We offer an ACGME-approved one-year fellowship in clinical epilepsy. As part of the Accredited Arizona Comprehensive Epilepsy Program (ACEP), fellows evaluate and treat epilepsy patients in inpatient and outpatient settings. Fellows can also work in the pediatric neurology clinic, neurological ICU and epilepsy surgery. The fellowship covers the selection and evaluation of patients for epilepsy surgery and developing expertise in analyzing video-EEG monitoring studies, neuroimaging techniques and neurostimulation procedures. There are also opportunities to participate in clinical research trials and basic research in cellular neurophysiology and molecular biology for developing novel therapeutic approaches.

Fellows gain expertise in the medical and surgical care of epilepsy patients, comprehend the entirety of EEG studies (including outpatient, ambulatory, video-EEG monitoring, and ICU monitoring), and master other neurophysiological techniques such as electrocorticography and functional mapping by evoked potentials and cortical stimulation that apply to epilepsy. The program also encourages and supports research and other scholarly activities.

The fellow will be a participating physician in the Arizona Comprehensive Epilepsy Program (ACEP). This one-year long experience is part of an ACGME-accredited fellowship that includes the evaluation and treatment of patients with epilepsy, both in the outpatient and inpatient settings. The fellow may also elect to spend time working in Pediatric Neurology Clinic. The fellow will be involved in the selection and evaluation of patients for epilepsy surgery and will become proficient in the analysis of video-EEG monitoring studies, neuroimaging techniques, and quantitative EEG analysis during the Wada test. The fellow will participate in trials of investigational drugs and other clinical research. In addition, there are opportunities for basic research in the areas of cellular neurophysiology and molecular biology with an emphasis on the development of novel therapeutic approaches.

Why Us?

• All of our neurosurgeons are board certified or board eligible by the American Board of Neurological Surgeons. Dr. Martin Weinand is the only fellowship-trained epilepsy neurosurgeon in southern Arizona. still accurate?
• Our training includes proficiency with all general neurosurgical procedures.
• We teach the full spectrum of neurosurgical techniques from traditional to minimally invasive to radiosurgical.
• Through collaboration with other disciplines, we leverage strengths across the University of Arizona and offer the highest level of comprehensive care.
• Our neurosurgeons employ the most advanced surgical tools from intra-operative, frameless image-guidance to minimally invasive spinal or skull base equipment.
• Our neurosurgeons were the first in the western United States to operate on an adult epilepsy patient with minimally invasive MRI-guided laser surgery, a safer, less invasive alternative to opening the skull and cutting out the brain tissue where the disorder originates.
• We partner with industry leaders to ensure that we have access to and even influence the next generation of surgical technology.

An Interdisciplinary Approach

Fellows will work with representatives from an array of fields:

• adult neurology
• pediatric neurology
• neurosurgery
• neuroradiology
• neurophysiology
• neuropsychology
• behavioral neurology
• neuroscience nursing
• social work
• clinical pharmacology

Fellows will participate in offering services ranging from one-time consultations all the way to experimental trials of the newest anti-epileptic drugs and neurosurgical intervention for medically intractable epilepsy. They will also gain exposure to non-electrogenic seizure behaviors (pseudoseizures), syncopal spells, gastroesophageal reflux, sleep disorders, and complicated or confusional migraine.

Fellows will gain experience with the newest techniques for the evaluation and treatment of epilepsy, including:

• comprehensive neurophysiological evaluation (e.g., 24-hour video/EEG monitoring, subdural strip and depth electrode recording, cortical blood flow evaluation, electrocorticography and quantitative EEG)
• comprehensive neuroimaging (e.g., CT, MRI, SPECT and PET)
• neuropsychological testing
• Wada testing

Because technology is only part of the solution, fellows will also learn to attend to the psychosocial needs of patients with epilepsy with a number of innovative programs aimed at helping them cope with an unpredictable and potentially crippling disease.

The epilepsy fellow will be scheduled for 12 one‐month rotations to include the following:

Examples of elective rotations include research, sleep medicine, neuropsychiatry and epilepsy surgery. Throughout all rotations, the fellow will be responsible for reading outpatient and inpatient EEGs
under the supervision of the epilepsy faculty.

Fellows learn to treat patients with medically intractable epilepsy, including:

• Long-term subdural/video EEG monitoring to localize the epileptic focus in the brain
• Subdural/video-EEG grid monitoring and cortical mapping procedures
• Resective surgery
• Corpus callosotomy
• Vagus nerve stimulation
• Minimally invasive MRI-guided laser surgery

Our epileptologists provide comprehensive clinical evaluation and treatment of epilepsy. Patients who are identified as medically refractory are discussed in a multidisciplinary conference including neurology, neurosurgery (epilepsy surgery), neuropsychology and neurophysiology to determine if a referral should proceed for neurosurgical evaluation and treatment.  

