Soleil Schutte, M.D., assistant professor of anesthesiology, has played an integral role in the Regional Anesthesiology & Acute Pain Medicine Fellowship, previously acting as assistant program director, she is now taking the lead as director of the fellowship.
In 2020, Schutte completed her anesthesiology residency here in the UF Department of Anesthesiology, followed by her Regional Anesthesiology & Acute Pain Medicine Fellowship a year later. In this Q&A, she talks about the importance of the regional anesthesiology and acute pain medicine subspecialty as well as her future plans for the program.
Q: You completed your anesthesiology residency as well as your acute pain medicine fellowship here at the UF Department of Anesthesiology. Why did you decide to stay on with UF faculty after graduation?
A: I chose to stay with the Department of Anesthesiology at UF after completing my residency and fellowship because this department has been foundational not only to my training, but to my growth as a physician, educator, and researcher. I have been surrounded by mentors who not only helped me build strong clinical skills but also actively encouraged me to develop my academic career. They constantly enable and support me to teach and pursue my interests in regional anesthesia and acute pain medicine, as well as innovation in medical education. That kind of support and investment in my professional development made a lasting impact.
What also makes UF special is its collaborative, forward-thinking culture that is deeply committed to patient-centered care. The close and collaborative relationship between the Department of Anesthesiology and the Department of Surgery allows us to work together effectively to formulate personalized care for each patient. In addition, the Department of Anesthesiology truly values education and supports faculty in bringing new ideas to life, whether in curriculum design, simulation, or research. I felt this was an environment where I could contribute meaningfully and keep growing.
Most importantly, I work with a group of incredibly caring and talented individuals who make UF feel like home. I’m proud to be part of a team that not only delivers excellent clinical care but also shapes the future of our specialty through research, innovation, and mentorship.
Q: What drew you to regional anesthesiology and acute pain medicine?
A: What drew me to regional anesthesiology and acute pain medicine is the unique intersection of anatomy, procedural skill, and immediate impact on patients’ comfort and recovery. During residency, I found that being able to use precision and technique to provide targeted and highly effective pain relief, reduce opioid exposure, and improve surgical outcomes was deeply gratifying. There’s something very meaningful about seeing patients wake up after surgery comfortable, mobile, and engaged in their recovery, simply because of the nerve blocks or acute pain plan you tailored for them. It is incredibly rewarding to see a medically complex patient, who is not a candidate for general anesthesia, successfully undergo a much-needed surgery through a carefully planned and meticulously executed regional anesthetic approach.
Soleil Schutte, M.D.
"We’re no longer just performing nerve blocks, we’re integrating preoperative planning and ultrasound-guided regional techniques into comprehensive, evidence-based pathways that improve recovery, reduce opioid dependence, shorten hospital stays, and enhance patient satisfaction."
Q: How have you seen the field change over the years?
A: Over the years, I’ve seen regional anesthesia and acute pain medicine evolve from being primarily a landmark-based technical skill to becoming a cornerstone of perioperative care, patient safety, and opioid-sparing strategies.
Ultrasound guidance has significantly improved the precision and safety of regional anesthesia by allowing us to directly visualize anatomy, needle and catheter placement, and local anesthetic spread in real time. This has expanded both the variety and complexity of blocks we perform, and it has led to greater application of regional anesthesia in perioperative and acute pain medicine.
Education has also transformed. In the past, apprenticeship-style learning was the only way. Today, we use simulation, mixed-reality tools, and structured curricula to teach anatomy, scanning skills, and complication management with much greater consistency and safety.
Q: What do you hope to accomplish as program director for the Regional Anesthesiology & Acute Pain Medicine Fellowship?
A: As program director, my goal is to build a fellowship experience that not only trains technically excellent regional anesthesiologists but also develops well-rounded patient-centered acute pain specialists who are leaders, educators, and innovators in perioperative and acute pain medicine.
