Thank you for your interest in the Critical Care Medicine Fellowship through the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine at OHSU. As the current Chief Critical Care Fellow, I’m excited to share why I feel so fortunate to be training in this program—and why I believe it offers an outstanding opportunity for anyone considering a career in critical care.

The fellowship offers two training pathways:

• A Traditional Fellowship Track for those who’ve completed residency in anesthesiology (one year) or emergency medicine (two years).
• An Integrated 5-Year Anesthesiology + Critical Care Track (Oregon Scholars Program), combining anesthesiology residency and critical care fellowship into a single, cohesive program. Graduates of this track are board-eligible for both Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, providing a strong foundation for a dual-specialty career.

Our fellowship is based at a 576-bed quaternary care hospital and Level I Trauma Center, located in beautiful Portland, Oregon. We serve a vast and diverse catchment area that spans Oregon, southern Washington, northern California, Idaho, Montana, and northern Nevada. This wide reach brings a truly unique mix of complex and high-acuity patients to our ICUs, making every day intellectually stimulating and deeply rewarding.

Our program offers rotations through several specialized Intensive Care Units, including:

• Neurosciences ICU: Providing care for patients with stroke, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injuries, and complex neurosurgical conditions.
• Cardiovascular ICU: Managing patients post-cardiac surgery, heart transplant, mechanical circulatory support (including ECMO), and advanced heart failure.
• Trauma/Surgical ICU: Caring for polytrauma patients, emergency general surgery, and complex postoperative surgical patients.
• Medical ICU: Focused on high-acuity internal medicine cases including sepsis, respiratory failure, and multi-organ dysfunction

Our fellows work closely with a multidisciplinary team of intensivists, surgeons, anesthesiologists, neurologists, cardiologists, and advanced practice providers. Each ICU has its own culture, team dynamics, and clinical challenges, and together they provide a truly well-rounded training experience. From ECMO and advanced hemodynamic management to neurocritical care and polytrauma, we see—and learn—a lot. Structured didactics, frequent simulation sessions, and interprofessional learning as well a variety of electives to choose from, help build a strong foundation early on, while the diversity of ICUs ensures that by the end of your fellowship, we are confident managing any critically ill patient.

What truly makes this program stand out, though, is our faculty. The attendings here are not only exceptional clinicians and teachers, but also incredibly approachable, kind, and supportive. They invest in us as learners and as people. They encourage autonomy while always being available for guidance, and they foster an environment where questions are welcomed, collaboration is expected, and mutual respect is the norm. I’ve grown so much under their mentorship, and I know I’ll carry the lessons I’ve learned here for the rest of my career.

Outside of the hospital, Portland has so much to offer. It’s a vibrant, creative city with a strong sense of community. You’ll find amazing food, endless coffee shops, and a thriving arts and music scene. The outdoors is right at your doorstep—whether it’s hiking in the Columbia River Gorge, skiing on Mt. Hood, or heading to the coast for a weekend getaway. It's a place where you can truly enjoy your time outside of work, recharge, and find balance.
This program has been rigorous, but also incredibly rewarding. It’s given me the clinical training I hoped for, the mentorship I needed, and lifelong connections I’ll carry forward.

If you're looking for a fellowship that will challenge you, support you, and prepare you for an impactful career in critical care, I can’t recommend this program highly enough. I’d be happy to answer any questions and share more about my experience—please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Warmly,
Avery Barron, M.D.
APOM OSP CCM Chi