Meet the Team

Why Pursue a Fellowship in Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine?

Undersea and hyperbaric medicine (UHM) is a unique subspecialty that involves the therapeutic use of oxygen under pressure to treat disease. The specialty of UHM includes not only treatment of various diseases with hyperbaric oxygen but also the study of human physiology in extreme environments, immersion effects and diving physiology and pathophysiology, marine life injuries and has applications in tunneling and caisson work as well as aerospace medicine. The patient population is diverse ranging from recreational and commercial divers, patients requiring daily wound care with complex wounds, patients with complications after radiation therapy, and those who are critically ill, among others. We are affiliated with a level 1 Trauma Center and Burn center which provides ample access to treatment of emergent indications and we have 24/7 call for treatment of various emergent indications as well as commercial or recreational divers with decompression illness after hours. Fellowship training prepares physicians to care for patients with emergent and elective hyperbaric indications, participate in research, and become medical directors and leaders in the field.

Curriculum

The Hyperbaric Fellowship includes 11 clinical months with opportunities for research and 1 month of vacation. During the clinical months, the Fellows alternate between the UMC wound clinic and the UMC Hyperbaric Unit. Additional clinical exposure and education occurs through referrals of recreational diving accidents from the Gulf of Mexico and referral of commercial diving accidents. There are 4hrs of weekly didactics on Wednesday afternoons that include lectures from faculty, grand rounds, and journal club.

We participate in the monthly Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine (UHM) Fellows Dive Conference with other hyperbaric medicine fellowships around the country, as well as attend the monthly UHM Grand Rounds. These are held remotely over zoom.

Fellows have the opportunity to attend the 4-day UHMS Medical Examiner of Divers course held each year in September in New Orleans, LA and the two-week UHMS Physician Training in Dive Medicine course held each year in San Diego, CA during October. Additional learning opportunities include attending and lecturing at a local Diver Medical Technician (DMT) Training course.

Training Sites

University Medical Center
This facility is the regional safety net hospital, level 1 Trauma Center and Burn Center. Fellows rotate between the UMC Wound Clinic and UMC HBO Unit and see complex wound care and hyperbaric medicine patients covering the entire array of emergent and non-emergent hyperbaric indications. Fellows also alternate taking 24/7 call at this site for after-hours emergent hyperbaric indications.

The UMC Hyperbaric Medicine Unit sees recreational and commercial diving accidents and injuries and sees recreational and commercial divers for fitness to dive evaluations and for treatment of decompression illness and other illnesses related to diving.

Applying to the Program

Requirements

Please send your CV, personal statement, and 3 letters of recommendations to our program coordinator. We do not accept IMGs with a J-1 or H1-B visa.

Contact

Alexandra T. Eagles
1816 Industrial Boulevard
Harvey, Louisiana 70058
office: 504-366-7638
fax: 504-366-1029
aeagle@lsuhsc.edu