Neurology Residency Program

Department of Neurology
813 Jacobsen Hall (Campus Tour)
750 East Adams Street
Syracuse, NY 13210
Phone: (315) 464-4627
Fax: (315) 464-9757

Program Overview

The Neurology residency program at Upstate Medical University is three year program in adult neurology, certified by the ACGME. Program features include:

• Vigorous and growing Neurology Department
• Busy stroke center led by an endovascular-trained neurologist and neuro-intensivist
• Strong didactic program
• Large patient referral base with interesting and diverse pathology
• Three adjacent hospitals, each with unique practice setting
• Close-knit, friendly teaching environment
• Fellowships in Clinical Neurophysiology and Vascular Neurology
• New neuroscience hospital unit opening 2009
• Children’s Hospital opening 2009
• Excellent online and text library facilities
• Located in beautiful, family-friendly central New York with excellent school systems, relaxed lifestyle and low cost of living

For Program Applicants

Applicants must apply via electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) Applicants must have passed USMLE Steps I and II. Those achieving two digit scores at or above 85%ile are given the strongest consideration. International graduates must have some US clinical experience with related letters of reference. The following documents must be submitted through ERAS:

• Medical and graduate school transcripts
• Dean’s letter and two additional letters of reference.
• Official USMLE transcript
• Curriculum vita
• Personal statement
• A valid ECFMG certificate if medical school completed outside of the U.S

Applications are reviewed beginning September 1. The application deadline is November 30. Interviews are scheduled from October through January. Application from international graduates with USMLE scores equal to or greater than 85%ile and with US clinical experience are considered.

PGY-1 Year

Successful completion of a preliminary year in internal medicine (or equivalent, see ABPN website for details) in an ACGME-certified program is required for board certification in Neurology ABPN. The preliminary internal medicine program must be applied for separately through ERAS. Matching to PGY-1 programs occurs simultaneous with the neurology match.

All applicants to the Neurology Residency program at Upstate Medical University, who meet the requirements of the Upstate Medical University Internal Medicine Residency are encouraged to apply to that program for their PGY-1 year. Competitive candidates for the Neurology program will be interviewed by the Internal Medicine program. Interviews will be coordinated if possible.

Other hospitals in the central NY region offering appropriate PGY-1 training include

• St. Joseph's Hospital
• Bassett Healthcare — Internal Medicine
• United Health Services — One Year Programs
• St. Elizabeth Medical Center, Utica, New York — Family Medicine Residency Program

First Year

The PGY-2 (R1) year is concentrated on inpatient neurology. Rotations are 4 weeks in duration. An Ambulatory rotation provides one-on-one exposure to attending physicians in a variety of sub-specialties. Pediatric Neurology and Night Float are introduced during the second half of the first year. The breakdown of rotations projected for 2008/9 is shown below. Challenging rotations are alternated with more relaxed rotations when possible.

Second Year

During PGY-3 (R2) year residents begin to function as senior residents on the ward services. Rotations in neuropathology and EMG are introduced. Ample elective time allows the trainee to explore sub-specialities and plan for fellowships.

Third Year

The PGY-4 (R3) year continues to develop the resident as team leader and also emphasizes the Consultation service.

Electives

• EMG
• EEG
• Sleep medicine
• Pain
• Rehabilitation
• Neuroradiology
• Neuro-ophthalmology
• Ambulatory Neurology
• Movement Disorders
• Vascular Neurology
• Research
• Pediatric Genetics

Research

Residents are required to complete a minimum of one scholarly or research project during their training. Each resident chooses a faculty advisor who helps the resident identify a project and carry it to completion. Examples include participation in clinical trials, case reports, case series, and review articles.

Fellowships

Fellowships are offered within the department in Clinical Neurophysiology (3 positions), Vascular Neurology (1 position) and Neurocritical Care (1 position). Graduates of the residency program obtain competitive fellowships elsewhere in the United States. Recent graduates have gone on to the following fellowships:

• Neuromuscular/EMG: Strong Memorial Hospital, Rochester
• Stroke/Neurocritical Care: Massachusetts General Hospital Neurocritical Care <
• Sleep: Mayo Clinic
• Neuromuscular/EMG: Harvard
• Neuromuscular/EMG: University of Virginia
• Neuromuscular/EMG: Vanderbilt

Conferences:

One to two conferences are held daily throughout the year. Daily noon conferences include the following:

• Daily acute management course held July and August
• Stroke, Movement Disorders, Neuro-immunology and Neuro-genetics, Aging and Dementia, Ethics, Medicolegal, Economics, Neuro-rehabilitation, Clinical Neurophysiology and Basic Science.

Other weekly conferences include:

• Morning Report. Residents present their interesting cases as unknowns. Localization and differential diagnosis are discussed. Topic is then reviewed. This conference capitalizes on the wealth of interesting cases we see.
• Neuro-ophthalmology
• Grand Rounds, including
  • Clinicopathological Correlation Conferences
  • Morbidity and Mortality Conferences
• Professor Rounds. Case-based conferences where residents practice history taking and neurologic examination or practice case vignettes with senior faculty members.
• Crouse Hospital case conference

Clinics

Residents attend two half day clinics each week, a continuity of care clinic at University Health Care Center and a general Neurology clinic at the VA Medical Center.

