Fellows refine their knowledge of state-of-the-art acute stroke management on our busy inpatient stroke team, which includes patients admitted to the Vascular Neurology service (both floor and critically ill patients in our open neuro-ICU) as well as stroke consults throughout the hospital. 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 APPs, rotators, and medical students.

Fellows learn the art of telestroke consultation under vascular neurology faculty supervision through remote coverage of the UFHealth Mobile Stroke Treatment Units (MSTU). Fellows rotate on a separate acute stroke care service (daytime and weekdays only), which is primarily responsible for telestroke coverage of the MSTUs and also assists the inpatient team with stroke alerts during rounds, clinical trial recruitment and other activities. Fellows have an optional opportunity to ride along on the Gainesville MSTU. 

Fellows participate in the robust clinical cases of the UF neurointerventional program led by 4 endovascular neurosurgeons and an 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 elective time on the endovascular neurosurgery clinical rotation, as interest dictates.

During this rotation, fellows learn state-of-the-art methods for rehabilitation of acute stroke. Educational opportunities take place in multiple locations and with multiple patient populations – in consultation on acute stroke inpatients at UF, with subacute stroke patients admitted to the UF Health Rehabilitation Center, and with chronic stroke patients in the NMH neurology clinic. The fellow will study the application and benefits of various neurorehabilitation techniques and gain clinical experience managing patients in all phases of recovery following stroke. 

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.

There are numerous possible electives, and fellows are encouraged to customize their elective choices based on career interests. Popular options have included neuroradiology, transcranial doppler, carotid ultrasound, echocardiography, geriatrics, palliative care, non-vascular neurology rotations (eg EEG interpretation or serving as inpatient fellow on the General Ward/Consult services, for fellows intending to pursue a career as a neurohospitalist), Internal Medicine consult services (eg, Cardiology, Rheumatology, Infectious Disease, etc), or research. Fellows can also design an individualized rotation (requires a supervising faculty mentor and written goals/objectives submitted in advance).