The UAB Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine has been recognized among the 10 most-viewed anesthesiology residency programs in the country, according to Becker’s Ambulatory Surgery Review, citing data from the American Medical Association (AMA) Fellowship and Residency Electronic Interactive Database Access (FREIDA) program search tool. Out of 179 anesthesiology residency programs nationwide, UAB earned a spot in the top 10, placing the department in the top 6 percent in terms of medical student interest.
Rankings are based on identified medical student activity on FREIDA, the AMA residency and fellowship database, from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2025. In that period, FREIDA users tallied more than 105,000 views of anesthesiology residency programs nationally.
“What makes this particularly meaningful is that I don’t believe it happened by accident,” said Dan E. Berkowitz, MB BCh, Alfred Habeeb Professor and Chair of the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine. “Over the past several years, we have been intentional about engaging medical students early, building our presence, telling our story, and making sure that the next generation of anesthesiologists knows who we are and why UAB is a wonderful place to train.”
This recognition carries weight at a moment when anesthesiology is confronting a significant national workforce shortage. According to Becker’s Review, the U.S. anesthesiology workforce is on track to fall more than 10,000 physicians short of national demand by 2036. A residency program that consistently draws the attention of medical students is among the most powerful tools the specialty has to confront the shortage head-on.
"Being recognized among the most-viewed anesthesiology residency programs in the country is a reflection of the incredible program we have built here at UAB,” said J. Blake Norman, M.D., assistant professor and director of the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine residency program. “Medical students are engaging, and that tells me our program's reputation for strength of training is resonating favorably.”