St. Joseph’s graduates have become leaders in the fields of anesthesia and pain management across the United States.  Our graduates are well represented in both academics and clinical practice.

St. Joseph’s graduates have become leaders in the fields of anesthesia and pain management across the United States.  Our graduates are well represented in both academics and clinical practice. The late Dr. George Morales, a graduate of St. Joseph’s in the early 1950s, was the trauma anesthesiologist to take care of President Ronald Reagan after an assassination attempt in 1981. Many of our graduates have chosen to stay with us at St. Joseph’s and St. Michael’s, educating the next generation of anesthesiologists.

Here is a list of our most recent alumni and where they went after training:

Class of 2021 

Andalib, Mohammad, Private practice, NJ
Perez, Emmanuel, Regional Anesthesia Fellowship, Univ of Pittsburgh Med Center, Pittsburgh, PA
Peng, Karen, Regional Anesthesia Fellowship, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY
Denisi, Dominick, Cardiothoracic Fellowship, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, MI
Caruso, Marie, Cardiothoracic Fellowship, Rutgers RWJ University Hospital, New Brunswick, NJ
Singh, Chahait, Pain Management Fellowship, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York, NY
Moy, Keng-wa, Private practice, NY
Dhaliwal, Parvinjit, Private practice, CA

Class of 2020 

Saafir, Amatullah, Private practice, NJ
Grinn, Michael, Adult Cardiothoracic Anesthesia Fellowship, Albany Medical Center, Albany, NY
Sung, Hee Chang, Private practice, NY
Levine, Aaron, Private practice, NY
Scheinberg, Daniel, Private practice, CA
Mosaad, Mina, Private practice, NJ
Pragani, Mehul, Private practice, NY
Lashin, Karim, Private practice, VA

Class of 2019

Lewis, Shannale, Academic practice, NJ
Gupta, Pooja, Pediatric Anesthesia Fellowship, Cleveland Clinics, Cleveland, Ohio
Hill, Robert, Pediatric Anesthesia Fellowship, University of Texas, Houston, Texas
Karera, David, Pediatric Anesthesia Fellowship, Johns Hopkins Children's Hospital, Baltimore, MD
Landa, Samuel, Private practice, NJ
Levine, Phoebe, Private practice, NY
Truocchio, Matthew, Private practice, AZ
Li-A-Ping, Chan, Private practice, NY  

Class of 2018

Mushfique Ahmed, Regional anesthesia Fellowship, University of Pittsburgh; Pediatric Anesthesia Fellowship, University of Pittsburgh
Catie Coin, Private Practice, California
Foram Parikh, Pediatric anesthesia fellowship, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital
Shauna Mackenzie, Academic/Private practice, New Jersey
Kathleen Johansen, Private practice , Long Island, New York
Therese Lizardo-Escano, Academic/Private practice, New Jersey
Jarrett Schanzer, Private Practice, Florida
Harini Ramireddy, Private practice, California

Class of 2017

Bilal Abadi, Private practice, AZ
Amber Campbell, Critical Care fellowship, University of Texas
Linda Hormozi, Cardiac anesthesia fellowship, Duke University
Victor Perkins, Private practice, NY
Namratha Prabhu, Pain Management fellowship, University of Rochester
Noah Rolleri, Cardiac anesthesia fellowship, Johns Hopkins University
John Ruth, Pediatric anesthesia fellowship, Children's National Medical Center (D.C.)
Pesach Schorr, Private practice, NJ

Dr. Landa presenting at The Society of Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology Meeting, 2019

Award winner, International Anesthesia Research Society

Dr. Landa presenting at Society of Anesthesia and Perinatology meeting

The Department of anesthesia has a robust program of research and scholarly activities resulting in multiple yearly presentations at national and regional conferences. While every resident will complete at least one scholarly project during training, many of them participate in multiple presentations. Our residents and attendings have been awarded for their projects in the past. The hospital has a strong research department, statistician and library staff to help with projects. Listed below are our scholarly presentations for 2017-2019

