Fellowship Programs

This program that provides fellows with a comprehensive experience to prepare them for a career as an independent clinical specialist in the field of Behavioral Neurology and Neuropsychiatry. Our Program Director, James Mastrianni MD PhD, also Directs the UChicago Memory Center, a comprehensive team of neurologists, psychiatrists, neuropsychologists, social workers, and nurses.  Fellows will be well-trained in the evaluation, treatment, and management of a diverse population of patients with a wide variety of neurocognitive and neurobehavioral disorders. This fellow(s) would join a strong and growing department and communicate with other trainees in the specialties of Movement Disorders, Neuro-Intensive Care, Neuro-Immunology, and Stroke, creating excellent trainee camaraderie.

The goal of this program is to provide the fellow with a comprehensive experience to prepare them for a career as an independent clinical specialist in the field of Behavioral Neurology and Neuropsychiatry. The fellowship will also promote practical and didactic teaching, evaluate, treat, and manage a diverse population of patients with a variety of neurocognitive and neurobehavioral disorders. The fellow(s) will gain the majority of their practical experience in the University of Chicago Center for Comprehensive Care and Research on Memory Disorders that represents a team of clinicians from the departments of Neurology, Psychiatry, and Geriatrics, in addition to a dedicated social worker, specialized nurse practitioner, and neuropsychologists.

This program offers experience in the diagnosis and management of patients with epilepsy and neuromuscular disorders, video EEG monitoring in all age groups, ICU EEG monitoring, routine EEG, nerve conduction study, electromyogram (EMG),  evoked potentials, and neurophysiologic intraoperative monitoring (NIOM). The fellowship is offered in  two tracks: a combined EEG and EMG fellowship or a dedicated EMG fellowship. Upon completion of the program, fellows can choose to take an additional one-year epilepsy fellowship in our ACGME-accredited Epilepsy Fellowship program.

Training in our program will prepare Fellows for the independent practice of clinical neurophysiology, i.e. the measurement and assessment of function of the central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous systems and skeletal muscles for the purpose of diagnosing, monitoring and treating neurological disorders.

We provide fellows with the opportunity to acquire a thorough understanding of clinical neurology, normal neurophysiology and abnormal findings that occur in various neurological disorders so that they can select and apply properly clinical neurophysiological procedures to evaluate and manage patients.

Fellowship training is based on supervised clinical work of increasing responsibility with both inpatients and outpatients in association with a foundation of organized instruction in basic neurosciences and neurophysiology.

This program emphasizes diagnostic evaluation and treatment of patients with epileptic seizures, or with symptoms and signs, in the differential diagnosis of epileptic seizures. This includes the clinical management of both inpatients and outpatients, as well as instruction in the interpretation of EEGs in both inpatients and outpatients with and without epilepsy.  Clinical instruction emphasizes diagnostic and clinical management of patients undergoing long-term inpatient video-EEG monitoring for epilepsy and related conditions, including the surgical management of medically refractory epilepsy.  This includes patients being monitored in the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU), in the NeuroCritical Care Unit (NICU) unit, and in other inpatient clinical units at The University of Chicago Hospitals.

*2 positions in adult epilepsy and 2 positions in pediatric epilepsy

Our program consists of a multidisciplinary team (movement disorders, functional neurosurgery, ataxia, cognitive program, neuropsychiatry) that will train high quality movement disorder specialists in the diagnosis and management of movement disorders. Fellows will learn to evaluate a full spectrum of movement disorders, including Parkinson’s disease (PD), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), multiple system atrophy (MSA), dementia of Lewy body disease, corticobasal degeneration, vascular parkinsonism, normal pressure hydrocephalus, medication induced parkinsonism, cervical dystonia and other dystonia, Huntington’s disease, chorea, tremor, gait difficulty, tardive dyskinesia, myoclonus, blepharospasm, hemifacial spasm, spinocerebellar ataxia, spasticity and psychogenic/functional movement disorders. They will use pharmacological treatment, botulinum toxin injection and deep brain stimulation (DBS) in treating these diseases. They will learn intraoperative microelectrode recording, macrostimulation, and postoperative programming and troubleshooting of DBS. Collaborative treatment with psychiatry will also apply. Fellows will also learn to design and conduct clinical and translational research. Trained fellows will serve our patients with highest professional standard and clinical skills and contribute to research and knowledge in this field as well.

Multiple sclerosis has been a central focus of the University of Chicago Neurology Department for over 35 years. The clinic is busy, with over 3000 patient visits per year. Most patients come from the Chicago metropolitan region, which has a population of 8 million. A significant number of Neurologist-referrals and self-referrals are from the Midwest, continental US, and from many foreign countries.

