Matthew Meroney, MD, joined us as Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology in the Division of Pain Medicine on Sept. 1 after completing his Pain Medicine Fellowship in our department.
Dr. Meroney earned his medical degree at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Virginia, where he also completed an intern year in Internal Medicine; he completed his Anesthesiology Residency at the University of Texas Medical Branch.
He has contributed to numerous oral and poster presentations, including several at the Annual Pain Medicine Meeting. He has also participated in research on the measurement of hemodynamic variables under spinal anesthesia in a patient undergoing cesarean section with varied positioning.
We asked Dr. Meroney a few questions about why he chose to stay on at the University of Florida.
What first attracted you to UF and why did you choose to stay after your fellowship?
A coresident of mine was training here at UF and communicated how advanced the fellowship was.
What opportunities have you had at UF that make your experience here stand out?
Pain Medicine at University of Florida is pioneering the most advanced minimally invasive procedures, some of which are not being taught anywhere else in the country. Those procedures include MILD® and Vertiflex® for minimally invasive lumbar decompression as well as sacroiliac joint fusion. Other interventions for patients include injection therapy (epidural steroid injection), spinal endoscopy/decompression, spinal cord stimulation (spinal cord stimulator and dorsal root ganglion stimulator), kyphoplasty, and nerve ablation (rhizotomy).
What drew you to pain medicine as a specialty?
Paired with anesthesiology, pain medicine creates a diverse working environment that is fun and challenging in completely different ways.
What types of research do you hope to pursue going forward and/or what are your goals for clinical work going forward?
One of my main interests going forward is minimally invasive spine procedures.
What is one thing that motivates you about working here?
The team environment and working with residents and fellows while continuing to learn in this innovative environment has been fun.