Clinical Neurophysiology Fellowship Program

Overview

Our ACGME-accredited Clinical Neurophysiology fellowship has been training outstanding clinicians and academic leaders in the practice of Epilepsy and Clinical Neurophysiology for over 15 years (prior to 2016). It was restarted as an ACGME-accredited program in 2024 as a complement to our ACGME-accredited Epilepsy Fellowship. The clinical focus of the program is on EEG (including LTM and intracranial EEG) and intraoperative monitoring.

The program accepts up to 2 clinical fellows each year. It is only open to trainees who have already completed an ACGME-accredited Epilepsy Fellowship, typically at Penn, although outstanding external candidates will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Fellowship curriculum

Clinical fellows in our program evaluate and care for epilepsy patients in both inpatient and outpatient settings and participate in Intraoperative Monitoring at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

Our Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (currently 8 beds) and our active epilepsy surgical program provide a means for fellows to learn how to evaluate and refer patients for epilepsy surgery and neuromodulation. This includes very active intracranial EEG program, including functional brain mapping.

In addition, there is an active long-term monitoring/ICU EEG program which covers 4 hospitals in downtown Philadelphia, including advanced techniques such as quantitative EEG and intracranial depth electrodes for traumatic brain injury.

Fellows also participate in the outpatient management of patients with epilepsy (or concern for epilepsy) by co-managing patients in attending clinics as well as their own longitudinal clinic.

The outpatient EEG laboratory is very active and offers routine EEG, prolonged and ambulatory EEG studies, and clinical evoked potentials at multiple locations.

The Intraoperative Monitoring program covers approximately 2500 cases annually. This includes intracranial neurosurgery, spine and peripheral nerve neurosurgery, vascular, ENT and general surgery. Mapping for neurosurgical cases and major vascular cases are a particular focus. Fellows spend approximately 4+ months on Intraoperative Monitoring, although some of this time can be during the Epilepsy Fellowship year.

Training in other aspects of Neurophysiology (EMG/NCS, autonomic studies, sleep studies, etc) is mainly through didactics

Recruitment/application process

The Penn Clinical Neurophysiology Fellowship is intended as a second year of training for those who have already completed an ACGME-accredited Epilepsy Fellowship. Fellows who match into the 2-year track for Epilepsy Fellowship can elect to make the second-year Clinical Neurophysiology (typically about halfway through their Epilepsy Year.

Requirement for Applicants

Successful completion of an ACGME-accredited Neurology residency (or Canadian equivalent) prior to start of fellowship
Eligible for medical licensure in the state of Pennsylvania, including successful completion of USMLE Step 3 (or COMLEX Level 3)

Application Requirements:

Curriculum Vitae
Personal Statement
Professional Photo
USMLE scores, Steps 1, 2 and 3
Three Letters of Recommendation

Clinical education

Dedicated didactic sessions include a month of core lectures on epilepsy and EEG followed by weekly conferences on EEG/Neurophysiology, Surgical Epilepsy and Clinical Epilepsy. Active participation by fellows is encouraged/required including case and topic presentations, M&M conferences, journal clubs and presentation of projects. There is also a weekly Epilepsy Surgery conference where the fellows present the vast majority of patients for discussion, with active participation by neurosurgery, neuroradiology and neuropsychology. Joint conferences include the monthly conferences with the NeuroICU and neurodiagnostic technologists, weekly multidisciplinary conference on neuroprognostication (with the ICU team), intraoperative monitoring conference. There are also monthly conferences to review DBS and RNS cases prior to their programming visits.

General resources

Research information

A critical aspect of our program is the active integration of clinical, translational and basic research with the clinical programs (this includes close collaboration with the Center for Neuroengineering and Therapeutics). There are active projects related to intracranial EEG, neuromodulation, neuroimaging, genetics, ICU EEG monitoring and others. In addition to basic and translational research projects, there are active clinical trials related to medications, devices. Fellows have the opportunity to participate in these projects based on their interests.

Contact information

Juliana Adedipe
Email: Juliana.Adedipe@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

Program leadership and faculty

Headshot of Saurabh R. Sinha, MD, PhD Saurabh Sinha, MD, PhD
Director, EEG Laboratories
Program Director, Epilepsy Fellowship

Headshot of Kathryn A. Davis, MD, MTR Kathryn Davis, MD, MTR
Epilepsy Division Chief
Medical Director, Epilepsy Monitoring Unit
Medical Director, Epilepsy Surgical Program
Interests: Epilepsy Anti-epileptic medications, Electroencephalogram, seizures

Headshot of Aditya Joshi, MD Aditya Joshi, MD
Assistant Professor of Clinical Neurology
Associated Program Director for Clinical Neurophysiology

Headshot of Erin Conrad, MD Erin Conrad, MD
Assistant Professor of Neurology

Headshot of Ramon Diaz-Arrastia, MD Ramon Diaz-Arrastia, MD, PhD
Director of Traumatic Brain Injury Clinical Research Center
Interests: Epilepsy Anti-epileptic medications, Electroencephalogram, seizures

Headshot of Colin Ellis, MD Colin Ellis, MD
Assistant Professor of Neurology

Headshot of Taneeta Ganguly, MD Taneeta Ganguly, MD
Assistant Professor of Neurology

Headshot of Michael Gelfand, MD, PhD Michael Gelfand, MD, PhD
Associate Professor of Clinical Neurology

Headshot of Catherine V. Kulick-Soper, MD Catherine Kulick-Soper, MD
Assistant Professor of Neurology

Headshot of Brian Litt, MD Brian Litt, MD
Professor of Neurology and Professor of Bioengineering
Professor of Neurosurgery

Headshot of Michael McGarvey, MD Michael McGarvey, MD
Associate Professor of Clinical Neurology

Headshot of Colin Quinn, MD Colin Quinn, MD
Associate Professor of Neurology

Headshot of Ramya Raghupathi, MD Ramya Raghupathi, MD
Assistant Professor of Clinical Neurology

Headshot of Genna J. Waldman, MD Genna Waldman, MD
Assistant Professor of Clinical Neurology