The MS clinic has been the site of approximately 70 clinical MS trials. We were participants (and contributed significantly to the design) in the first large multicenter trials of Cyclosporin A and interferon-β-1b. We are currently involved in multicenter Phase I, II, III, and IV MS trials of all interferons, FTY720/fingolimod, alemtuzumab, glatiramer, estriol, ocrelizumab, recovery from relapses, and myelin repair in relapsing and progressive MS, and symptomatic therapies. In internally designed and executed studies, we demonstrated hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and sympathetic nervous system abnormities, and defined the role of retinoids, β-adrenergic agonists, and prostaglandin analogues on the course of MS or on MS symptoms. For instance, the prostaglandin analogue, misoprostol, reduced severity of EAE and also abrogated the pain of trigeminal neuralgia in MS patients who had been refractory to all other drug and surgical interventions.

This program consists of learning the art of MS diagnosis, manifestations, differential diagnosis, and therapy with internationally-recognized MS experts.  Didactic classes on ethics, trial design, and statistics are paired with an in-depth focus on the fellow’s specific clinical and research interests.

accreditation

Neurocritical care is an exciting specialty, and the demand for specialists in our field is growing rapidly. Our fellowship program reflects our group’s enthusiasm for our specialty. Neurocritical care bridges the fields of neurology, neurosurgery, neuroradiology, trauma, neuroanesthesiology, and critical care medicine, and our fellowship provides wide exposure to these disciplines. One unique aspect of our program is the strong collegiality across all of these specialties within our medical center, and each of our neurocritical care faculty are within the Departments of Neurology and Neurosurgery. Furthermore, our program has and continues to expand with the addition of neurotrauma in May 2018 with the opening of the level 1 trauma center, and with the addition of our neurology Chairman, Shyam Prabhakaran, MD and the formation of a dedicated of Stroke Service.

In addition to the outstanding clinical experience our fellowship provides, each fellow will participate in research and quality improvement activities (visit our Research page). Special efforts will be made to guide the fellow in designing and organizing his/her own projects that can be realistically accomplished during their fellowship. Scholarly productivity through publications and presentations will be encouraged and fostered. At the completion of the fellowship experience, University of Chicago Medical Center trained Neurocritical Care fellows are uniquely skilled clinically, have a track record of scholarly accomplishments, and are ready to either build their own program or make a valuable contribute to an established program.

This program is currently in the beginning stages of development. We will be seeking accreditation and begin recruitment efforts in the near future.

Neurointerventional Surgery is a subdivision of Neurosurgery, Radiology, and/or Neurology that focuses on the minimally-invasive, catheter-based treatment of patients with complex spinal and cranial neurovascular diseases. Members of this subspecialty are also experienced in the interpretation/analysis of neuroradiological imaging and in the pre-, peri-, and post-procedural clinical management of all aspects of neurovascular patient care. Given the highly focused and rigorous nature of this subspecialty, the University of Chicago Neurointerventional Surgery Fellowship will facilitate the additional post-residency training that is required to begin a competitive career as an independent Neurointerventional Surgery (NIS) practitioner. The NIS training program at UCMC encompasses the following objectives and overall goals:

1. Experience in the technical performance of NIS procedures.
2. Experience in the clinical decision making and management of patients with neurovascular diseases.
3. Experience in the neurological examination of patients with complex cerebrovascular disorders; in particular, recognizing the pertinent signs and symptoms of these disease states.
4. Knowledge of the underlying pathophysiology of neurovascular disease states.
5. Knowledge of the fundamentals of radiation biophysics as it relates to neurovascular disease and the treatment of NIS patients.
6. Knowledge of the natural history of neurovascular diseases, and how NIS treatment may change that natural history.
7. Indications (and contraindications) for the NIS treatment of neurovascular patients.
8. Risks, benefits, and alternatives to the NIS treatment of neurovascular patients.
9. Interpretation and critical analysis of catheter-based angiographic studies as well as other neuroradiological modalities as it relates to patient care.
10. Management of NIS patients in the outpatient, inpatient, and critical care (e.g., Neurological/Neurosurgical ICU) settings.
11. Maintaining overall intellectual curiosity and being actively involved in scholarly pursuits/activities.
12. Establishing post-fellowship employment, where the fellow can utilize his/her skill set to effect a positive change on the lives of patients with complex neurovascular diseases.

accreditation

The University of Chicago has a long-established track record in neurovascular diseases, with participation in foundational stroke-related clinical trials such as NASCET and AAASPS and more recently research in intracranial stenosis, hemorrhagic stroke, and stroke systems of care. The clinical program was certified as a Primary Stroke Center in 2007 and as a Comprehensive Stroke Center in 2013, the first so certified in the city of Chicago. Clinical activity in stroke and stroke-related procedures has grown several-fold over recent years. Clinical trial participation has increased with involvement in the NIH Stroke Trials Network. Dr. Prabhakaran, Chair of Neurology and PI of the Regional Coordinating Center for NIH Stroke Trials Network, is a renowned stroke epidemiologist and health services researcher. He brings a wealth of research opportunities leveraging Chicago-wide epidemiologic data and research on community risk factors for stroke, stroke prevention, and regional stroke systems policy. This research-focused program that will leverage this strong environment and mentorship to guide interested applicants towards careers in academic neurology and patient-oriented clinical research.  Fellows will gain understanding and knowledge in fundamental epidemiologic principles and biostatistics through coursework and workshops. They will learn to apply these skills towards a research project focused on stroke epidemiology, stroke systems of care and policy, and/or stroke care delivery. Lastly, trainees will develop knowledge of, and experience with, and critical insight into clinical research including knowledge of regulatory and ethical tenets of good clinical practice.

accreditation

Our program provides training in the diagnosis and management for patients with neuromuscular diseases (diseases of the motor neuron, nerve, muscle and neuromuscular junction). Fellows will be able to apply electromyography, muscle and nerve imaging (such as MRI neurography), genetic testing, and nerve/ muscle biopsy, for the diagnosis of neuromuscular diseases in the adult and children, and to provide or organize treatment strategy, including but not limited to pharmacological treatment.

