Chair's Welcome

Welcome to the University of Mississippi School of Medicine’s Department of Anesthesiology. This is an exciting time for both our University Health System and our clinical specialty.

The Department of Anesthesiology at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) has a history of commitment to education, state-of-the-art clinical practice and research. The faculty represents a cross section of graduates of some of the nation’s elite anesthesia programs who strive to continually improve their skills as clinician educators. The volume, complexity and severity of illness encountered by our Residents and Fellows here on a daily basis is second to none.

The past several years have seen major improvements in all aspects of our service. A sustained growth in patient volume and the evolution of interventional and minimally invasive techniques have mandated imaginative solutions to new problems. The expansion of our services outside the traditional Operating Room to multiple offsite locations has required close coordination of care and multidisciplinary advanced planning with several other departments at the Medical Center to improve patient care and throughput. This collaborative approach allows us to not only ensure the best clinical outcomes for our patients but is vital for success in the current US healthcare climate where market forces emphasize maximum quality for minimum cost.

The tripartite mission of the department includes the provision of exceptional clinical care for our patients, an unwavering dedication to the education of our trainees and ever improving scholarly contributions to our field and medicine at large. To achieve our mission, it is our intent to recruit exceptional candidates for our residency and fellowship programs, clinical and research faculty as well as CRNA staff.

Suitable trainee applicants will possess an ability to work in a collegial team-based environment, demonstrate an enthusiasm to gain new knowledge and clinical skills to deliver excellent patient care, and a healthy appetite for continued professional growth and self-improvement. It is our hope that during the time with us, our trainees grow exponentially in their clinical skills, medical knowledge as well as develop their professional and interpersonal skills, in addition to attaining confidence to perform as an effective consultant in all facets of Clinical Anesthesiology practice.

For our medical students we offer a comprehensive exposure to the breadth of clinical anesthetic practice with every clinical technique and subspecialty relevant to the current practice of anesthesiology well represented. During your time with us we hope you will be impressed enough with our program, trainees, and faculty to see yourself pursue a career in this exciting field of Medicine.

As we look to the future we see a wealth of opportunity to improve upon the quality of patient care delivered, bring new competencies to our specialty, and improve the manner in which our healthcare system rises to meet the needs of patients in Mississippi and beyond. We invite you to come and take a look at what we have to offer.

This program uses the common application through ERAS.

Specialty: Anesthesiology

Duration: 48 months (PGY 1 – PGY 4)

Positions: 8

Duration: 36 months (after Clinical Base Year)

Positions: 2

Program Director: Sara B. Robertson, MD, FASA
Email: smbrobertson@umc.edu 

Facility Address:

University of Mississippi Medical Center
2500 North State Street
S 108-A Anesthesiology
Jackson, MS 39216

Telephone: (601) 984-5900 / Fax: (601) 984-5939

The ACGME accredited Chronic Pain Management Fellowship is designed to assist the fellow in achieving a set of academic and clinical goals that, when mastered, will enable a successful career in the practice of Chronic Interventional Pain Management. Our experienced faculty with diverse training backgrounds will assist in making your educational experience memorable. It is our hope that you will have a most enjoyable and meaningful year of medicine. We want to engage you in all the experiences related to our subspecialty.

Fellowship Positions: 5

Program Director: Anesh Rugnath, MD
Email: arugnath@umc.edu

The UMMC Department of Anesthesiology offers a one-year, ACGME approved Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology fellowship. The program has one position available annually for highly qualified applicants interested in advanced training in this exciting field. Cardiac Anesthesia Fellowship is designed to give our trainees exposure to all facets of Clinical Cardiothoracic anesthesiology with complex cardiothoracic surgical cases, advanced structural heart program, and comprehensive

transesophageal echocardiography curriculum, enabling our fellows to achieve their potential as excellent clinicians. At the core, our program is committed to the highest quality medical care in an intellectually stimulating environment. The Cardiothoracic Anesthesia division has excellent faculty trained in some of the most prestigious programs around the country, dedicated to teaching and committed to nurturing the talents of our fellows as they pursue the goal of achieving competency in all areas of cardiothoracic anesthesiology.

Fellowship Positions: 1

Program Director: Suwarna Anand, MD, FASA
Email: sanand2@umc.edu

The ACGME Accredited Pediatric Anesthesia Fellowship offers 2 fellowship positions annually and is housed in the newly built state of the art Kathy and Joe Sanderson tower of Children’s of Mississippi, on the main UMMC campus. The program is designed to give our trainees exposure to the entire gamut of Clinical Pediatric anesthesiology ranging from complex neonatal and pediatric cardiothoracic surgical cases, advanced spine and plastic reconstructive surgeries besides exposure to a robust regional anesthesia, acute and chronic pediatric pain services. Our fellowship program is committed to the highest quality of pediatric care in an intellectually stimulating environment allowing our fellows to maximize their potential as excellent clinicians. The Pediatric division has excellent faculty trained in diverse programs around the country, dedicated to teaching and mentoring our fellows on their journey to becoming top notch Pediatric anesthesiology consultants.

Fellowship Positions: 2

Program Director: Sara B. Robertson, MD, FASA
Email: smbrobertson@umc.edu 

Please feel free to contact us if you need any further information on our Department or training programs.

Sincerely,

Harendra Arora, MD
Chair, Department of Anesthesiology
University of Mississippi Medical Center
2500 N. State St. Jackson, MS 39216
Phone: (601) 984-5900 | Fax: (601) 984-5939 | Pager: (601) 929-0558 | Email: harora1@umc.edu