The primary site for the fellow’s education is the University of Arizona and our affiliated hospital, Banner University Medical Center Tucson (BUMC-T). In addition, fellows’ education also takes place at Banner University Medical Center South and North Campus (BUMC-SC/NC), Children’s Clinics for Rehabiliative Services, and Southern Arizona VA Health Care Center (SAVAHCS).

Is application process the same for all three fellowship programs?

To be eligible for this fellowship, candidates must have completed an ACGME-accredited neurology residency.

During this one-year ACGME-accredited program, fellows acquire advanced knowledge in clinical neurophysiology, specifically EMG/NCS and EEG. As part of their training, fellows obtain clinical skills in evaluating, diagnosing, and treating neuromuscular and epilepsy patients. As part of their education, fellows will learn botulinum toxin injection techniques, neuromuscular ultrasound and continuous EEG. Fellows are required to attend lectures and neurophysiology review sessions and take the AANEM self-assessment examination.

Fellows have the choice of focusing on EMG or EEG, including clinical experience. Even with clinical focus, fellows will develop competency in both fields.

• EMG-predominant fellows will gain expertise in performing EMG/NCS, NMUS and the use of botulinum toxin injections. They receive clinical experience in the management of neuromuscular patients, including ALS, acquired neuropathies and muscular dystrophies. There is the opportunity for research, and each fellow will see patients in a broad variety of clinics and inpatient settings. At the end of their training, fellows are eligible to sit for both the ABEM and ABPN-added qualifications in Clinical Neurophysiology Boards.
• EEG-predominant fellows will learn epilepsy patient management and to expertly read and interpret EEGs. These fellows will learn EM, EEG, continuous EEG and have exposure to sleep medicine. They will see patients from a variety of adult and pediatric clinics and learn outpatient and inpatient seizure management. They will be board eligible in the ABPN-added qualifications in Clinical Neurophysiology Boards.

The one-year fellowship curriculum includes:

• Outpatient EMG
• Outpatient neuromuscular clinics, including ALS multidisciplinary clinic
• Outpatient EEG
• Inpatient EEG and cEEG
• Outpatient epilepsy clinic

Other curriculum elements: Sleep medicine, botulinum toxin injection for spasticity, NM ultrasound

• Banner – University Medical Center North, 3838 N. Campbell Ave., Building 2, Tucson, AZ 85719
• Banner – University Medical Center South, 2800 E. Ajo Way, Tucson, AZ 85713

To be appointed to a fellow in a clinical neurophysiology position, the candidate must successfully complete medical school training, pass USMLE Steps I, II and III, and graduate from ACGME-accredited neurology or pediatric neurology residency program. Foreign medical graduates are also required to complete the ECFMG certification. The program director verifies with the applicant’s current institution that they are a resident in good standing. Three letters of recommendation are required and reviewed. The GME office must approve each accepted fellow. Each fellow’s academic credentials are verified before being accepted into the program.

Physicians interested in the Clinical Neurophysiology Fellowship Program may apply through the American Accrediation of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine.

Our mission is to train professionals to provide age-appropriate, culturally sensitive, evidence-based stroke care; individualize care to meet the needs of each patient and family; collaborate with other health care professionals and ancillary services to achieve the best outcomes; and engage in clinical stroke research.

During this one-year ACGME-accredited vascular neurology fellowship, fellows receive comprehensive interdisciplinary training in all aspects of clinical care for patients with stroke and related cerebrovascular diseases, under the mentorship of surgeons who are highly trained in the most advanced microsurgical and minimally invasive techniques. Fellows gain specialized knowledge in the science, pathology, clinical evaluation, diagnosis and management of adults with stroke and cerebrovascular disease at a level beyond that expected of a general neurologist. In addition, fellows participate and receive training in the conduct of clinical, epidemiological, and outcomes based stroke research.

Fellows train at the Banner – University Medical Center Tucson, the only Joint Commission certified Comprehensive Stroke Center in southern Arizona, under the mentorship of vascular neurologists, neurointerventionalists, vascular neurosurgeons, neuroradiologists, critical care specialists, physical medicine and rehabilitation specialists, neuroscience nursing, basic science vascular neurology researchers, and emergency medicine physicians.

The fellow receives advanced training in delivery of acute therapies for ischemic stroke (including IV tPA and endovascular procedures) and intracerebral hemorrhage, neurorehabilitation, secondary stroke prevention, and advanced neuroimaging. Experiences include both outpatient and inpatient care of adults with stroke and cerebrovascular diseases.

They also attend a weekly outpatient stroke clinic at our brand-new outpatient North Campus facility and attend bimonthly Multidisciplinary Stroke Case Conferences. Additional experiences are available in carotid and transcranial Doppler techniques, catheter angiography and interventional procedures, as well as multimodal MRI and CT techniques. 

Fellows participate and receive training in the conduct of clinical, epidemiological and outcomes-based stroke research. Participation in clinical research studies is expected. A second-year option with a focus on clinical research is available pending funding.

