Message from Program Director
Thank you for your interest in our program. The mission of the Regional Anesthesiology and Acute Pain Fellowship is to nurture the compassion, scholarship, citizenship and inquisitiveness of trainees who are invested in alleviating the pain perioperative and peri-trauma patients endure. Our goal is to provide an education that allows these physicians to reach their full potential as expert consultants in advanced regional anesthesia techniques and acute pain management. Part of this education is to understand the social determinants of pain, the need to treat the widest range of patients possible, to exhibit professionalism in their dealings, to advocate for their patients and community, and to develop a deep curiosity that sparks a pursuit for life long learning. Clinical faculty actively teach fellows (both at bedside and during didactics) to deliver the highest caliber of treatment which includes advanced regional anesthesia blocks and catheters, to treat complex acute pain patients who may suffer from coexisting substance use disorders and chronic pain, and to discover new roles for RAAPM anesthesiologists both in and outside the operating room.
We believe that a well-balanced educational experience and work-life balance is critical to our fellows’ growth and wellness. To this end, starting with the 2025-26 class, fellows will no longer be required to work weekends. To create a culture of inquiry, fellows will receive at least 20 percent dedicated non-clinical time for self-direct education and scholarship. Moonlighting is permitted by the program.
We are honored to be a community for the fellows who join us and hope to serve them in all their endeavors.
Thank you for your time,
Ammar Siddiqui MD, MS
Ammar.Siddiqui@wmchealth.org
Program Overview and Curriculum
The ACGME accredited Regional Anesthesia and Acute Pain Management (RAAPM) fellowship at Westchester Medical Center is designed to train fellows for independent practice in regional anesthesia and acute pain management. Our fellowship offers a community where fellows can hone basic and advanced regional anesthesia skills, and an education that allows them to become expert consultants in acute pain management.
Curriculum
The learning experience for the RAAPM fellowship has been carefully selected to offer a combination of teaching methods that we hope cater to every kind of learner. These include faculty lead didactics, journal clubs and case conferences, ultrasound simulation, a Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) rotation (lead by critical care faculty), and dedicated time for self-directed learning with multimedia content from the Anesthesia Toolbox. Fellows also collaborate with our colleagues in neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery and plastic surgery, as well as neurologists and radiologists, in multidisciplinary spine and peripheral nerve conferences, in order to understand the full scope of peripheral nerve and spinal tract complications.
Clinical Experience
Westchester Medical Center offers a rich case mix. Surgical procedures offered include Level 1 Traumas, deformity correction surgeries, pediatric surgeries at the Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital, transplants, open chest surgeries, burns, vascular cases and thoracic cases, along with ambulatory orthopedic surgeries and joint replacements. We have valued relationships with the orthopedics, neurosurgery, trauma and intensive care teams. In 2023, we performed 4,000 nerve blocks, of which 400 were continuous peripheral nerve catheters. We perform most regional anesthesia techniques including sub-gluteal sciatic blocks, lumbar plexus, cervical plexus, paravertebral blocks, suprascapular nerve blocks, brachial plexus blocks, cervical and lumbar selective nerve root blocks, thoracic epidurals – to name a few. Ultrasound, landmarks, nerve stimulators (including high frequency sensory stimulation) and fluoroscopy are all utilized to identify targets for regional anesthesia. Faculty are frequently recognized in surveys and feedback for their strong commitment to education and an eagerness to employ the latest regional anesthesia techniques.
Rotations
At Westchester Medical Center, fellows will rotate through at least five months of regional anesthesia, three months of acute pain management, one month of chronic/interventional pain management, one week of preoperative anesthesia clinic, and two weeks of a POCUS rotation. Additional electives tailor made to the fellow will be considered as long as fellows are achieving their milestones and meeting case numbers. Fellows are not required to take call starting the 2025-26 academic year.