I want to create a curriculum that goes beyond procedural training and emphasizes clinical judgment, safety, multidisciplinary collaboration, and evidence-based pain management. I hope to equip our fellows with the ability to tailor pain care to individual patients, especially those with complex medical conditions, chronic pain, and opioid dependence history. I believe fellows should graduate not just knowing how to perform advanced blocks but knowing why and when not to block. I want to foster mentorship, academic scholarship, and opportunities for fellows to present, publish, and lead quality improvement and education projects. Ultimately, my goal is to develop graduates who will advance the specialty, whether in academic medicine, private practice, or education, and who will improve perioperative and acute pain medicine for patients on a broader scale.
Q: What do you look for in prospective fellows?
A: When I evaluate prospective fellows, I certainly hope for strong clinical and technical skills, but what is truly important goes beyond that. I look for individuals who show curiosity, humility, and a genuine desire to grow, not just as regional anesthesiologists, but as educators, leaders, and advocates for safe, patient-centered pain care.
I value applicants who think critically and don’t just ask how to do a block, but when, why, and how to tailor it to a specific patient, especially in complex situations like anticoagulation, comorbidities, and special surgical demands. Acute pain medicine is not just procedures; it requires judgment, communication, and compassion.
Teamwork is essential. Our specialty depends on close collaboration with surgeons, nurses, PT/OT, and patients themselves. Fellows who are respectful, adaptable, and collaborative tend to thrive and make a meaningful impact.
Finally, I look for people who are passionate about advancing the field, whether through teaching, research, quality improvement, or simply being champions of safe and thoughtful pain care in their practices. Technical skills can be taught, but curiosity, professionalism, and commitment to patient care are what truly make an exceptional fellow.
Q: Why is it important for anesthesiologists to pursue this specialty?
A: It’s important for anesthesiologists to pursue subspecialty training in regional anesthesia and acute pain medicine because it allows us to profoundly impact the patient experience across the entire perioperative journey, not just during surgery. Regional anesthesia and acute pain medicine specialists play a critical role in reducing perioperative opioid exposure, preventing chronic pain, facilitating early mobilization, and improving surgical outcomes. Pursuing this subspecialty will empower anesthesiologists to lead multidisciplinary teams, educate patients, collaborate with surgeons, and advocate for safer, more effective pain management strategies. It helps anesthesiologists move from being seen as providers of anesthesia to being recognized as specialists in perioperative medicine who influence both immediate and long-term patient outcomes. It provides an opportunity to elevate the role of anesthesiology in modern healthcare.
What makes this subspecialty especially meaningful is that it is constantly evolving. New techniques, new fascial plane blocks, and evolving ultrasound approaches are constantly emerging. Anesthesiologists who pursue this field learn not only how to perform a block but how to critically evaluate new techniques, understand the anatomical rationale behind them, and adapt their skills long after formal fellowship training. That ability to continually evolve, to stay curious, and to master new nerve block strategies is what you will gain after our subspecialty training.
Q: Anything else you’d like to tell us about you or the specialty?
A: This specialty offers a rare combination of immediate, hands-on impact on patient comfort and broader influence on perioperative outcomes and overall recovery. To me, it’s one of the few areas in medicine where you can make a clear difference in a patient’s surgical experience within minutes, while also contributing to long-term public health goals.
It keeps me intellectually challenged and humble. No matter how good I am with procedural skills, there are always challenging situations that call for me to adapt my thinking and techniques. There are also new blocks, new approaches, and new techniques constantly emerging. It is exciting to decipher if they truly work as advertised, why they work or don’t work, how they compare to my current tools, how they fit into our health care system, and how we can teach them to the next generation of anesthesiologists.
I feel incredibly grateful to be part of this field and to work with colleagues and trainees who share that enthusiasm. This specialty is never static. It keeps evolving, and so do we.
Learn more about our Regional Anesthesiology & Acute Pain Medicine Fellowship.