Fellowship Details & Requirements

Our GME Office has preliminary eligibility requirements that all prospective trainees must meet before applying for a training program at our institution. In addition to these criteria, our program also has the following requirements:    

• Candidates must have completed an accredited Anesthesiology residency program in either the United States or Canada and be board certified or board eligible.  
• International candidates with equivalent foreign training will be considered if they have full ECFMG certification. We require certified translations for all documents that are not in English, a credentials evaluation which states that their foreign medical degree is comparable to ones that are issued by an accredited US medical school, and a Physician-in-Training (PIT) permit of full medical license from the Texas Medical Board.     
• J-1 Applicants must have ECFMG certification and have passed USMLE Steps 1 & 2  

Please submit the following application materials to Monique Rodriguez at MJValdez@mdanderson.org. Required Application Materials: 

• Online Fellowship Application 
• Curriculum Vitae 
• Personal Statement/Letter of Intent Letters of Recommendation – 3 letters from faculty anesthesiologists (one letter from training program director is required) 
• Letter of Good Standing (at current institution) 
• Medical School Diploma and Transcript 
• ABA In-Training and Basic Exam scores

Successful completion of fellowship training results in an institutional certification by MD Anderson. In order to be qualified for certification, the fellow must complete 12 months of training within the department. Fellows will have to customize clinical rotations in surgical oncology, head and neck oncology, brain tumors, acute and chronic pain, pulmonary lab and research (2 - 3 months). Clinical or laboratory research is encouraged during the fellowship. 

The goals and objectives are designed to provide advanced training in the anesthesia and analgesia care for cancer patients undergoing surgery and other cancer related procedures. The training is based on hands-on involvement in patient care under the direct supervision and instruction of faculty in our department. Our patient population ranges from children to adults, inpatients to outpatients, and involves operating room anesthesia, out-of-operating room anesthesia and acute pain care. Our fellows benefit from active interaction with all medical disciplines involved in the care and treatment of surgical cancer patients. 

• To provide patient care that is honest, compassionate, appropriate, and effective in providing anesthesia and analgesia care to perioperative patients. 
• To actively participate in an information exchange about anesthetic care with patients, their families, and other health professionals.
• To provide patient-focused care while gathering essential and accurate information.
• To make informed decisions about diagnostic and therapeutic interventions based on patient information and preference, documented scientific evidence, and clinical judgment.
• To demonstrate ethical decision-making skills in communicating with or counseling patients and their families  
• To establish and carry out follow-up plans for patients.
• To develop a proactive approach to managing patient and family expectations and needs.
• To perform competently all procedures considered essential for the area of practice.
• To understand about established and evolving biomedical, clinical, and cognate (e.g. epidemiological and social-behavioral) sciences and the application of this knowledge to patient care.
• To know and apply the basic and clinically supportive sciences applicable to cancer anesthesia care (e.g. neuroanesthesia, thoracic anesthesia, urologic anesthesia, reconstructive plastic surgical anesthesia, head and neck cancer anesthesia, breast cancer anesthesia, gynecologic anesthesia, gastrointestinal anesthesia, out-of-operating room anesthesia).
• To understand and gain expertise in the pathophysiology, assessment and management of acute cancer pain and the related component symptoms (e.g., depression, anxiety, delirium, cachexia and dyspnea).
• To become familiar with the pharmaco-kinetics and pharmaco-dynamics of all major drug groups, as well as other medicine (induction agents, inhaled anesthetics, opioids, neurohumoral adjuncts, antidepressants, anti-epileptics, anti-emetics, and psychotropics) where appropriate.
• To understand the principles of acute pain management, epidural management, and intravenous PCA use.
• To understand important aspects of cancer anesthesia research initiatives within the department, and across the country in cancer specialty hospitals. 

Onco-Anesthesia focuses on perioperative care of complex cancer patients undergoing diagnostic/therapeutic procedures.  Often, cancer patients have physiology that is altered due to their disease process or due to treatment modalities that they have undergone.  Details of cancer care and how it impacts perioperative care are not emphasized in anesthesia residency programs.   

The primary objective or outcome of the fellowship program is that the fellow should be competent to serve as a consultant for anesthetic and acute analgesia care for cancer patients undergoing surgery and diagnostic procedures. Fellows should be able to manage the full range of patients requiring anesthetic care in a multispecialty cancer anesthesia practice. 

