Training Experience
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.
We aim for graduates of the University of Chicago Vascular Neurology fellowship program to become clinical and academic leaders in vascular neurology. Specific goals of training include:
- To become skilled in diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of acute stroke and of related neurovascular conditions.
- To develop and strengthen skills in clinical communication, team leadership, and organization of stroke systems of care, directed towards all phases of care of the stroke patient.
- To develop knowledge of, and experience with, and critical insight into neurovascular clinical research.
- To foster skills and habit of excellence as a clinical educator.
- To become fully prepared for independent practice in vascular neurology and leadership roles in hospital- and community -based systems of stroke care.
The vascular neurology fellowship training program at the University of Chicago includes inpatient and ambulatory experiences, with ample variety and elective time included in the schedule. The year of fellowship training is dedicated to the establishment of a sound foundation of clinical knowledge and management skills for the treatment of vascular neurology conditions. The fellow will participate in the inpatient stroke service during half of the weeks of the year, working initially under close supervision by the stroke service attending, and progressing with experience to staged independence in management decisions.
In addition to the stroke service, the fellow will spend required weeks on the neurointensive care service, and in diagnostic and interventional neuroradiology rotations.
Eight weeks of elective time are offered, with electives encouraged in clinical and laboratory research, in neuropathology, neurovascular surgery, and with the heart station. The fellow is strongly encouraged to attend a national stroke-related meeting.
Throughout the year, the fellow will attend a weekly half-day continuity clinic focused on ambulatory follow up of complex neurovascular conditions, observing the gratifying recoveries from acute stroke often seen, as well as the difficult management choices that present in the ambulatory setting. In addition, the fellow will have opportunities to participate in subspecialty clinics in vascular neuroradiology and neurosurgery, learning of treatment choices faced in managing cerebral vascular malformations, cavernous malformations, and difficult intracranial aneurysms
The University of Chicago vascular neurology fellowship provides trainees with a hands-on experience in stroke care with graded progressive independence, supervised by a close-knit highly engaged faculty with broad experience in clinical practice and clinical research. The fellow will experience clinical practice in both primary and consultative roles, both in inpatient and ambulatory settings, providing a rich clinical experience encompassing the full spectrum and severity of neurovascular illness, and contemporary and cutting-edge treatments.
In addition to the favorable clinical environment, the program offers an excellent didactic experience to trainees, and provides frequent opportunities for fellows to grow as clinical educators, with involvement in teaching medical students of the top-ranked Pritzker School of Medicine, and neurology residents participating actively in the care of the stroke patients.
The fellowship experience will be molded to the individual professional goals of each fellow, incorporating subspecialty exposure and elective experiences that match the training needs of the fellow, and offering clinical and healthcare systems-based research opportunities for those with interests in these areas. As a regional coordinating center for the NINDS-sponsored Stroke Trials Network, our program can also offer support for an additional year of research fellowship training.
The University of Chicago Vascular Neurology Fellowship program aims to not only mold excellent clinicians, but well-rounded leaders in the field. Clinical team management, skills of critical reading and application of clinical literature, teaching and public speaking skills, and publication of findings, are all expected aspects of the fellow’s training. While the work is intense and rigorous, the atmosphere is collegial and enjoyable, and the opportunity is ripe for the fellow to flourish as an academic vascular neurologist.
We are invested in the long-term success of each of our fellows, and we are proud of our department’s history of producing leaders in academic neurology. We are committed to helping our fellows achieve their goals.
As each fellow becomes comfortable with his/her clinical role, research and quality improvement projects will become an increasing priority. Fellows will be encouraged to develop independent research and quality improvement projects and will be mentored in this area, with the ultimate goal of publication and/or presentation at a national/international conference. The fellows will also be exposed to the general administrative management skills necessary to successfully “run” the inpatient stroke service.
Our program offers a comprehensive didactic schedule, including:
- Multidisciplinary Neurovascular Conference
- Stroke Morning Report
- Weekly Vascular Neurology didactic lecture series
- Monthly Vascular Neurology Journal Club
- Neurology Grand Rounds
- Quarterly Neurovascular research meetings
- 26 weeks: Inpatient Stroke Service
- 6 weeks: Neurointensive care Service
- 2 weeks: Diagnostic Neuroradiology
- 4 weeks: Neuroradiology/Neurosonology
The University of Chicago is a world-class research institution committed to the creation of new knowledge in basic and clinical sciences. Vascular Neurology fellows are encouraged to participate in research at all levels of bench-to-bedside translational science, and in research work in medical systems and quality research.
University of Chicago hosts a Regional Coordinating Center for the NIH-supported Stroke Trials Network, and participates in multiple trials in StrokeNet. Fellows are expected to become familiar with ongoing trials and to participate in recruitment and treatment of participants in stroke-related clinical trials. In addition, members of the Neurovascular group have federally-supported research programs in studies of stroke systems of care, in health care quality, and in the genetic basis of cavernous malformations.
Vascular Neurology fellows are expected to participate in a quality improvement project during their training, and are encouraged to develop their own research project for presentation at a national meeting and publication in a stroke-related journal.
Vascular Neurology fellows are provided with 8 elective weeks. Elective opportunities include:
- Interventional neurology
- Neurovascular surgery
- Neuropathology
- Heart station
- Brain injury and sports neurology
- Clinical research
- Quality improvement projects
Fellows are also encouraged to attend a national meeting during elective time.
Fellows receive FOUR weeks of vacation per year. We encourage getting out and getting away for unforgettable travel experiences on your vacation time!