Neurosurgical Anesthesiology Fellowship is now an accredited program through the International Council on Perioperative Neuroscience Training (ICPNT).

The standards for ICPNT have been set through the Society for Neuroscience in Anesthesiology and Critical Care (SNACC).

Our fellowship was awarded the highest approval with a five-year accreditation, beginning in 2020. This is a testament to the quality and breadth of our training program. We continue to offer one or two-year fellowships to interested candidates through our competitive application process. This accomplishment is a tribute to all of our faculty’s hard work and recognizes their dedication to teaching and to our patients.

For questions or specific requests, please contact:

Amanda Faulkner, MD
Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology
Program Director, Neurosurgical Anesthesiology Fellowship
Department of Anesthesiology
Duke University Medical Center
DUMC 3094, Durham, NC  27710
Phone: 919-668-3400
Email: amanda.faulkner@duke.edu

Application materials may be submitted by mail or emailed to:

Esther Turner
Program Coordinator
Neurosurgical Anesthesiology Fellowship
Department of Anesthesiology
Duke University Medical Center
DUMC 3094
2301 Erwin Rd, 5672 HAFS
Durham, NC 27710
Email: esther.turner@duke.edu

Eligibility for the Fellowship

The Neurosurgical Anesthesiology Fellowship is accredited by the International Council on Perioperative Neuroscience Training (ICPNT). However, given the standardization across our department, all Duke Anesthesiology fellowships adhere to the same guidelines used by the Duke University Office of Graduate Medical Education for recruitment and selection of trainees into ACGME fellowships, even though this is a non-ACGME fellowship.

Those requirements include the following:

1. All required clinical education for entry into ACGME-accredited fellowship programs must be completed in an ACGME-accredited residency program, or in an RCPSC-accredited or CFPC-accredited residency program located in Canada.
2. Prior to appointment in the program, fellows must have successfully completed an ACGME, RCPSC, or CFPC-accredited residency in anesthesiology.
3. Fellowship programs must receive verification of each entering fellow’s level of competency in the required field using ACGME or CanMEDS Milestones assessments from the core residency program.
4. Passed USMLE exams (at least parts I and II with part III to be completed)

Additionally, ACLS/BLS Certification is Mandatory. Physicians matriculating into the Neurosurgical Anesthesiology Fellowship Program must also be eligible for and obtain a North Carolina Medical License (full or limited). Physicians must also obtain and maintain active registration with the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). 

Criteria for selection, evaluation, promotion, program completion, probation, remediation, dismissal, supervision, and duty hours are the same as those for other department of anesthesiology fellowship programs and consistent with institutional policies for graduate medical education at the Duke University Medical Center and School of Medicine (gme.duke.edu).

The fellowship director must receive the following:

1. A completed common application
2. Curriculum Vitae
3. Personal Statement
4. Three letters of reference

Recruitment and Selection: In interviewing, recruiting, and selecting graduate medical trainees, all programs must adhere to the Duke University policies on equal employment opportunity (Personnel Policy Manual: A-5) and hiring guidelines (Personnel Policy Manual: A-10). In addition, all programs are required to choose trainees on the basis of ability, aptitude, academic record, and personal qualities such as motivation, ethical standards and integrity.

Nondiscrimination: The University does not discriminate with regard to race, color, religion, national origin, handicap, veteran status, sexual orientation or preference, sex, or age (except where sex and age are bona fide occupational qualifications). Applicants for graduate medical education are no longer required to provide photographs with their applications. Photographs may be requested after a person has been selected for an interview to facilitate a summary of individual applicants for final selection.