Presentations

• Upadya, Atoot, Albik, Meyer, Hong, Stillman, She.  The Effect of Analgesic Adjuvants on Emergence Delirium.  Poster presentation, Anesthesiology 2018 - American Society of Anesthesiologists Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA, October 13-17, 2018.
• Upadya, Atoot, Albik.  Emergence Delirium Scale Modified.  Poster presentation, Anesthesiology 2018 - American Society of Anesthesiologists Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA, October 13-17, 2018.
• Upadya, Atoot, Albik.  Facilitated Delirium Detection in the Ambulatory Setting.  Anesthesiology 2018 - American Society of Anesthesiologists Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA, October 13-17, 2018.
• S M Landa, Uapdya,P Meyer,M Bauman G.  Can Pre-Operative Anxiety Scales Be Used To Predict Post-Operative Delirium?  Poster Presentation, PGA-72, New York State Society of Anesthesiologists Post Graduate Assembly Annual Meeting, New York, NY, December 7-11, 2018.
• LaMonica, Hill.  Successful Use of IV Cosyntropin for Post Dural Puncture Headache.  Poster Presentation, PGA-72, New York State Society of Anesthesiologists Post Graduate Assembly Annual Meeting, New York, NY, December 7-11, 2018.
• Upadya, Komer, Saffran.  Medical Student Simulation Experiences – The Changing Times.  Poster Presentation, PGA-72, New York State Society of Anesthesiologists Post Graduate Assembly Annual Meeting, New York, NY, December 7-11, 2018.
•  Levine,A  Upadya,P  Wieland,T  Rahman.  Awareness of Cost and Resource Usage.  Poster Presentation, American Society of Anesthesiologists Practice Management Conference, Las Vegas, NV, January 18-20, 2019.
• Truocchio,M.  Postpartum Cortical Vein Thrombosis.  Poster presentation, New Jersey State Society of Anesthesiologists 60^th Annual Meeting, New Brunswick, NJ.
• Li-A-Ping.  RV Failure Secondary to Coronary Embolization of Mitral Valve.  Poster presentation, New Jersey State Society of Anesthesiologists 60^th Annual Meeting, New Brunswick, NJ.
• Singh,C  Landa,SE Costa,D Sakowitz-Cohen,N  Successful Spinal Anesthesia for Cesarean Section in a Parturient with Spondyloepiphyseal Dysplasia Congenita.   Case Report, Case Series presentation, Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology 51^st Annual Meeting, Phoenix, AZ, May 1-5, 2019. Awarded as a “Most Outstanding Case Report” SOAP 2019.
• SE Landa.  Alternatives to Opioids (ALTO): An Initiative to Reduce Opioid Use in Cesarean Section Patients.  Poster presentation, Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology 51^st Annual Meeting, Phoenix, AZ, May 1-5, 2019.
• Scheinberg, Boyd, Calhoun.  Beyond the Dark Room:  A General Review of the Management of Critically Ill Patients.  Poster presentation, American Roentgen Ray Society 2019 Annual Meeting, Honolulu, HI, May 5-10, 2019.
• Komer, Nandigam, Grinn.  Preoperative Thromboelastography as a Predictor of Transfusion Requirement in Cardiac Surgical Patients. Poster presentation, Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists 41^st Annual Meeting and Workshop, Chicago, IL, May 18-21, 2019.
• Kimmel,J, Grinn, M.  The Perioperative Management of a Patient with Sickle Cell Beta Thalassemia for Aortic Valve Replacement on Cardiopulmonary Bypass. Poster presentation, Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists 41^st Annual Meeting and Workshop, Chicago, IL May 18-21, 2019.
• Landa, S.  A Life Lost Every Nine Minutes: How GME Can Help Solve the Opioid Crisis. Educational session at ACGME National Meeting, Orlando, Florida, March 8, 2019.
• Upadya, P. Summary of Simulation Experience Among Third Year International Medical Students, Presentation, 19^th International Meeting on Simulation in Healthcare, San Antonio, Jan, 2019
• Scheinberg, D, Lashin, K, Landa, S, Dhaliwal, P. Surviving the Toxic Flood, Accepted fpr poster presentation, 2019 ASA Annual Meeting, Orlando,Fla, October 2019
• Lashin, K, Scheinberg, D, Saffran, S.  When Looks Could Kill. Accepted for poster presentation, 2019 ASA Annual Meeting, Orlando, Fla, October 2019
• Enriquez L. et al  Book chapter: Coagulation Monitoring.  Kaplan’s Cardiac Anesthesia: In  Cardiac and Non-Cardiac Surgeries, 7th ed. February, 2017.
• Ravi R.  Retrospective Study of Intravenous Acetaminophen in The Pediatric Dental Surgery Ambulatory Population
• Winikof S, Meyer M, Landa S, Parikh F, Ruth J.  Utilization of Non-Opioid Analgesics for Post-Operative Pain in the Pediatric Population.  Poster presentation at the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia-American Academy of Pediatrics 2017 Annual Meeting, March 4, 2017.
• Ruth J, Chan K.  Multimodal Anesthetic Approach for Fast Tracking Surgical Repair of Ostium Secundum Atrial Septal Defect Patients.  Poster presentation at the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia-American Academy of Pediatrics 2017 Annual Meeting, March 4, 2017.
• Parikh F, Chan K.  The Anesthetic Management of a Girl With West Syndrome.  Poster presentation at the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia-American Academy of Pediatrics 2017 Annual Meeting, March 4, 2017.
• Ruth J, Chan K, Winikoff S.  Multimodal Anesthetic Approach for Fast Tracking Surgical Repair of Ostium Secundum Atrial Septal Defect Patients.  Poster presentation at the New Jersey State Society of Anesthesiology 2017 Annual Meeting, March 11, 2017.
• Hormozi L, Ravi R, Lewis S.  Wellens’ Syndrome: A Potentially Catastrophic Near-Miss in the Perioperative Period.  Poster presentation at the Society of Ambulatory Anesthesia 32nd Annual Meeting, May 6, 2017.
• Landa S, Marji M, Rolleri N, Akhtar S, Zisa S.  Anesthetic Management of Cesarean Section in a Rare Variant of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.  Poster presentation at the Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology 49th Annual Meeting, May 14, 2017.
• Landa S, Chan K, Costa D, Lizardo-Escano T.  Music in the Section Room? The Obstetrician's Perspective.  Poster presentation at the Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology 49th Annual Meeting, May 14, 2017.
• Upadya P, Schorr D.  Subdural Hematoma After Epidural Placement – A Case Report.   Presented  at Research Day, St. Joseph’s University Medical Center, May 25, 2017.
• Perkins V, Mara, Zauk J, Upadya P.  Technique Variations of Securing the Naso-endotracheal tube, the Dentist’s Preference.  Presented at the American Academy of Pediatric Dentists 2017 Annual Meeting, May 27, 2017.

