BWH Obstetric Anesthesia Fellowship Program

Welcome from our Program Director

Thank you for your interest in the Brigham and Women’s Obstetric Anesthesia Fellowship program. We are truly proud of the fellowship experience we offer at our institution. At the core of our program we are committed to the highest quality obstetric anesthesia care in an intellectually stimulating and dynamic environment. The Brigham’s Obstetric Anesthesia division has renowned faculty who are dedicated to the teaching and support of our fellows. We are fortunate to have rich multidisciplinary affiliations with Maternal Fetal Medicine and Neonatology and an unmatched diversity of high-risk obstetric cases.

Fellows will benefit from outstanding research and public service opportunities. We seek to nurture the talents of our fellows throughout their training so that they master and refine their competency as obstetric anesthesia specialists equipped to become leaders in the field. Our designated faculty and five-position fellowship program foster a collegial and supportive atmosphere.

Please find more information about our curriculum and facilities on this website and this informational video. We look forward to hearing from you.

Sharon C. Reale, MD
Obstetric Anesthesia Fellowship Program Director
Department of Anesthesiology

Overview

The Obstetric Anesthesia Fellowship is a one-year program that has been ACGME accredited since 2012. Fellows benefit from a full range of state-of-the-art obstetric and anesthetic services. This fellowship also provides a foundation for effective collaboration through evaluating patients in the anesthesia department’s high-risk pregnancy clinic, high-risk surgical obstetric sessions, and Boston Adult Congenital Heart obstetric planning sessions. With these established programs, peripartum care is coordinated with obstetric, neonatal and other medical teams.

Our faculty have active roles on editorial boards, administration, and leadership in the arena of obstetric anesthesiology, offering fellows a unique opportunity for mentorship and participation in all aspects of this specialty.

Curriculum

Academic teaching is conducted at twice-daily conferences in addition to fellow-specific sessions including:

• Journal Club
• Combined Obstetric/Cardiothoracic Fellows Research Didactic Sessions
• Advanced Fellow Didactic Sessions
• Interdisciplinary conferences in various departments
• In Situ and high fidelity simulation sessions for Obstetric Crisis Management
• Hands-on training for lumbar ultrasound and point of care coagulation testing
• Fellow monthly webinars

Clinical Experience

Clinical fellowship rotations in Maternal Fetal Medicine and Neonatology, each for two weeks, refine the expertise required for management of patients in a multi- disciplinary environment. Coursework in fetal heart tracing recognition and neonatal resuscitation are coordinated with the MFM and NICU experiences.

The breadth of patient exposure includes approximately 8,000 deliveries, 24 fetal surgeries, and 1500 in-vitro fertilization procedures per year. These cases offer a substantial complement of high-risk comorbidity in addition to routine uncomplicated procedures. Approximately 80 percent of our patients receive neuraxial analgesia during labor.

Research Experience

Clinical or basic research is facilitated through advisor mentorship and three months of protected nonclinical time. Fellows benefit from state-of-the-art research tools including point of care coagulation testing, lumbar spine ultrasonography and transthoracic echocardiography.

Collaborative research with our Obstetric, Neonatology, and other medical departments is strongly encouraged. Fellows present their research at national meetings such as Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology (SOAP).

How to Apply

Selection to the fellowship is highly competitive. Only completed applications are reviewed.

SF Match

The Brigham and Women’s Obstetric Anesthesia Fellowship participates in the SF Match. The applicant registration opening date for the 2027-2028 academic year is January 5, 2026.

Fellowship and Faculty Contacts

Sharon C. Reale, MD
Obstetric Anesthesia Fellowship Program Director
Department of Anesthesiology
screale@bwh.harvard.edu

Ayumi Maeda, MD
Obstetric Anesthesia Fellowship Associate Program Director
Department of Anesthesiology
amaeda@bwh.harvard.edu