Vascular Neurology Fellowship Program

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 innovative stroke education in a competitive academic setting.  The fellowship prepares graduates for ABPN Vascular Neurology board certification and a successful career in an academic vascular neurology or a neurohospitalist position. Training may be extended to a second year for those wishing to pursue advanced research opportunities.

Fellows receive intensive, 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 opportunities in didactic education, teaching, 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 and 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 multiple stroke didactic lectures to neurology residents and are strongly encouraged to 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

Name	Graduation Year	Current Position
Mary-Ann Fares, MD	2018	Director Stroke Division, Northeast Georgia Health System, Gainesville, GA
Supreet Kaur, MD	2018	Vascular Neurologist, Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, Arizona
Scott Dellorso, MD	2017	Vascular Neurologist, Baptist Health, Jacksonville, FL
Swetha Renati, MD	2017	Assistant Professor, College of Medicine Neurology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
Christian Rosado, MD	2015	Vascular Neurologist, Neurological Services of Orlando, PA, Orlando, FL
Jindong Xu, MD, PhD	2015	Vascular Neurologist, Guilford Neurologic Associates, Cone Health Medical Group, Greensboro, NC
Ganesh Asaithambi, MD	2014	Vascular Neurologist, John Nasseff Neuroscience Specialty Clinic, St. Paul, MN
Arnaldo Velez, MD	2014	Vascular Neurologist, Neurological Services of Orlando, PA, Orlando, FL
Paul MacDonald, MD	2013	Neurologist, Brain & Spine Center, Chandler, AZ
Walter Morgan, MD	2013	Vascular Neurologist, Florida Hospital, Orlando, FL

 

Application Requirements

Important Dates & Deadlines

***There are two available fellowship positions beginning in July 2019. Interested candidates are encouraged to send a CV and letters of recommendation directly to Elizabeth Brooks as soon as possible.***

Applicants interested in a Vascular Neurology fellowship position apply through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) approximately eighteen months prior to anticipated matriculation. Applications for July 2020 are currently being accepted through February 2019. 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 successfully 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

Elizabeth Brooks

Vascular Neurology Fellowship Program Coordinator
Department of Neurology
Box 103715, UFHSC
Gainesville, FL 32610
E-mail: Elizabeth.brooks@neurology.ufl.edu
Phone: 352-273-5550