Advanced General Neurology Fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital
The Advanced General Neurology Fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital offers advanced, in-depth clinical training, preparing graduates to treat complex neurological problems and teach clinical neurology.
Advanced General Neurology Fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital
Neurology is proud to offer a fellowship in Advanced General Neurology. It is one of a kind in the country and it is geared to produce a superb, confident, academically inclined general neurologist with subspecialty interest, geared to taking care of neurologically complex patients and to the teaching of clinical neurology.
This one-year program is designed for advanced and in-depth clinical training in general neurology to meet the needs of the complex, changing neurological problems seen in modern, academic, tertiary care medical centers. The referral process to academic centers filters in patients with unusual manifestations of common diseases and as well as rare diseases.
The training will be broad-based and set primarily in the neurology outpatient setting but with selected inpatient experience. There will be several areas of concentration in clinical neurology that are outside the current established neurological subspecialties.
We provide all fellows with access a wealth of clinical material, and they interact with world-class clinicians and researchers, providing a tremendous opportunity to become exposed to all aspects of their specialty of interest. Graduates of our fellowship programs have been extremely successful in both academic and private practice careers. In addition to the Advanced General Neurology Fellowship, we currently offer the following ACGME-approved fellowship programs: Critical Care / Stroke Neurology; EMG & Neuromuscular Medicine Fellowship; Clinical Neurophysiology - EEG / Epilepsy; Neuro-Oncology
Successful applicants in our fellowship programs have all completed top residency programs.
Goals of the Advanced General Neurology Fellowship
Clinical Skills Refinement
- Refinement of skills in history and examination to uncover and identify clues to systemic disorders relevant to the neurological syndromes
- History elicitation for clues of occupational and toxic exposure and medication and travel history that may bear on the neurological syndromes
- Refinement of examination skills in recognizing physical signs of systemic illness and multi-system disorders
- Refinement of skills in the dermatological and ophthalmic examination, which often provide clues to the neurological syndrome
- Review of esoteric laboratory tests in the diagnosis of complex and unusual neurological syndromes: correct methods of testing, interpretation and limitation
Educational Structure of the Fellowship
- Supervised clinical experience in the general neurology clinics: patients are screened by the faculty who select cases that fit with the purposes of the general neurology fellowship, such as neurological complications of systemic diseases and multi-system disorder
- Supervised clinical experience in the neurological complications of infectious diseases in the Neuro-Infectious diseases clinic
- Supervised clinical experience in the specialty clinics such as movement disorders, behavioral neurology clinic, neuromuscular disorders clinic etc. The specific subspecialty clinics may vary depending on the interests of the fellow
- Coordination of care in consultation with other medical specialists as the cases will be mostly interdisciplinary
- Presentation of diagnostic and therapeutically challenging cases at the Clinical Vignette conferences where several of the general neurology faculty will be present
Didactic lectures once a week when the fellow and sometimes the faculty review state of the art and science of selected topics of interest for the fellowship.
Areas of concentration for the Fellowship
- Neurological aspects of systemic diseases
- Neurology of multi-system disorders
- Neurological complications of drugs and procedures and anesthesia
- Neurology of organ transplantation
- Neurology of infectious diseases
- Neurology of immunological disorders
- Neurology of medical spinal cord disorders
- Metabolic and toxic encephalopathies
- Immuno-therapies for neurological disorders
Didactic Activities
Clinical Vignette conference
Three times a month: A case of a patient from the ambulatory neurology practice is brought in for the conference and the clinical and neurobiological aspects of the case are presented and discussed. The fellow will review a seminal paper about the disorder. The cases selected would be typical presentations of common diseases, unusual presentations of common disorders, rare diseases but conceptually important and syndromes that are difficult diagnostic challenges. The general neurology precepting faculty and the neurology residents attend this forum.
Neurology Chief Rounds
Once a week: This consists of clinical case presentations and discussions of the complex neurology cases seen in the neurology inpatient service. The residents present the case, which is discussed by the Chief of Neurology at Mass General (Dr. Anne B. Young) alternating with the Chief of Neurology at the BWH (Dr. Marty Samuels) and is available by videoconference. This venue attended by the Fellow and all neurology residents.
Neuropathology Conference
Once a week: a comprehensive clinical-pathological conference precepted by Dr Hedley-Whyte, Chief of Neuropathology and attended by Neurology faculty and residents at Mass General.
General Neurology Didactic Session
Once a week: The Advanced General Neurology Fellow will present and discuss a journal article, or provide a critical review of a subject relevant to academic hospital neurology. Attended by the core General Neurology preceptors and it is open to the residents.
Neurology Department Grand Rounds
Once a week. This is a forum where leading experts and researchers from the US and abroad present cutting edge knowledge and concepts and ideas in neurobiology and clinical neurology.
Neuro-ID Conference: Once a week. This consists of a brief review of neuro-infectious disease topic will be presented by the Neurology Fellow. Precepted by Dr Nagagopal Venna and by neurology resident and ID Fellow assigned to the Neuro-ID clinic.
Morbidity-Mortality Conference
Once a month. Presented by the senior resident in neurology reviewing the cases of the month of inpatient RDA and Fisher services of the neurology department. Neurology residents and faculty attend this conference.
Clinical Rotations General Neurology Clinics
Three half-day clinics a week. For new consultations and follow-up of the patients seen by the Fellow. Dr Venna and the core preceptors will screen the referrals to the fellow’s clinics to ensure that they cases are appropriate to the fellowship purposes. Each clinic will be supervised by one of the core preceptors.
Neuro-ID Clinic
One clinic a week. Half-day session. This clinic is precepted by Dr Nagagopal Venna. The fellow will see patient for evaluation of neurological complications associated with HIV infection or other infectious diseases.
Neurology Subspecialty Clinic Electives
The electives are available in several subspecialty clinics of the Department of Neurology. The choice depends on the interests of the fellow. The subspecialty fields include Stroke, Behavioral Neurology, Movement disorders, Neuro-ophthalmology, Multiple Sclerosis, Mitochondrial disorders, Neuromuscular disorders.
Please call Dr. Gopal Venna at 617-726-3805 for more information on the General Neurology Fellowship Program.
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