Pain Medicine Fellowship

Fellowship Director:
Ashish Malik, MD
E-mail: Ashish.Malik@baystatehealth.org

Fellowship Coordinator:
Maria Lopez
E-mail: Maria.Lopez@baystatehealth.org
Phone: 800-959-4233 or 413-794-4326

Program Metrics

• Facility: Pain Center located within the campus
• Number of fellows: 3
• Number of Faculty: 11
• Number of Interventionalists: 10
• Specialties Involved: Neurology, Neurosurgery, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Psychiatry

Baystate Statistics

• Tertiary care referral center
• Level 1 trauma center
• Hospital beds: 780
• Number of residency programs: 11
• Number of fellowship programs: 28+

Departmental Statistics (Annual)

• Pain Center outpatient visits: >13000
• Interventional Procedures: > 5000
• Medical Management: > 3400
• Acute Pain Patients: >2600

• We have attempted to maintain salaries in the 75th percentile nationally, and here in western Massachusetts, we enjoy a lower cost of living than in major urban areas. View our complete list of salaries and benefits.
• 4 weeks vacation/year | 1 week for educational conference
• Disability/Malpractice/Health/Life Insurance
• Fellows share an office with a dedicated computer for each fellow
• Comprehensive electronic patient record/Office dictations via escription.
• On-campus Library with robust e-medicine resources (up-to-date, Ovid, Science direct etc)

2026 Pain Graduate Testimonial

First of all, thank you all for being here to celebrate with us, and thank you to Dr. Malik and his family for inviting us into their home. It really is an incredible feeling to finally be at the end of fellowship.

When I was applying for fellowship, all of my seniors gave me the same piece of advice. "If you did well on the residency In-Training Exam—the ITE—an exam we take every year in residency, then send your scores out to every fellowship program you're interested in. It'll help you stand out."

So, in January, I emailed my scores, along with a short paragraph about myself, to all the programs I thought I'd like to train at. One of those emails went to Dr. Malik here at Baystate. A few days later, I got a reply saying “great, thanks.” And that was it, so I figured that was the end of the story.

Then about a month later—in February—at 11:10 on a Friday night, I got another email on that same thread.

"Hi Rishita, I reviewed your application and would like to have you interview with us in April."

When I first saw this email, I kind of thought it was a scam, because what program director is answering fellowship emails at 11:10 on a Friday night?

But an interview is an interview, so I replied Saturday morning saying I'd love join.

A few minutes later, I got another reply.

"Thanks for your response. Would you be able to connect by phone sometime today? If so, text me at this number." And then I was like “ok this is 100% a scam.” So, I texted my favorite senior resident, who was doing pain fellowship at the time, and asked, "Have you ever heard of this place called UMass Baystate?"

She said, "Yeah, I applied there, I didn't get an interview...but it's supposed to be one of the best pain fellowships in the Northeast."

So, thanks to her reassurance, I texted the number on the email, and that's how I met Dr. Malik and interviewed at Baystate.

Looking back, I think that story perfectly captures the leadership of this program.

While the rest of us are enjoying Friday night, Dr. Malik is working and recruiting fellows.

And after meeting both Dr. Malik and Dr. Ponnusamy during my interview—and getting to know them over the last year—I realized that wasn't unusual at all.

They are genuinely invested in this fellowship and, more importantly, in the success of every fellow who comes through it.

But what impressed me even more was realizing that same attitude exists throughout the entire department.

Every attending here is eager to teach. Every attending is approachable. And maybe most importantly, every attending treated us like colleagues. I never felt like I was just following someone around or documenting someone else's clinic. Instead, I always felt like we were working together to take care of our patient.

And I think that's a pretty rare thing to find in medical training. Of course, what made this year so special wasn't just the physicians.

It was our incredible nurses, our amazing MA, our rad techs, our front desk staff, and everyone else who keeps this place running every day.

You all made coming to work genuinely enjoyable.

And to my co-fellows, thank you for making this year so much fun. Fellowship is challenging, but it’s a lot easier when you’re doing it with people who you enjoy spending every day with, and people who give you tips on what new restaurants to try in West Hartford.

Medicine can be stressful enough on its own. Working alongside people who genuinely care about each other makes all the difference.

I think that's one of the biggest lessons I'm taking away from fellowship: who you work with matters. You can have the best job in the world, but if you're surrounded by people who don't support each other, every day becomes harder than it needs to be.

This year, I was lucky enough to work in what I think is the best field in the world, while being surrounded by some of the best people, I've ever had the privilege to work with.

I think it's fair to say we are spoiled here, but as we all head off into practice, I'm sure we'll each find our footing. But I also know that everywhere I go, my standard for what a great workplace looks like has been permanently raised because of this place. And for that, I have every single one of you to thank. So, to all of our attendings, our nurses, our staff, my co-fellows, and everyone who is part of the PMC family—even those who couldn't be here tonight—

Thank you. Thank you for believing in us, for teaching us, for challenging us. And thank you for making this one of the most fun and most memorable years of my training.

I will always be grateful.

Rishita Jessu, DO
2026 Pain Fellow Graduate