Selected titles:

•  Cata JP, Guerra C, Soto G, Ramirez MF. Anesthesia Options and the Recurrence of Cancer: What We Know so Far? Local and regional anesthesia. 2020;Volume 13:57-72. 2.           
• Cata JP, Guerra CE, Chang GJ, Gottumukkala V, Joshi GP. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in the oncological surgical population: beneficial or harmful? A systematic review of the literature. Br J Anaesth. 2017;119(4):750-764. 3.           
• Soliz JM, Ifeanyi IC, Katz MH, et al. Comparing Postoperative Complications and Inflammatory Markers Using Total Intravenous Anesthesia Versus Volatile Gas Anesthesia for Pancreatic Cancer Surgery. Anesth Pain Med. 2017;7(4):e13879. 4.           
• Cata JP, Bhavsar S, Hagan KB, et al. Intraoperative serum lactate is not a predictor of survival after glioblastoma surgery. J Clin Neurosci. 2017;43:224-228. 5.           
• Cata JP, Bhavsar S, Hagan KB, et al. Scalp blocks for brain tumor craniotomies: A retrospective survival analysis of a propensity match cohort of patients. J Clin Neurosci. 2018;51:46-51. 6.           
• Cata JP, Hagan KB, Bhavsar SD, et al. The use of isoflurane and desflurane as inhalational agents for glioblastoma surgery. A survival analysis. J Clin Neurosci. 2017;35:82-87. 7.           
• Grasu RM, Cata JP, Dang AQ, et al. Implementation of an Enhanced Recovery After Spine Surgery program at a large cancer center: a preliminary analysis. J Neurosurg Spine. 2018;29(5):588-598. 8.           
• Cata JP, Chavez-MacGregor M, Valero V, et al. The Impact of Paravertebral Block Analgesia on Breast Cancer Survival After Surgery. Reg Anesth Pain Med. 2016;41(6):696-703. 9.           
• Cata JP, Nguyen LT, Ifeanyi-Pillette IC, et al. An assessment of the survival impact of multimodal anesthesia/analgesia technique in adults undergoing cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy: a propensity score matched analysis. Int J Hyperthermia. 2019;36(1):369-375. 10.         
• Lasala JD, Heir JS, Mena GE, et al. Implementation of an Enhanced Surgical Recovery Programme (ESRP) in gynaecologic oncology: Has the development of a preoperative order set improved compliance for preventive analgesia and deep venous thromboembolic (DVT) prophylaxis? Clin Nutr ESPEN. 2016;12:e44. 11.         
• Lasala JD, Heir JS, Mena GE, et al. Impact of an Enhanced Surgical Recovery Programme (ESRP) on postoperative renal function: Is euvolemia ideal for all or only a select few? Clin Nutr ESPEN. 2016;12:e43. 
  

In addition to gaining unparalleled education and training experience, MD Anderson trainees have access to exceptional resources and benefits to help them build meaningful careers and lead fulfilling lives.

Institutional benefits and support

GME trainees’ salary stipends are updated every year based on the ACGME’s recommendations, and because our trainees are considered workforce members, they also enjoy MD Anderson’s employee benefits, including health insurance, retirement planning, disability insurance and six weeks of parental leave.

Our GME House Staff Senate offers trainees the opportunity to experience a leadership role in a medical field career, and the institution’s Academic Mentoring Council provides avenues to secure tailored academic mentoring from faculty. Our GME trainees benefit from the extensive support offered to our research trainees, too; they are invited to participate in grant application workshops, apply for pilot grants to support their research ideas and receive monetary awards for securing extramural grant funding.

Trainee wellness is also of utmost importance at MD Anderson.

Our trainees have access to MD Anderson’s employee networks, fitness center and other wellness resources provided by the institution. Additionally, our Graduate Medical Education Committee (GMEC), which provides oversight of our accredited programs, regularly assess our trainees’ needs and implements various initiatives, such as providing free call meals and discounted parking to GME House Staff, to address those gaps. The committee even has a subcommittee entirely dedicated to supporting the wellness of our trainees.

Our efforts to ensure a welcoming and supportive education and training experience have been commended nationally. In 2023, the Office of Graduate Medical Education received the DeWitt C. Baldwin, Jr. Award, a prestigious national award that recognizes our institution for its respectful and supportive environment for delivering medical education and patient care.

Beyond MD Anderson

MD Anderson’s location has many benefits, too. Our main campus is nestled inside the Texas Medical Center, the world’s largest medical center which boasts about 10 million patient encounters each year. Many of our faculty are involved in interorganizational research collaborations, both within the TMC and across the nation, exposing trainees to groundbreaking advancements in medical care in real time.

Most importantly, the city of Houston is a great place to call home and raise a family. We are one of the most culturally diverse cities in the nation. More than 145 different languages are spoken across the city, placing us behind only New York and Los Angeles. In fact, about 30% of the city’s population speaks a language other than English at home. And, paychecks here stretch farther than most U.S. metro areas, thanks to our low cost of living.

Visit our Why Houston page to learn more about our city’s affordable housing, fine dining, entertainment scene, nationally renowned museums and other great attributes.