Curriculum

We have a flexible curriculum. Fellows can divide their time on interpreting inpatient long term video EEG, managing the in-patient epilepsy service and doing research. We encourage fellows to schedule electives to enhance their career goals. Strong Memorial Hospital fellows receive at least three weeks of vacation per year and additional time may be allowed for attendance at scientific or medical meetings.  There is support to attend national meetings if the fellow is presenting their work.

Inpatient Experience

• Service time managing patients admitted to the epilepsy unit
• 1 week blocks with one full day off  on the weekend
• Adult and pediatric epilepsy patients evaluated daily by the epilepsy team
• Fellow listed as first call for EEGs on the weekend
• Attending back-up available at all times
• Transfer Center calls handled by on-call attending

Typical day on service

• 8 a.m. – 9 a.m.: Round on the inpatient epilepsy service
• 9:30 a.m.: Review Video EEG results with the team
• Fellow runs all rounds and leads the team
• Neurology residents and Psychiatry interns also rotate on the service.

Video EEG Monitoring Experience

• Time dedicated to interpretation of Video-EEG monitoring
• 5-day blocks with the weekend off
• Review the scalp and intracranial video-EEG monitoring for patients on the epilepsy monitoring unit
• NeuroICU and off service continuous EEG consultations
• Dedicated attendings on service at all times to teach and review the inpatient and consult video EEG
• Time to attend scheduled electrocorticography

Outpatient Experience

• One-half day of continuity clinic per week
• Ability to work with core faculty in their specialty clinics throughout the year
• Fellow given priority for new patient referrals
• If the fellow does a clinical neurophysiology fellowship the year prior, this continuity clinic spans a two-year period.
• Rotations in outpatient epilepsy can be considered as electives
• Fellows are offered the ability to participate in adult and pediatric dietary therapy clinics as well as a Neuromodulation clinic

Electives

Elective blocks (total of up to 4 over the course of the year) intersperse neurophysiology and inpatient blocks and include:

• Neurogenetics
• Neuroradiology
• Neurosurgery
• Neurocritical Care
• EEG (routine)
• Other potential electives may be able to be tailored for fellows, depending on specific interests

Research Experience

To facilitate scholarly, mentored activity during fellowship, in their first month of training, fellows are paired with a faculty mentor.

• To continue to further pursue ongoing research interests/activities
• To develop a research question/project, which is appropriate for conduct and completion within the fellowship framework
• To complete an evidence-based review of a relevant clinical topic of sufficient quality for publication in the peer-reviewed literature

Didactics and Conferences

Clinical Neurophysiology and Epilepsy (Friday)

A weekly lecture series targeted towards the clinical neurophysiology and epilepsy fellows to review the fundamentals of clinical neurophysiology and epilepsy at a higher level than the Wednesday resident conference.

Patient Review Conference

This bimonthly multidisciplinary conference reviews the available data for patients who are candidates for epilepsy surgical resection. The team consists of the epileptologists, neurophysiologists, psychosocial team, and neurosurgeon.

Research In Progress Meeting

This monthly meeting is a sounding board for the fellows and faculty to present their research proposals and receive feedback to optimize their projects.

Neurointensive Care Conference

This monthly multidisciplinary conference discusses issues relevant to the neurophysiology in the intensive care unit.

Clinical Neurophysiology and Epilepsy Fellows Journal Club (snacks or dinner provided)

Hosted by an Epilepsy attending on an evening once a month, this is a review of the classic or new literature where fellows present and discuss the seminal trials and practice-defining studies of the field and explores new topics in epilepsy literature.