The University of Florida Department of Neurology and the UF Health Comprehensive Stroke Program offer two ACGME-accredited fellowship positions in cerebrovascular disease. The Neurovascular Fellowship is a one-year clinical training program designed to provide flexible and innovative stroke education in a competitive academic setting.  The fellowship prepares graduates for ABPN Vascular Neurology board certification and a successful career as either an academic vascular neurologist or neurohospitalist. Training may be extended to a second year for those wishing to pursue advanced research opportunities.

Fellows receive focused training in all aspects of ischemic and hemorrhagic cerebrovascular disease, including acute and longitudinal stroke management, stroke prevention, stroke rehabilitation, neurosonography, neurovascular critical care, multimodality stroke imaging, and interventional neuroradiology. Fellows will participate in structured clinical trials and will have the opportunity to engage in ongoing local investigator-driven clinical research.

UF Health is the only Joint Commission-certified Comprehensive Stroke Center in north-central Florida, with a large referral base spanning over 13 counties. Fellowship clinical rotations are located in the brand-new Neuromedicine Tower that opened in December 2017, with 48 neuro-intensive care beds, a dedicated neuromedicine floor, stroke outpatient clinics, two hybrid interventional operating rooms, a neurodiagnostic suite, and advanced neuroradiology. (https://ufhealth.org/uf-health-neuromedicine-hospital)

Clinical training

Acute inpatient stroke (6 months)

Fellows refine their knowledge of state-of-the-art acute stroke management on our busy inpatient stroke service. Fellows develop leadership and educational skills on service by working closely with board-certified vascular neurology attendings to lead a team of neurology residents, stroke ARNPs, rotators, and medical students.

Neurocritical Care (1-2 months)

Fellows rotate on a multidisciplinary team with residents from neurology, neurosurgery, and anesthesia, under the guidance of neurology-trained neurointensivist faculty members. Fellows are exposed to a broad neurocritical care curriculum essential for management of vascular neurology patients, including management of malignant infarction, elevated intracranial pressure, and intraparenchymal and subarachnoid hemorrhage. Fellows have the opportunity to participate in formal Emergency Neurological Life Support certification with hands-on simulations conducted on campus.

Endovascular Neurosurgery (1 month)

Fellows participate in the robust clinical cases of the UF neurointerventional program led by 3 endovascular neurosurgeons and an ACGME-accredited endovascular fellow.  Cases include mechanical thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke, repair of cerebral aneurysm and vascular malformations, and carotid endarterectomy and stenting. There is opportunity to spend additional time on the endovascular neurosurgery inpatient clinical rotation, as interest dictates.

Neurorehabilitation (2 weeks)

Fellows rotate on the inpatient service at the UF Health Rehabilitation Center to learn state-of-the-art methods for rehabilitation of acute stroke.

Neurovascular Continuity Clinic

Fellows refine their longitudinal management of stroke patients by following select patients after inpatient discharge in a dedicated fellow continuity clinic (1/2 day per week except when rotating on inpatient stroke/neurocritical care). Fellows also have an opportunity to see new patients in stroke attending clinic.

Optional rotations

• Neuroradiology
• Transcranial Doppler
• Carotid Ultrasound
• Echocardiography
• Geriatrics
• Palliative Care
• Research
• Customized (per fellow interest, requires a faculty mentor and written goals/objectives submitted in advance)

In addition to robust clinical training in a thriving stroke program, the fellowship also provides well-rounded didactic education, teaching opportunities, clinical research, and quality improvement.

Education

UF fellows and attendings enthusiastically participate in a weekly rotating fellowship curriculum that includes stroke journal club, stroke guideline review with application to “real world” cases, neuroradiology review, interesting case conference, and guest speakers on topics selected at the beginning of the year by faculty and fellows. Fellows are provided funds and protected time to attend the International Stroke Conference in Jan/Feb, as well as the Wake Forest Neurosonology Course held annually in the spring or fall, which will allow the fellow to sit for the formal neurosonology board certification, if desired.

Teaching

All fellows are invited to give an oral presentation during UF’s regional Annual Stroke CME Conference held each spring. Fellows join faculty in providing stroke didactic lectures to neurology residents and participate in the education of clerkship medical students rotating on the stroke team, either informally in the afternoons or as part of the dedicated problem-based learning curriculum. Fellows also have the opportunity to participate in local EMS and public outreach for stroke education.

Research

Fellows participate actively in UF’s robust stroke clinical trial program, which includes trials for hyperacute stroke therapy, novel neuroprotective strategies, antithrombotics, and secondary stroke prevention. We have been recognized as a top recruitment site for multiple national clinical trials, most recently for the ACTION-2 and POINT studies. Fellows are expected to engage in individual stroke research projects with UF vascular neurology, neurocritical care, neuroradiology, or endovascular neurosurgery faculty members.

Quality Improvement

Fellows are active members in the UF Stroke Committee and attend a monthly interdisciplinary meeting to review acute stroke metrics and opportunities for quality improvement. Fellows are also responsible for presenting faculty-selected cases at a monthly interdisciplinary conference case review. Fellows are encouraged to participate in UF Neuromedicine Interdisciplinary Clinical and Academic Program quality committees and initiatives related to stroke, and develop their own quality improvement projects.

Vascular Neurology Fellowship Graduates

Application Requirements

Important Dates & Deadlines

Applicants interested in a Vascular Neurology fellowship position apply through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) approximately eighteen months prior to anticipated matriculation. Applicants will be invited to interview in January through March. Please visit the ERAS website for complete information about application, schedules, and regulations & the NRMP website for NRMP deadlines.

Qualifications

To be eligible for a Vascular Neurology fellowship program, applicants must have successfully completed (or be on track to complete) an ACGME-accredited adult Neurology Residency prior to matriculation.  Applicants must have passed USMLE Step 3 prior to application.

We will sponsor J-1 visas and in very special circumstances, we will port an existing H1-b visa. Please note, all H-1b visas must have the approval of the GMEC of our institution.  In order to get approval, an H-1B visa must have been issued not more than 3 years prior to projected start date with our program.

For more information contact

Christina Wilson, MD PhD

Vascular Neurology Fellowship Program Director

Department of Neurology
Box 100236, UFHSC
Gainesville, Florida 32610-0236
Email: christina.wilson@neurology.ufl.edu
Phone: 352-273-5550

or

April King

Vascular Neurology Fellowship Program Coordinator
Department of Neurology
Box 100236, UFHSC
Gainesville, FL 32610
E-mail: april.king@neurology.ufl.edu.
Phone: 352-273-5550