One of the nation’s most influential pain management training programs for Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists will mark a pivotal new chapter in its history, as the director who built the program will step down and hand the reins to a new director he helped mentor.
USF’s College of Nursing has named Brian Bielicki, CRNA, DNAP, APNP, NSPM-C, as the new director of its Advanced Pain Management Fellowship, which is housed at the College. Bielicki is succeeding John Maye, PhD, CRNA, who built the program over the past decade.
Building a Nationally Recognized Fellowship
John Maye, PhD, CRNA, and founder of the USF Health College of Nursing Advanced Pain Management Fellowship
When Maye set out to establish a pain management training program for certified registered nurse anesthetists in 2016, few could have predicted what would follow. What began as a graduate certificate evolved into a Simulation-Based Academic Fellowship in Advanced Pain Management. By 2019, with the addition of clinical training, it became the Advanced Pain Management Fellowship it is today.
Under Maye's leadership, the program earned full accreditation from the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA), a distinction shared by only one other program in the country. USF's fellowship stands out even among that select company, offering a uniquely comprehensive path that combines rigorous didactic coursework with hands-on clinical training, cadaver-based procedural workshops, and a national network of clinical placement sites that is unmatched.
The fellowship has graduated more than 200 fellows to date, and 117 of them have gone on to earn Non-Surgical Pain Management (NSPM) certification, a specialized credential held by only around 240 CRNAs nationwide. That means USF-trained fellows make up nearly half of all NSPM-certified providers in the country.
Maye's impact extends well beyond the classroom. He built a robust network of preceptors, faculty, and subject-matter experts who continue to sustain and grow the fellowship. His mentees have gone on to lead, teach, and innovate in pain management in their own communities across the country and further, multiplying his influence far beyond USF's campus.
Now, after nearly a decade at the helm, Maye is stepping back, and the program he built is entering a new era under a leader he helped shape himself.
The Next Generation of Leadership
Brian Bielicki, DNAP, CRNA, APNP, NSPM-C (Center)
Bielicki entered the program as a fellow, graduating in 2021, before becoming a clinical preceptor, then an adjunct faculty member teaching didactic courses, and eventually a fixture of the fellowship's cadaver-based training workshops. Over the past year, he worked closely alongside Maye in preparation for the transition, making him uniquely positioned for the role.
Maye, who has known and worked with Bielicki for almost ten years, offered his own endorsement of the fellowship's new leader.
"Bielicki is a consummate CRNA pain specialist," Maye said, pointing to his mastery of fluoroscopy and ultrasound-guided procedures, his outstanding record as an educator whose fellows consistently give his teaching top ranks, and his character under pressure. "He possesses the clinical acumen, educational vision, operational savvy, and interpersonal excellence to lead an Advanced Pain Management Fellowship of the highest caliber."
For Bielicki, the focus going forward includes expanding the fellowship's reach: enrolling more students, growing its clinical site network, and deepening its academic offerings, all while preserving the foundation Maye spent nearly a decade building.
"I hope I can be nearly as successful as he has been," Bielicki said. "Pain management as a profession is making strides. My plan is to stay involved, stay on top of emerging techniques, and continue to provide excellent care. As long as I stay up with the advancements in education and technology and integrate them into the program, I think I will be doing our USF fellowship a great service, as well as CRNA pain management as a whole. "