Liver Transplant

Liver Transplant Anesthesia Fellowship

Number of positions: 2 per year 

Duration: 1 year 

Description: Our liver transplant anesthesia fellows work with an outstanding team of liver transplant anesthesiologists and surgeons at one of the busiest transplant centers in the country. Our anesthesia team consists of 14 faculty trained in liver transplant anesthesia and critical care. We perform close to 200 liver transplants per year, including 20-30 living donor transplants and 8-10 pediatric transplants. Patients are often acutely ill, with high MELD scores at the time of transplant. 

In this unique non-ACGME fellowship, trainees split their time between working as the liver transplant anesthesia fellow and serving on faculty as an attending clinical instructor in the general OR (average 2 – 3 days/week in the main OR) and have the opportunity to work overtime hours in the general OR for additional pay.

Our fellows participate in adult and pediatric deceased donor and living donor liver transplants, and adult live donor operations. Educational meetings include transplant selection committee meetings, transplant morbidity and mortality conference, and liver anesthesia journal club.

Our fellows are strongly encouraged to participate in at least one scholarly project during their year. Our group engages in several ongoing research, education, and quality improvement projects to which fellows may wish to contribute. Several fellows have published their fellow projects as first authors in peer-reviewed journals.

Our fellowship prepares candidates for leadership positions in transplant centers and fulfills criteria required to become Director of Liver Transplant Anesthesia as put forward by the ASA.

Clinical responsibilities: On designated fellow days, the fellow will be on call for liver transplants occurring day or night. Fellows will only take call until 7pm on evenings preceding an attending clinical instructor day. Fellows will take an average of two weekends per month of home call. Fellows will participate in 60-80 liver transplants during their fellowship year. Designated attending days will be spent providing anesthesia services for a wide range of cases in the general OR, either working alone or supervising residents and/or CRNAs.

Research opportunities: During the fellowship year there is ample opportunity to participate in transplant research. Our group is currently conducting several large database projects and multiple randomized controlled trials. Our fellows are encouraged to attend and present at a liver transplant conference, such as the annual meetings of ILTS or SATA.

How to Apply: We accept applications on a rolling basis starting January for the following year. (January 2023 for the academic year 2024/2025). Our fellowship positions for 2024/2025 have been filled already. Our fellows usually start their fellowship in July/August, but there is some flexibility regarding the individual start date. Applicants must have completed a U.S. anesthesia residency by the start of the fellowship (BE/BC) or have completed at least 4 years of an international anesthesia residency by the start of the fellowship and be 2113 eligible. Please submit your CV, statement of interest (limit 500 words), and 3 letters of recommendation.

Please submit your application via email to Dr. Dieter Adelmann ([email protected]) and Dr. Kate Kronish ([email protected]). Letter writers should email their recommendations directly to Dr. Adelmann.

We are looking forward to sharing more about our fellowship. Please reach out to us if you have any other questions regarding our program. 

Dieter Adelmann
Liver Transplant Anesthesia Fellowship Director

Kate Kronish
Chief, Division of Liver Transplant Anesthesia