The Research Fellowship in the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine consists of twelve to twenty-four months of post-graduate training after successful completion of an accredited residency program in Anesthesiology. Fellows must hold a FAER training grant, a NIH K grant or be appointed to a T32 grant. They spend 75% of their time conducting basic, translational or clinical research and 25% in clinical service. The Research Fellowship is tied to a part-time faculty appointment as a clinical instructor in the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).

The primary goal of the Research Fellowship training program is to develop expertise in one of the following areas of research:

• Neurobiology of Pain: Mechanisms by which pain signals are initiated, transduced and modulated in sensory pathways (Interstitial cystitis; trigeminal pain)
• Organ Injury and Repair: Mechanisms by which environmental insults (such as pathogens, toxic gases), trauma, organ transplantation and blood transfusions result in multi-organ injuries
• Health Outcome Research: Health disparities related to breast cancer. Other areas of focus may be considered.   

Fellows usually (but not aways) complete the Systematic Training in Anesthesia Research (STAR) program and choose a research mentor based on their research interests. Currently, there are twelve faculty members in the Division of Molecular and Translational Biomedicine with active NIH funded research programs in the areas of research listed above. There are also a number of active clinical and educational research projects with very well qualified mentors. 

In addition to research and clinical activities, the fellow participates in weekly research conferences and the mentor’s laboratory meetings. He/she will be asked to present their data on a monthly basis. The fellow will also attend didactic courses and/or seminars offered by other departments and the Centers for Clinical and Translational Sciences (CCTS), such as courses on statistics, publishing, running a laboratory. The ultimate goal of the Research Fellowship is to prepare the fellow for a successful career as an academic clinician scientist.

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