management, two weeks of neonatal ICU, and two weeks of pediatric ICU. Four weeks of paid vacation time, as well as conference time with an expectation of attendance and presentation at the Society of Pediatric Anesthesia winter meeting are also included. One month of elective clinical anesthesia experience or research time is available subject to an approved research project.

My Mission to India
When Dr. Swati Patel, our department pediatric chief, approached me to join her on a mission to India with Medical Missions for Children (www.mmfc.org), I literally jumped at the opportunity. During my last year of residency at UCLA, I had the opportunity to travel to Arequipa, Peru with the Hearts with Hope Organization (www.heartswithhope.org) on a two-week mission. - by Christine Trieu, MD
More information about clinical research in the Department of Anesthesiology
Curriculum
Our faculty is committed to the continued excellence and improvement of our teaching program. Along with daily perioperative teaching including case-related discussions on preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative management, our didactics include the following:
- Pediatric Anesthesiology Fellowship Lecture Series
weekly Monday afternoon faculty-led lectures on core topics in pediatric anesthesiology. Our multidisciplinary lecture series includes relevant didactics by invited expert speakers from other pediatric specialties. - Pediatric Anesthesiology Fellows' Journal Club
quarterly fellow-led journal club on recently published relevant article(s) within pediatric anesthesiology - Pediatric Anesthesiology Fellow Lecture
semiannual fellow lecture, allowing in-depth study of a topic of their choice - Congenital Heart Disease Seminar Series
faculty-led lecture series on congenital heart disease pathophysiology and management - Research Lecture Series
faculty-led lecture series on the fundamentals of research design and conduct, and the interpretation and presentation of data - Department of Anesthesiology Grand Rounds
weekly Wednesday morning departmental conference with CME credit available
Fellows are also encouraged to take advantage of the numerous available conferences and didactics outside of the Department, including but not limited to:
- Pediatric Cardiology Case Conference
multidisciplinary weekly Wednesday morning case conference attended by specialists including pediatric cardiology, cardiac surgery and cardiac anesthesia - Pediatric Surgery Case Conference
multidisciplinary weekly Tuesday afternoon case conference