Epilepsy Fellowship

Launched in the 2021 academic year, our ACGME-accredited Epilepsy Fellowship offers a one-year training program based at a level IV NAEC Epilepsy Center with a large and diverse referral base. Fellows gain hands-on experience with a broad range of complex epilepsy cases and benefit from direct exposure to the best diagnostic and therapeutic technologies. The program provides robust preparation for ABPN Epilepsy board certification and includes the opportunity to take the EpiFITE in-service exam. Our fellowship strives to cultivate clinical and academic excellence. We are deeply committed to our missions of compassionate, patient-centered care to those with epilepsy across Florida and beyond, of advancing epilepsy research, and of providing top-tier sub-specialty medical education.

Our program stands out for its high volume and exceptional teaching cases, offering fellows a vibrant learning experience. The flexible curriculum aligns with each fellow’s individual interests and career goals. All our faculty are deeply invested in fellow education. In the first half of the year, we provide a comprehensive set of didactic sessions covering the breadth of adult and pediatric epilepsy. Formal teaching is reinforced continuously through the year on service rounds and case conferences. In addition, fellows benefit from a designated educational fund that supports their professional growth, such as attendance at national conferences. Fellows are also fully integrated into the broader departmental community through joint fellowship transition-to-practice curricula, professional development opportunities and social events.

Early in the academic year, fellows attend a comprehensive ‘bootcamp’ lecture series that provides foundational instruction in epilepsy and clinical neurophysiology. We progress to an advanced epilepsy lecture series later in the year that covers more specialized topics. Our didactic program otherwise includes a regular schedule of weekly and monthly clinical sessions designed to foster multidisciplinary learning and clinical excellence. Additionally, we host weekly departmental grand rounds and a journal club as part of our ‘Academic Friday’ series, providing a platform for continuous academic engagement. Monthly, we conduct ICU-EEG case discussions to deepen understanding of complex acute cases.

Research opportunities abound in all fields relevant to clinical epilepsy – e.g. pharmacology, electrophysiology, imaging, health outcome, epidemiology and descriptive case series. Division faculty members currently have active research collaborations with scientists in bioengineering, electrical engineering, neurogenetics and dietetics. Fellows are invited to participate in any of several ongoing projects that interest them. Fellows are also encouraged to develop their own research themes, including quality improvement initiatives. Fellows attend divisional research meetings that are held every two weeks, where there in opportunity for open discussion.

Fellowship is also a time in a trainee’s career where they learn to train others. Fellows are expected to provide teaching to rotating medical students and residents as soon as they feel able. Later in the year, fellows join faculty in providing formal didactics to neurology residents at morning report conferences. Fellows also lead discussion at our monthly epilepsy journal clubs.

Fellows are encouraged to attend local, state-wide, and national conferences. Among these are the annual meeting of the Florida Society of Neurology, which includes the recently formed Florida Epilepsy Consortium, American Epilepsy Society (AES) Annual Meeting, the American Clinical Neurophysiology Society annual meeting, and the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology. Our program has set up a designated educational fund to support our fellows to attend the conference.