Scholarly Activity
Fellows are required to participate in scholarly activities. These will include assistance with medical student simulations, the completion of a Practice Based Learning and Improvement (PBLI) project, and a presentation at a local or national conference. Scholarship is always encouraged and fellows are welcome to assist with departmental research projects, though participation is completely voluntary. Fellows will be provided with 20% dedicated non-clinical time for scholarship.
Evaluation
Fellows will receive feedback on performance from faculty members via a confidential online system. In addition, fellows will receive feedback from multi-source evaluations by faculty, peers, residents, and nurses. This information is shared with the Clinical Competency Committee, and used to assess the fellow’s Milestones. With this information, the program director can meet with the Fellows to provide formative written feedback at least semi-annually resulting in a written summative evaluation.
Current Fellows
Hamza Abou Alchamat, MD
Medical School: University of Damascus Faculty of Medicine
Residency: American University of Beirut Medical Center
Laith Abu Mahfuz, MD
Medical School: University of Jordan Faculty of Medicine
Residency: The University of Jordan
Past Fellows
Class of 2023-2024
Kenneth Jezierski, MD
Medical School: University of Kansas School of Medicine
Residency: St. Joseph's University Medical Center Program
Jaimin Pandya, MD, MBBS
Medical School: Government Medical College Bhavnagar
Class of 2022-2023
Ismat Mrad, MD
Medical School: American University of Beirut School of Medicine
Fang Yu, MD
Medical School: Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine
Class of 2021-2022
Muhammad Shabsigh, MD
Medical School: University of Damascus Faculty of Medicine
Residency: Ohio State University Hospital Program (Surgery - General); Westchester Medical Center (Anesthesiology)
Ailan Zhang, MD, PhD
Medical School: Sun Yat-Sen University
Class of 2020
Jashen Patheja, DO
Traditional Rotating Internship: Internal Medicine, Kennedy University Hospital, Rowan University
Residency: Hahnemann University Hospital, Drexel University
Alla Spivak, DO
Traditional Rotating Internship: Long Beach Medical Center, Long Beach, NY
Residency: Temple University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA
Fellowship: Critical Care Medicine, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY
Class of 2019
Victor Tseng, MD
Residency: Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY
Class of 2018
Bernd Dotzauer, MD
Residency: University of Connecticut, Farmington, CT
Fellowship: Critical Care Fellowship, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH
Faculty
Ammar Siddiqui,MD
Program Director, Regional Anesthesiology and Acute Pain Medicine Fellowship
Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology
Jeff Xu,MD
Chief, Division of Regional Anesthesia and Acute Pain Management
Associate Professor of Anesthesiology
Corrie Amos,MD
Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology
Tara Doherty, DO
Associate Professor of Anesthesiology
Jian Hou, MD
Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology
Michael Rahimi, MD
Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology, Director of Acute Pain Service
Marvin Medow, PhD
Professor of Physiology and Pediatrics,
Research Advisor
Austin Meszaros, MD
Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology
Muhammad Shabsigh, MD
Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology
Victoria Shapiro, DO
Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology
Alla Spivak, DO
Saman Yaghoubian, DO
Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology
How to Apply
Applicants must have completed an ACGME-accredited
Anesthesia Residency program or equivalent. Our program participates in the San Francisco Match.
Applicants shall use the SF Match Common Application Form accompanied
by the following:
- Photo ID
- Three Letters of Recommendation (One of which must be from
your Anesthesiology Residency Program Director or current Program Director)
- Dean’s Letter (MSPE)
- Medical School Transcript
- Medical School Diploma
- USMLE Scores Transcript
- ITE/AKT Score Report (if applicable)
- ECFMG Certification (if applicable)
We support J-1 Visa Sponsorship and will consider H1b for
exceptional candidates.
The application and all additionally-required documents
should be submitted electronically to the attention of:
Dorian Dubois
Fellowship Coordinator
Dorian.Dubois@wmchealth.org
Contact Us
Please contact:
Dorian Dubois
Fellowship Coordinator
Dorian.Dubois@wmchealth.org