Publications

• Ashman, Ward, Umanoff, Paskhover.  Minimal Invasive Trigeminal Ablation: A Novel Transoral Technique for Targeted Treatment of  V3.  World Neurosurgery (2018) Oct 118:193-196.
• Ward, Kandinov, Mammis, Umanoff, Paskhover.  Endoscopic Pericranial Flap Repair of Occipital-Frontal Electrode Erosion.  World Neurosurgery (2018) Nov 119:300-303.
• Ward, Blanco, Mammis, Umanoff, Paskhover.  Minimal Invasive Trigeminal Ablation: A Trans-Oral Approach for Targeting V2.  World Neurosurgery (2018) Dec 120:211-213.
• Boyd, Scheinberg, Prasad, Markley, Yablonsky. Primer on sedation, analgesia, and local anesthetic for the IR. IR Quarterly, Summer 2019

Book Chapter

LaMonica, Antoine, Carullo, Regional Anesthesia: Neuraxial in “Clinical Pediatric Anesthesia” McGraw-Hill pub, release, Fall 2019

St. Joseph’s University Medical Center

Rich in history, St. Joseph's Health has evolved from humble beginnings. In 1867, the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth opened St. Joseph's Hospital on Church Street in Paterson with only 12 beds.  Now, St. Joseph’s University Medical Center is a 650-bed tertiary care academic center, providing state-of-the-art health care to Northern New Jersey.  It is consistently rated as one of the top hospitals in the New York Metropolitan area by U.S. News and World Report. We recently completed a $250 million expansion and renovation project. The most extensive part of this master facilities plan is the new 183,000 square-foot Critical Care Building.

The Critical Care Building features 12 systems-integrated operating theatres with pre-operative and post-operative areas; separate Pediatric and Adult Emergency Departments (EDs) with a total of 88 treatment areas; 56 new private critical care rooms in four dedicated units (Cardiac Care/Open Heart Cardiac Care Unit, Surgical Intensive Care Unit, Medical Intensive Care Unit, and Intensive Respiratory Care Unit); and a rooftop helistop capable of accepting large medical helicopters.  In 2015, we opened our new ambulatory surgical facility which includes 5 operating rooms, an endoscopy center and pain management suite. More recently we dedicated a neurointerventional suite adjacent to the ORs.    