Call

The on-call teams cover all three hospitals for new patients and ward coverage. Short call runs from 5 to 8:30, 6 days a week. R1 residents take short call 4-5 days/month . R2 and R3 residents take short call 2-3 days/month. Long call (24 hours on Saturday, 12 hours on Sunday) is 1-2 days/month for R1 residents and 0-1 days/month for R2 and R3 residents. Night float covers all three hospitals and runs from 8:30 pm to 7:30 am 6 days per week. Residents from all three years cover this rotation in two week blocks.

Benefits

The salary for first-year residents (PGY2) is $44,859, and that for second- and third-year residents is $46,971 and $48,919, respectively. The department subsidizes resident membership in the American Academy of Neurology. This membership includes a subscription to Neurology and to the excellent monograph, Continuum. Each resident receives $500 stipend for educational expenses and second and third year residents receive 5-7 days of education leave. Lab coats and scrubs are provided. Residents have a newly renovated suite with lounge, kitchenette, computers, copier, fax and scanner.

Program Director

Deborah Young Bradshaw, MD is a native of upstate New York. She has been a faculty member since 1990 and has served as Program Director since 2006. She graduated from Wellesley College and SUNY Upstate Medical University. She completed her neurology residency at Boston University and a fellowship in Electromyography at the Lahey Clinic. Her interests include clinical neuromuscular disease, medical ethics, medical education and creative writing on medical and non-medical subject matter.

Program Coordinator

Mary Phelan coordinates the residency and clinical neurophysiology fellowship programs in the Department of Neurology. She graduated from SUNY Empire State College in 2006. Prior to joining Upstate Ms. Phelan worked in the airline industry for many years. She joined the staff in the Research Development Office at Upstate in 2002 and started in her current position in 2005.

Chairman

Jeremy M. Shefner, MD, PhD, has served as Chair of the Department of Neurology since 2005. He earned a PhD at the University of Illinois, Chicago and his MD at Northwestern University. He completed his neurology residency and EMG fellowship at Harvard University. He is co-founder of the Northeast ALS Clinical Trials Group and is active in clinical and basic ALS research.

Faculty

Hospitals

• University Hospital is the principle teaching hospital at SUNY Upstate Medical University. Presently a 350 bed acute care hospital, it is currently undergoing a major expansion. It is the only tertiary referring hospital for neurology in central New York. Special programs and facilities include the Stroke Program, Epilepsy Monitoring Unit, Level 1 Trauma Service, Bone Marrow Transplantation program, Solid Organ Transplant program, Comprehensive Inpatient Rehabilitation program and Pediatric ICU.
• Crouse Hospital is directly adjacent to University Hospital with a tunnel connecting the two. Crouse is a private hospital with 576 beds. Its featured programs include a maternity center and neonatal intensive care unit. This hospital offers the trainee experience in the private practice model of health care delivery.
• Veteran’s Administration Medical Center Steps away from both University and Crouse Hospitals, the Syracuse VA offers comprehensive medical care for our nation’s veterans throughout upstate New York. The inpatient neurology service is small; however, the resident assigned to the VAMC provides consultation services as well providing good clinical exposure. Three full time faculty attend at the VA. Strengths of the VA system are its comprehensive electronic medical record system and its multidisciplinary care systems, including a spinal cord injury rehabilitation program.

Medical School

Upstate Medical University is the second oldest medical school in New York State. It was the first medical school in the US to admit a woman, Elizabeth Blackwell and the one of the first to graduate an African American woman, Sarah Loguen Frazer. Upstate has a tradition of excellence in clinical teaching. The newly opened Setnor Academic Building features state-of-the-art teaching facilities for our approximately 650 medical students. Neurology is a required 3 week rotation during the 3rd or 4th year of medical school. Neurology residents play an important role teaching medical students.

The University

In addition to the Medical College, Upstate Medical University also includes the College of Health Professions, College of Nursing, and the College of Graduate Studies. The College of Graduate Studies features a Neuroscience Program.

Life in central New York

The beauty of central New York is a well kept secret. Lush and green in the summer, breathtakingly colorful in the autumn and lovely under winter snow, the area features rolling hills and many beautiful lakes and streams. The countryside is a 15 minute drive from the medical center. The cost of living is low and excellent public education is available. A wealth of outdoor activities are within easy reach, including swimming, boating, hiking, downhill and cross-country skiing.

Life in Syracuse has a relaxed, friendly mid-west feel but is within easy reach of major cities of the northeast US. New York City, Toronto and Boston are within a 4-6 hour drive or a one hour flight. A lovely 5 hour train ride along the Mohawk and Hudson Rivers finds you in downtown Manhattan.

Downtown Syracuse is a small but vital hub of activity and culture. The historic Amory Square district offers upscale housing, fine restaurants, clubs and shops as well as the Museum of Science and Technology (MOST) with its IMAX theatre. Downtown is also home to the Everson Museum, designed by I.M. Pei. The museum features American art and boasts one of the largest American ceramics collections in the United States. Syracuse hosts one of the nations largest Jazz Festivals, which recently hosted Aretha Franklin and the Dave Brubeck Quartet.

Syracuse University is 3 blocks from University Hospital. It offers numerous cultural opportunities, including extraordinary exhibitions and concerts at Crouse College and the excitement of athletic events at the famous Carrier Dome.

Central New York has a rich political and cultural history. It was the seat of both the abolitionist and the feminist movements in the 1800s. The area features many museums and historic landmarks related to its history. These include the National Women’s Hall of Fame, the Harriet Tubman Home, the Erie Canal Museum, the Seward House and many others.