The ASRA Pain Medicine Global Health Equity Fellowship Rotation was founded by the ASRA Pain Medicine Global Health Special Interest Group (SIG) in 2019 to strengthen care in limited-resource settings and to promote the growth of ASRA Pain Medicine fellows as physicians and leaders in the global health community.

The rotation is sponsored by ASRA Pain Medicine and is funded up to $5,000 USD for one Regional Anesthesiology or Pain Medicine Fellow per academic year. This year, the fellowship will fund a regional anesthesiology fellow. Only Fellows who are ASRA PM members are eligible to apply. Successful applicant may choose from a two-week rotation which is pre-approved by the SIG (currently Tanzania and Guyana are options) and compatible with away rotation rules at their home institution and The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACGME) / The American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA).

Read about the fellowship in ASRA Pain Medicine News.

 

“For those looking to broaden their perspective on the field of pain medicine, the ASRA Pain Medicine fellowship provides an excellent opportunity to expand your expertise while connecting you with a rich global network of experts and peers."

Sukhman Shergill, MD 
Pain Fellow, 2024 Global Health Equity Fellowship

 

"With the sponsorship of such a prominent organization, such as ASRA Pain Medicine, trainees can start getting involved in global health early in their careers."

Erica Alcibiade, DO
RA/Acute Pain Fellow, 2023 Global Health Equity Fellowship   

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Requirements

1. Applicant must be enrolled in a regional anesthesiology and acute pain medicine fellowship at the time of application. Fellows in both ACGME-accredited* and non-ACGME programs may apply. (Please note that there is no Pain Medicine Global Health Fellowship rotation available for the 2025/2026 application period). The fellowship is not currently open to residents.

2. Applicant must be a current ASRA Pain Medicine member.

3. The selected applicant must take part in preparatory readings about regional anesthesia and pain management in low resource areas and complete a post-rotation writeup of their experience for publication on the Global Health SIG website within three months of returning.

4. The chosen Fellow must have a passport valid for at least six months of the rotation end date. Additionally, some sites require a visa, and these must be obtained by the fellow in advance of travel.

Application Process

1. Complete the online application form which includes: 

• Current CV
• One-page personal letter of motivation describing your interest in the ASRA Pain Medicine Global Health Equity Fellowship Rotation
• Letter of permission to participate from your department chair and fellowship program director. Letters should include what makes you a great candidate for this fellowship. 

2. Finalists will participate in a video interview with Global Health SIG leaders. 

3. The selected Fellow will receive a list of host institutions and travel dates available in 2026. 

Location: Georgetown, Guyana
ASRA Pain Medicine-affiliated institution: University of California, San Diego, Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, University of Calgary, Canada.

Available to: Regional Anesthesiology Fellows

Mission and objectives:

• Help provide on-site teaching and training at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation. 
• Assist with developing or refining a regional anesthesia and acute pain medicine curriculum. Provide requested didactic and clinical education, and training consistent with the curriculum.
• Be involved with joint conferences, webinars, and publications. 
• Support collaboration that fosters educational cooperation and joint academic programming in accordance with participating parties’ institutional guidelines.
• As a teaching-focused rotation, visiting fellows and attendings do not assume direct responsibility for patient care.  

Location: Moshi, Tanzania
ASRA Pain Medicine-affiliated institution: University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH

Available to: Regional Anesthesiology and Acute Pain Medicine Fellows

KCMC is a 700-bed hospital with thirteen operating rooms that provides services to nearly 15 million people. It is one of four tertiary care referral facilities in Tanzania and, as such, the operating rooms support a wide range of surgery, including orthopedics, general surgery, OB/GYN, urology, etc. As a referral hospital, KCMC provides a high volume of trauma services, both orthopedic and general surgery. Additionally, KCMC has had a regional anesthesia service in place for more than five years. Recently, a manuscript examining patient satisfaction with and effectiveness of regional anesthesia at KCMC was accepted for publication by Anesthesia and Analgesia.

Mission and objectives:

• To teach and measure the impact of regional anesthesia training as part of the KCMC Department of Anesthesiology international teaching collaboration.
• Visiting fellows will teach providers via didactic lectures; simulation instruction using gel phantoms and ultrasound volunteers; and hands-on training during patient care.
• As a teaching-focused rotation, visiting fellows and attendings do not assume direct responsibility for patient care.
• Since the residency program at KCMC is a Masters of Medicine degree, all residents are required to complete a research thesis to graduate.  Opportunities to participate in collaborative research are readily available. 

Interested in Becoming a Host Institution?

New host institutions for the ASRA Pain Medicine Global Health Equity Fellowship Rotation can be vetted and approved at any time. Contact the Global Health SIG leadership team for more details at [email protected].