Residency Director: Christopher Grunseich, MD, NIH National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Residency Co-Director: Laxman Bahroo, DO, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital
Overview
The NINDS/NIH and MedStar Georgetown University Hospital (Georgetown) have partnered to create a specialized ACGME accredited neurology residency training track. The goal of this training program is to create a unique clinical experience and research training opportunity that will train the future leaders in neuroscience research. The program allows for the resident to participate in one of two training tracks: The Clinical Scholar training track and the Clinician Scientist training track.
The Clinician Scientist track allows the resident to spend a significant amount of training performing research at the NIH, as well as time to learn the clinical skills of neurology at Georgetown University Hospital. The resident will select a research mentor and project that will be developed during their PGY2, 3, and 4 years of residency. The Clinician Scholar track allows for the neurology resident to use their elective time at the NIH to similarly select a research mentor and project.
The program is unparalleled in several respects by; training residents in an excellent neurology teaching hospital, allowing residents the opportunity to study neurological diseases with deep clinical and molecular phenotypic characterization, providing the opportunity to train with world-class neuroscientists and physician scientists who are experts in their fields, and encouraging the use of professional development tools such as a mentoring committee that will assist with career planning. The residents will learn and apply the necessary research methodology, skills and knowledge to pursue a career as a clinician scientist. The research emphasis in the intramural program includes the study of the pathophysiology of disease, therapeutics development, and rare disease research.
Program Structure
Trainees spend a total of 3 months during their PGY2 and 3 years at the NIH to identify a mentor and establish a research project. The resident spends an additional eight months during their PGY4 year performing research. A diverse array of neuroscience research programs are available for the resident to choose from including neuroimmunology, cell biology, neuronal development and plasticity, neurogenetics, functional and molecular imaging, and integrative neuroscience. Clinical research programs include neurovirology, muscle disorders, motor neuron diseases, movement disorders, stroke, surgical neurology, autonomic disorders, pain, epilepsy, clinical neurophysiology, neurorehabilitation, and clinical neuroimaging. The resident completes training in clinical neurology during this time with clinical rotations at Georgetown University Hospital.
Throughout the program, trainees may attend a number of didactic courses, including: clinical neuroscience grand rounds, neuroscience seminar series, consultation rounds, the principles and practice of clinical research class, the principles of clinical pharmacology class, and workshops in grant writing, statistics, and career development.
Application
Applications must be submitted through ERAS. The MedStar Georgetown-NIH neurology residency program is highly competitive and accepts only one candidate per year. The program participates in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP); applications must be submitted to the MedStar Georgetown-NIH Neurology Residency Program. Competitive candidates will be invited to interview at the NIH and Georgetown on consecutive days. Acceptance decisions are announced in March through the NRMP. Appointments to the Program begin on July 1.
For more information, please visit the NINDS intramural website.