Education

The Burn Fellowship program at UC Davis Regional Burn Center and Shriners Hospitals for Children Northern California is under the tutelage of Dr. David Greenhalgh, Professor and Chief of Burns in the Department of Surgery at UC Davis and Chief of Burns at Shriners Hospitals for Children Northern California.  Dr. Kathleen Romanowski, Burn Surgeon and Assistant Professor of Burn Surgery at UC Davis Regional Burn Center and Shriners Hospitals for Children Northern California, oversees the intensive and comprehensive curriculum for the Burn Fellowship program. Other members of the Burn Team include Dr. Tina Palmieri, Director of the Firefighters Burn Institute Regional Burn Center and Assistant Chief of Burns at Shriners Hospital for Children Northern California and Dr. Soman Sen, Professor and Burn Surgeon at UC Davis Regional Burn Center and Shriners Hospitals for Children Northern California.  

Burn surgery fellows gain extensive experience in both acute and reconstructive management of adult and pediatric burn patients. The fellows will manage burn patients at both the University of California Davis Firefighters Burn Institute Regional Burn Center as well as Shriners Hospitals for Children Northern California. Together, these institutions serve approximately 650-700 inpatient admissions per year as the regional adult and pediatric burn centers for Northern California.

Number of fellowship positions per year:  Two.  Currently we have one fellowship position that is a one year combined Burn/Surgical Critical Care ACGME accredited position that allows the fellow to sit for the Surgical Critial Care Boards.  The other position is a one year Burn Surgery Fellowship and does not allow the fellow to sit for the Critical Care Boards without further training.

Fellowship training will include:

▪Acute resuscitation and critical care management of pediatric and adult burn patients in the burn ICU

▪Surgical management and reconstruction of acute buns

▪Physical rehabilitation, nutrition and psychological therapy for pediatric and adult burn patients

▪Reconstructive surgery for burn survivors

▪Clinical Research – each fellow is expected to participate in at least one clinical research project and submit an abstract for presentation at the national American Burn Association meeting

Click here to download application (PDF)

Please return completed application and letters of reference to

Kathleen S. Romanowski, M.D., F.A.C.S.

2425 Stockton Blvd., Suite 178

Sacramento, CA  95817

Phone: 916-453-2050

Fax: 916-453-2373

Email: ksromanowski@ucdavis.edu

The Advanced Burn Life Support (ABLS) through the American Burn Association provides knowledge for immediate care of the adult and pediatric burn patients in the critical first 24-hours post-injury.  Taught by the staff from Shriners Children’s Northern California and UC Davis Firefighters Burn Institute Regional Burn Center, including Attending Surgeons and Burn Center Directors, this seven-hour course is designed for physicians, nurses, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, EMTs, paramedics, firefighters, first responders, EMR, and medical military personnel. Following a series of lectures, case studies are reviewed in small groups. There is then an opportunity to work with a simulated burn patient to reinforce the assessment, stabilization, and transfer guidelines. Final testing consists of a written exam and a practical simulated patient scenario. 

Course Objectives:

• Describe the magnitude and severity of the burn injury to identify and establish priorities of treatment.
• Assess and stabilize patients with burn injuries during the first critical hours post-injury.
• Manage the airway and support ventilation. Initiate and monitor fluid resuscitation.  Apply correct methods of physiological monitoring.
• Determine appropriate transfer to a burn center. Organize and conduct the interhospital transfer of a seriously injured burn patient.
• Disaster management. 

2025 Course Dates and Locations

• March 11 at Shriners Children’s Northern California, Sacramento, CA 
• April 29 at Shriners Children’s Northern California, Sacramento, CA 
• June 10 at Shriners Children’s Northern California, Sacramento, CA 
• August 26  at Shriners Children’s Northern California, Sacramento, CA 

2024 Course Dates and Locations

• October 1 at UC Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA
• March 1 at Shriners Children’s Northern California, Sacramento, CA 
• May 21 at Shriners Children’s Northern California, Sacramento, CA 
• June 21 at Shriners Children’s Northern California, Sacramento, CA 

2023 Course Dates and Locations 

• March 17 at Sierra County Schools for Adults, Loyalton, CA
• April 14 at Shriners Children’s Northern California, Sacramento, CA
• April 28 at Sierra County Schools for Adults, Loyalton, CA
• June 23 at Renown Health, Reno, NV
• August 4 at Renown Health, Reno, NV
• September 8 at Sierra County Schools for Adults, Loyalton, CA
• October 13 at Shriners Children’s Northern California, Sacramento, CA 

Seven hours of continuing education is available for nurses, physicians, and pre-hospital attendees.

For more information on courses or to request a course in your area please contact Lauren Spink, Course Coordinator at lhspink@ucdavis.edu. Additional information can be found on the American Burn Association website at www.ameriburn.org.