Biography
I trained as an RN in Moscow, Russia as a teenager. After immigrating to USA I completed a B.S. degree in Nursing (1997) and a B.A. degree in Biology (1998) from California State University. I earned my Doctor of Medicine degree (2002) from University of California, Irvine. Following my MD degree, I completed an Anesthesiology residency and Pain Medicine Fellowship at the University of New Mexico Hospital.
Personal Statement
My family immigrated from Russia in 1991, and we never looked back. America became our home, and we are grateful to be citizens of the USA. My wife came from Ukraine, and although we met and married in Los Angeles, New Mexico became our home in 2002. Often time we hear that New Mexico is the "Land of Entrapment" rather than the "Land of Entrapment" and it certainly became the entrapment for my family. As of 2020 Albuquerque became the home for my parents and my brother's family as well.
Professionally, working as an anesthesiologist and a pain doctor at UNM allows me enough professional and personal satisfaction to stay and not quit. My most proud achievement so far has been the development and running of the UNM Pain Medicine fellowship. We started in 2014 with just two fellows, with funding provided by the department. Over the years the program grew to 5 fellows with funding provided by the hospital. After 8 years, one of my colleagues, Dr. Grandhe, took over as a program director, but I continue helping with didactics and clinical teaching for the pain medicine fellows.
My clinical load remains very demanding, but immensely rewarding because my routine schedule includes most of the anesthesiology perioperative and procedural care continuum in addition to the interventional pain medicine. Throughout the week I spend time in the OR as an anesthesiologist or as pain surgeon. I spend two days a week in pain clinic and fluoroscopy suit performing various interventional pain procedures. I also teach anesthesiology residents, run different didactically activities for pain medicine fellows, and occasionally lecture medical students at the UNM School of Medicine.
No other field places you in such a close bond of trust with your patients and their families - every single day. Practicing pain medicine and anesthesiology is a wonderful way to feel like you are making a positive impact on the lives of others.
Areas of Specialty
Anesthesiology
Interventional/Chronic Pain Management
Gender
Male
Languages
- English
- Russian