The University of Chicago’s Department of Medicine, under the Section of Pulmonary and Critical Care, offers three ACGME-approved positions per year for its one-year clinical fellowship training program in Sleep Medicine. The Sleep Fellowship Program draws upon the enormous resources and diversity of our University. We take pride in our multidisciplinary approach to Sleep Medicine with faculty members with expertise in pulmonary, neurology, pediatrics, endocrinology, cardiology, otolaryngology, plastic surgery and dentistry. The fellowship program offers unique clinical and research experiences to meet our goal of training the next generation of leaders in sleep medicine.

Program Perks:

• High level clinical sleep medicine education and research experience in a collegial, supportive, friendly and knowledgeable team of faculty and staff.
• Structured in-lab and home sleep study reading time with faculty.
• General, Pediatrics, and Behavioral Sleep Medicine clinics (for adults and children).
• Inpatient Sleep Consult Service.
• Full capacity sleep laboratory (advanced titrations, CO2 monitoring, MSLTs, actigraphy, HNS titrations, diaphragmatic pacing PSGs) and home sleep testing.
• Neuromuscular disorders clinic (pulmonary sleep and neurology) and advanced PAP modalities.
• Hypoglossal Nerve Stimulator (HNS) / Upper Airway Surgery Program.
• Diaphragmatic Pacing Program (for CSA).

• The University of Chicago has a long track record in the treatment of neurovascular diseases. The clinical program in stroke was certified as a Primary Stroke Center in 2007 and as a Comprehensive Stroke Center in 2013, the first certified CSC in the city of Chicago. Our center has abundant clinical activity in acute stroke and stroke-related procedures, and active stroke-related clinical trial participation, serving as the Regional Coordinating Center for the NIH-sponsored Stroke Trials Network. In early 2019, Dr. Shyam Prabhakaran was appointed as the new departmental chair, marking an institutional commitment to grow the clinical, research, and educational contributions of the University of Chicago Stroke Center. The Vascular Neurology Fellowship program, under the leadership of Dr. James Brorson, was approved and accredited by the ACGME in February 2020.
• The Vascular Neurology fellowship program at the University of Chicago provides trainees with an intensive experience in the care of acute stroke patients as well as a broad exposure to academic opportunities in vascular neurology.  The University of Chicago Comprehensive Stroke Center provides a rich clinical environment for exposure to large stroke case volumes arising from the local community, presenting to the medical center emergency room, the busiest in stroke volumes in the metropolitan area. In addition, associated medical centers refer complex or critical cases to our center for tertiary care. Our Neurocritical Care division hosts a top-ranked training program, and our Neurovascular Surgery program leads the nation in innovations in treatments for intracerebral hemorrhage and cerebral cavernous malformations.
• In addition to clinical excellence, training at the University of Chicago entails an academic environment that fosters active involvement in scholarship and publication among trainees, aiming to produce leaders in academic neurology. Rich opportunities are available for mentorship in training in clinical trials, translational laboratory science, health studies, and stroke systems of care.
• The University of Chicago Comprehensive Stroke Center provides an ideal setting for clinical training. With over 600 stroke patient admissions per year, and over 200 patients annually treated with thrombolytic and endovascular acute stroke therapy, the stroke center affords the trainees with opportunities for intensive hands-on clinical experience.
• As a top-rated medical school with a thriving Neurology Residency program, the University of Chicago also provides an environment that encourages and fosters growth of trainees as clinical teachers. The Vascular Neurology fellows will enjoy a rich didactic experience and also will participate in leading clinical conferences and journal clubs on vascular neurology, teaching medical students and residents.
• Stroke center clinicians participate in research in stroke that spans from basic laboratory studies through clinical trials to analysis of stroke systems of care. Numerous abstracts and publication have included participation and authorship from clinical trainees. Fellows are encouraged to participate in research projects of interest to them during their training period.

Vascular Neurology Fellows have opportunities including:

1. Participating and leading the inpatient Acute Stroke Service
2. Participation in weekly stroke management conferences
3. Leading a once monthly Vascular Neurology journal club
4. Leading teaching sessions with University of Chicago medical students
5. Training in the highly –rated University of Chicago Neurointensive Care and Neurointerventional Surgery programs
6. Participation in unique programs such as the HHT Center of Excellence, the Cerebral Cavernous Malformation Center of Excellence,
7. Participation in Stroke Center academic Quality Improvement projects

Click here to learn more about the training experience in this program.