St. Michael’s Medical Center

Established by the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor in 1867, Saint Michael's Medical Center is a 357-bed regional tertiary-care, teaching, and research center in the heart of Newark's business and educational district. Combining state-of-the-art technology, the latest diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, leading-edge research, and a network of highly qualified physicians, nurses, and allied health professionals, the hospital provides top-quality health care services delivered with compassionate care.

The first medical institution in New Jersey to perform open-heart surgery and the first to develop a cardiac catheterization program, Saint Michael's Medical Center is home to the Heart and Vascular Institute, which offers a comprehensive array of innovative cardiac treatments and procedures.

Rotation schedule and description

CA-1 year:
8 months general OR experience
1 month obstetric anesthesia
1 month pain management (focus on acute pain management; evaluation, examination and consultation of acute and chronic pain patients).
1 month preadmission testing
2 weeks post anesthesia care unit
CA-2 year – One month rotations in the following subspecialties:
Pediatrics
Cardiothoracic anesthesia
Pain management (focus on regional anesthesia for post-op pain, catheter techniques, chronic pain and procedures).
Obstetrics
Neuroanesthesia
Pediatric ICU
6 months general OR experience
CA3 year – One month rotations in:
Advanced neuroanesthesia
Advanced cardiothoracic anesthesia
Surgical intensive care unit
Advanced clinical anesthesia
Non-operating room (“outside”) anesthesia- 2 weeks (includes MRI, endoscopy, pain management, cardiac cath, peds oncology, interventional radiology).
In the remaining 8 months residents may choose to do 1-3 months of cardiac, obstetrics, pediatrics, pain management, neuroanesthesia, regional anesthesia, or critical care.

Preadmission Testing: ( Jonathan Markley, Director)
During this one month CA1 rotation, the resident evaluates, prepares, optimizes and educates the patient who will be coming in for scheduled surgery. Residents will become adept at history taking and physical exam, learn how co-existing diseases affect and are affected by surgery and anesthesia, and create an anesthetic plan appropriate for the patient. The PAT resident will learn the appropriate and cost effective ordering of lab studies, medical and subspecialty consultation prior to surgery. Complex patients will be presented to the attending in charge for additional consultation and planning.

Cardiothoracic Anesthesia: (Suhaib Akhtar, Salvatore Zisa, Co-Directors, SJUMC; Claudia Komer, Harish Nandigam, Co-Directors, SMMC)
Cardiothoracic anesthesia training occurs during the CA2 and 3 years at both the St. Joseph's Cardiac Institute and St. Michael's Medical Center where over 1500 cardiac and thoracic surgical procedures are performed each year. Residents will learn management of on and off pump cardiac bypass, valve replacement, trans-aortic valve repair (TAVR), thoracic aneurysm repair, open thoracotomy and video-assisted thoracoscopy(VATS), cardiac catheterization and electrophysiologic ablation. Residents will become adept at the insertion and interpretation of invasive monitors, transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), placement of double lumen tubes and bronchial blockers and management of one-lung ventilation.   

Critical Care Medicine: (Claudia Komer, Director; William De Bruin, Director, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit)
The Critical Care rotation takes place during the CA2 and CA3 years. The CA2 resident spends a month in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit integrating into the peds critical care team. Residents will learn the fundamentals of pediatric intensive care, ventilator management, pain management and   invasive monitoring. They will also participate in a variety of procedures requiring sedation such as MRI or invasive radiology.
The second month of Critical Care takes place at St. Michael’s Medical Center, where the intensive care units are overseen by anesthesia. Claudia Komer, board certified in critical care, will round with the resident on patients in the med/surg ICU and the post-cardiac surgery ICU, discussing, planning and  managing their ongoing care. Residents will care for patients with a wide variety of life-threatening medical issues and post-operative complications.

Neurosurgical anesthesia: (Daria Costa, Director)
For a month in both the CA2 and CA3 years, residents participate in a variety of intracranial, neurovascular and spine surgeries. They will learn principles of EEG and evoked potential monitoring, brain protection, total intravenous anesthesia, controlled hypotension, management of increased intracranial pressures, the awake craniotomy and traumatic brain injury. Residents will also manage endovascular procedures in the new neurointerventional suite.

