curriculum

General Information

Dr. Martin Samuels (left) during morning report
with the residents. Dr. Samuels, the Chair of
Neurology at BWH, routinely runs morning report.

The goal of the Partners Neurology Residency is to train future leaders in clinical and academic neurology. This is accomplished through extensive exposure to clinical and academic neurology. Through the course of our training program, progressively greater independence and autonomy come with greater experience. There is a different emphasis in each of the three years of training. During the first (PGY-2) year, the majority of the trainee’s time and energy is spent in managing patients who present to the emergency room or are admitted to the hospital with neurological disease. In the second (PGY-3) year, residents obtain more exposure to outpatient subspecialty neurology, to neuropathology, child neurology, and have elective time to pursue their research or clinical interests. In the third (PGY-4) year, there is even more elective time to help develop specific and clinical career interests (about 1/3 of the year). The remainder of the year is spent supervising the ward services, as well as participating in outpatient clinics, pediatric neurology (two months) and psychiatry (one month), and consultation rotations. Rotations in this year are designed to further expose trainees to a large volume of complex patient care issues.

In general, the rotations alternate between the two main hospitals, which are separated by about three miles. A shuttle bus offers convenient travel between MGH and BWH. A few outpatient clinics and held at the Boston VA hospital in Jamaica Plain, which is walking distance from the Brigham and located on the Green subway line. On rare occasions throughout the residency (between 10 and 20 days total), residents travel to the Brockton VA hospital for outpatient clinic. This is about 30 minutes from Boston, but residents typically carpool. Video Teleconferencing between the BWH and MGH is used for teaching opportunities (such as noon conferences).

Pediatric neurology trainees from both Boston Children's Pediatric Neurology and the Massachusetts General Pediatric Neurology Programs rotate on the adult services during their first year of training. In addition, residents from Neurosurgery, Internal Medicine, Psychiatry, and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation also spend time on the neurology ward services. Adult neurology residents also rotate through the neurosurgery, pediatric neurology, neuropathology and psychiatry services.

The Partners Neurology residency program maintains close contact with the Harvard Neuroscience Program. Many residents take elective or fellowship training in the Neuroscience programs at Harvard and MIT.

Drs. Young and Samuels are the co-chairs of the department. Each maintains direction of the workings of the individual institutions on a day-to-day basis. Dr. Steven Feske is the head of the Neurology Residency Committee and the former Program Director. He assists in overseeing the curriculum.

Residents discuss cases over coffee and donuts at MGH morning report.

our program