An Interdisciplinary Approach

Fellows will work with representatives from an array of fields:

• stroke neurologists
• neurocritical care specialists
• neurosurgeons
• vascular surgeons
• neuroradiologists
• emergency physicians
• therapists
• pharmacists
• specialty trained nurses

Our faculty have been recognized by the American Heart / American Stroke Association for their care and outcomes with the Gold Plus Target Stroke Honor Roll.

Fellows will learn to treat:

• Ischemic stroke
• Transient ischemic attacks
• Intracerebral hemorrhage
• Carotid stenosis
• Aneurysms and subarachnoid hemorrhage
• Vascular malformations of the brain and spinal cord

Fellows will participate in an array of services, including:

• administration of intravenous tPA (clot-busting medicine) and mechanical clot retrieval for acute ischemic stroke
• neurosurgical and vascular procedures
• medication management for stroke prevention
• rehabilitation services

The vascular neurology fellow will be scheduled for 12 one-month rotations to include the following:

Tools and Technology

• multimodal CT scanning
• magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
• magnetic resonance angiography
• digital angiography
• carotid duplex and transcranial doppler ultrasound

The primary site for the fellows’ education is the University of Arizona and our affiliated hospital, Banner – University Medical Center Tucson (BUMCT), the only Joint Commission certified Comprehensive Stroke Center in southern Arizona. BUMCT is also the only trauma center and the only tertiary, academic referral center in the greater Tucson region. Stroke clinics are held at the North Campus outpatient facility and the neurorehabilitation rotation is held at Encompass Health Rehabilitation Institute of Tucson.

Program Director

Ealaf Al-Rabia, MD

Associate Clinical Professor, Neurology - (Clinical Series Track)

Program Director, Vascular Neurology Fellowship

ealrabia@arizona.edu

Clinical Specialties

Vascular Neurology

Program Faculty

Michael Avery, MD

Assistant Clinical Professor, Neurosurgery

mbavery@arizona.edu

Bruce M. Coull, MD

Vice Dean, Faculty Affairs

Professor, Neurology

Professor, Medicine

William M. Feinberg, MD, Endowed Chair in Stroke Research

coullb@arizona.edu

Clinical Specialties

Vascular Neurology

General Neurology

Travis Dumont, MD

Professor, Neurosurgery

Director, Neurovascular Surgery Program

Residency Program Director, Neurosurgery

tdumont@surgery.arizona.edu

Clinical Specialties

Tumor

Trauma

Peripheral Nerve

Pediatric Vascular

Pediatric Spine Disorders

Micah Etter, MD

Assistant Clinical Professor, Neurology - (Clinical Series Track)

metter@arizona.edu

Clinical Specialties

Dementia

Stroke

Vascular Neurology

Cameron D. Hypes, MD

Assistant Professor, Medicine & Emergency Medicine

Associate Medical Director, Intensive Care Unit, Banner-UMC Tucson

chypes@aemrc.arizona.edu

Firas Kaddouh, MD, MHS

Director, Neurology Clinical Research Unit

Associate Program Director, Neurology Residency

Assistant Clinical Professor, Neurology - (Clinical Scholar Track)

firaskaddouh@arizona.edu

Clinical Specialties

Neurological Emergencies

Neurotrauma

Neurocritical Care

Daniel Lee, MD

Clinical Assistant Professor, Neurointerventional Radiology

dlee7@arizona.edu

Clinical Specialties

Neurointerventional Radiology

Program Coordinator

[placeholder for Adriana O'Dell's replacement]

Positions and Duration

The Vascular Neurology Fellowship is a 12-month program beginning on July 1 and ending on June 30. Two positions are offered on a competitive basis each year.

Eligibility Criteria

Candidates are selected for the fellowship program based on specific prerequisites and criteria:

• Graduation from an ACGME-accredited residency program, American Osteopathic Association (AOA)-approved residency program, ACGME International (ACGME-I) Advanced Specialty Accreditation program, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC)-accredited or College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC)-accredited residency program located in Canada.
• Fellows must have successfully completed a program in neurology, child neurology or neurodevelopment disabilities that satisfies the requirements above.
• Additionally, candidates must be either a U.S. citizen, possess an employment authorization document (EAD), or be eligible for a J-1 visa.

Fellow Selection

How to Apply

Your ERAS application will require the following documentation:

• Up-to-date CV
• Three letters of reference
• USMLE/COMLEX 1, 2 and 3 scores
• ECFMG certificate
• Medical school transcript
• MSPE (Dean’s letter)
• Certificate of completion (or good standing in) ACGME-accredited residency
• Personal statement

Fellows will be appointed only when academic credentials have been verified.

International Medical Graduates

Timeline and Deadlines

The program participates in the National Resident Matching Program and adheres to its policies and principles. Applications must be submitted through the Electronic Residency Application Service. Application submissions begin December 1. The program will review and applications and extend interviews through March. Match Day for vascular neurology fellowships occurs in mid-May, with training beginning the following academic year on July 1.