Obstetric Anesthesia: (Seth Landa, Director)   
St. Joseph’s University Medical Center has a high-risk obstetrics department with over 3,700 deliveries each year. Residents care for parturients with preeclampsia, hemorrhage, cardiac disease and multiple births (including one set of quintuplets!). CA1 residents quickly become adept at performing spinal and epidural anesthesia, managing labor analgesia, elective and urgent cesarean section and post-operative pain.  CA2 and 3 residents become adept at handling the most challenging regional anesthetics and become expert in the management of the pregnant patient with co-existing disease. Residents are expected to formulate an anesthetic plan for the medically complicated obstetric patient together with the patient’s obstetric team and medical consultants. The team approach is emphasized throughout training and simulations will involve nursing and obstetric personnel. Residents are also expected to teach the basics of obstetric anesthesia to our rotating medical students.

Pain Management: (Michael Umanoff, Director)
Under the guidance of our Board-certified pain management physicians, residents will rotate for a month in each of their 3 years with an option for additional CA3 training for those interested. The CA 1 resident focuses on learning examination and evaluation of the pain patient, and formulating a plan for acute and post-operative pain management; the CA 2 rotation emphasizes regional blocks and pain procedures as well as developing a multi-disciplinary approach to chronic pain management; while the CA 3 will learn office–based management of chronic pain and advanced procedures.   
Our pain management center ( www.totalpaincarenj.com) focuses on restoring function and improving quality of life for those suffering from acute and chronic pain including disorders of the spine, cancer pain and neuropathic pain.  Some of the procedures done in the pain center include epidural injections, facet injections, sacroiliac joint injections, nerve blocks, trigger point injections, radiofrequency ablation, discography, spinal cord stimulation, intrathecal pumps, percutaneous discectomy, insertion of interspinous spacers for spinal stenosis, stellate ganglion and lumbar sympathetic blocks for CRPS, celiac plexus and neurolytic injections for cancer pain.
St. Joseph’s is nationally recognized for promoting opioid-free pain care through the ALTO program (Alternatives to Opioids) and our pain center has been at the forefront of this effort promoting utilization of blocks, non-opiate medications and other alternative therapies in the ER and throughout the hospital. Residents will be educated in this important trendsetting approach to pain management.

Pediatric Anesthesia: (Stephen Winikoff, Director; William De Bruin, Director Pediatric Intensive Care)
St. Joseph's has a state designated 120-bed Children's Hospital.  During the CA2 and CA3 rotations residents will be exposed to the full gamut of routine and advanced pediatric cases and neonatal surgeries, as well as pediatric intensive care, pediatric cardiac surgery, neurosurgery, ENT, craniofacial repairs, and genitourinary surgery. Our residents participated in the first (and only!) separation of conjoined twins in New Jersey history. Residents will also learn pediatric pain management including regional techniques and participate in sedations for MRI, cardiac cath, endoscopy and oncology procedures. With our pediatric specialty-trained attendings providing supervision and training, and an abundance of cases, graduating residents take with them the needed skills and knowledge to be comfortable with both basic and advanced pediatric surgery.

Postanesthesia Care Unit :  
The goal of this rotation is to provide residents with the knowledge skills and clinical experience to provide care for patients recovering from general, regional and monitored anesthesia care. Residents will become competent at recognizing and managing common PACU problems and more serious crises, with emphasis on effective communication with the appropriate surgical, medical, nursing services and the primary anesthesia team.  Residents will round and receive regular lectures on a variety of topics relating to PACU care. Residents will become familiar with ventilator management and weaning and acute post-operative pain management.
 
Regional Anesthesia: (Jonathan Markley, Georgina Sesana, Co-directors)
 With busy orthopedic, trauma, vascular, podiatric and plastic surgery services, our residents will have plenty of exposure to regional techniques throughout training as well as during their CA2 pain rotation and CA 3 regional month. Residents will learn central neuraxial anesthesia and a wide variety of peripheral nerve blocks done under ultrasound guidance.  They will hone their skills in the Simulation Lab on models and experience an ultrasound visualization workshop with live volunteers. Our faculty includes several fellowship-trained regional specialists and many others who share a passion for providing optimal intra and post-operative care utilizing regional techniques. Throughout training, residents will receive lectures on the latest cutting edge techniques and outcome studies on the benefits of the various procedures. Our residents become adept not only at providing expert intraoperative care but will also recognize the importance of regional anesthesia in providing enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS). Minimum required numbers are met early in training and our graduates are very comfortable with these valuable, essential skills.