As per the ICPNT Program Requirements, the fellowship curriculum is built upon the 4-week unit modules. Fellows will complete the required rotations in each of the following:

• Clinical Adult Neuroanesthesiology (24 weeks)
• Neurocritical Care (4 weeks)
• Interventional Neuroradiology (4 weeks)
• Intraoperative Neuromonitoring (4 weeks)
• Neurosciences Scholarly Activities (4 weeks)

The remaining time within the calendar year may then be tailored to the individual fellow to provide a well-rounded clinical neuroscience exposure via selected elective experiences. Elective rotations available include:

• General Neurology Consult Service
• Stroke Inpatient Service
• Perioperative Anesthesia and Surgical Screening (PASS) Clinic
• Pediatric Neuroanesthesiology
• Additional Neuromonitoring Experience: Transcranial Doppler and Carotid Duplex Sonography
• Additional Neurocritical Care Experience
• Additional Research and Scholarly Activity Experience

Other electives may be considered based on merit and contribution to clinical education.

Vacation: four weeks (20 days)
Academic Meeting Time: (5 days)

A special note for fellows interested in the two-year program option:

• Opportunities for clinical, translational, and basic research are available to enhance and promote a career as a physician-scientist; these exist not only within the department of anesthesiology but also in collaboration with the departments of neurology and neurosurgery, among others. 
  • Active research within the Department of Anesthesiology
  • Ongoing research within the Department of Neurology
  • Ongoing research within the Department of Neurosurgery
• The Critical Care Medicine (CCM) Fellowship is an ACGME-approved program that provides a comprehensive one-year training program in both critical care medicine and transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), with elective time that may be tailored to the individual fellow experience. Acceptance into the neurosurgical anesthesiology fellowship does not guarantee acceptance into the critical care medicine fellowship.  
  • For applicants interested specifically in subspecialty certification in neurocritical care: Per the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN), after 2026, anesthesiology candidates applying for subspecialty certification in neurocritical care examination in neurocritical care must have either completed one year of general ACGME-accredited anesthesiology, medical or surgical critical care fellowship AND one year of an ACGME-accredited neurocritical care fellowship OR have completed two years of an ACGME-accredited neurocritical care fellowship. Both one-year and two-year options are available to future anesthesiologist-intensivists through the Duke Neurocritical Care fellowship; applicants are reviewed competitively along with other fellowship applicants.

Fellows are actively engaged in all neuroanesthesiology cases performed by the department. These include a wide variety of elective and emergent cases such as asleep and awake craniotomies, complex spine surgery, functional neurosurgery, aneurysm clippings, cerebrovascular cases in interventional radiology as well as intraoperative CT and MRI cases. Additionally, we provide care to patients receiving electroconvulsive therapy. While in the ICU, fellows actively participate in the management of patients with neurologic diagnoses and post-operative neurosurgical patients as part of a true multidisciplinary team.

At the completion of the fellowship, successful fellows will have achieved the following goals:

• Independent consultant level of competency in neurosurgical anesthesiology with successful completion of all ICPNT requirements.
• Understanding of and participation in the multidisciplinary, coordinated care necessary for skillful management of patients with neurological conditions in the periprocedural period.

• Understanding the components of initiating and completing a research project.
• Under the direct supervision of a mentor, design and initiate a perioperative neurosciences research project that results in a national presentation and/or publication.
• Involvement in a QI-project, either new or ongoing, that ultimately improves care delivery or outcomes for patients with neurological conditions in the perioperative period.

Fellows spend much of their time providing in-room anesthesia care for complex subspecialty cases. Opportunities for fellows to supervise neurosurgical cases occur near the end of the training as part of a transition to expected attending practice. 

Opportunities to teach both medical students and residents exist within the operating room and as a contribution to structured, rotating lecture series. This is expected as part of the fellowship.

Please visit our Neuroanesthesiology, Otolaryngology and Offsite Anesthesiology Division web page for more details about the anesthesiologists and intensivists on our team.

After graduation, Duke fellowship graduates enter either private or academic practice, which varies slightly with each graduating class. To get a first-hand account of our fellowship program, we encourage you to ask our current fellows or alumni about their experiences.

The Duke Department of Anesthesiology is committed to cultivating a just and inclusive culture in which individuals thrive and are united in their dedication to alleviating suffering, improving health and well-being, and promoting social justice through excellence in innovation, education, research, service, and professional growth. Learn more about our fellowship programs and Duke Anesthesiology’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Program.

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