Epilepsy Fellowship Program

Overview

Our ACGME-accredited Epilepsy fellowship has been training outstanding clinicians and academic leaders in the practice of Epilepsy since 2016 (and for more than 15 years prior to that as an ACGME-accredited Clinical Neurophysiology Fellowship). We accept up to 4 clinical fellows each year, and fellowship training may last from one or two years depending upon individual career plans and needs of the fellow.

The Penn Epilepsy Center (PEC) is a member of the National Association of Epilepsy Centers and our fellowship program provides training to individuals interested in specializing in the evaluation and management of patients with epilepsy or concern for epilepsy.

The Penn Epilepsy Center is a Level 4 Epilepsy Center (National Association of Epilepsy Centers) currently serving a growing network of 8 hospitals, with >20 faculty members, including 12 epileptologists, 3 epilepsy nurse practitioners and 4 functional neurosurgeons. We also have active clinical and academic participation by neuroradiology and neuropsychology faculty members.

We have active programs in:

  • Epilepsy Surgery (>100 procedures per, including phase II monitoring with stereo EEG and subdural electrodes, implantable devices, resections and laser ablations)
  • Outpatient epilepsy, including specialty clinics for epilepsy genetics, neuromodulation, transitioning care from pediatrics to adult, tuberous sclerosis and others
  • Clinical trials - medications, devices, and diagnostic procedures
  • Neuromodulation for epilepsy, including RNS, DBS and VNS
  • International medicine
  • Quality of care in collaboration with the Wharton School of Business

Fellows have the option for additional training beyond the one-year Epilepsy fellowship. This can include additional clinical training in our ACGME-accredited Clinical Neurophysiology fellowship or our non-accredited Intracranial EEG fellowship (registered as NST program with ACGME). Additional training options include in-depth research experience supported by NIH-funded T32 training grants and other potential funding mechanisms. Optional training in secondary degrees (Master's in Translational Research, Epidemiology, or Bioengineering) is available. Finally, Fellows may opt for a third year of research, leading to application for an NIH K-award. Those interested primarily in clinical careers can also take advantage of a wide variety of augmented training in our network in Philadelphia and abroad, and extended training at the instructor/entry faculty level, to solidify their clinical skills.

Watch video titled Penn Epilepsy Center - Kathryn Davis, MD, MSTR

Fellowship curriculum

Clinical fellows in our program evaluate and care for epilepsy patients in both inpatient and outpatient settings. 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.

Electives (approximately 6-8 weeks) offered include Research/Quality Improvement, Neurophysiologic Intraoperative Monitoring, Neuroradiology, Neurosurgery Clinic, Neuropsychology Clinic, Sleep, and EEG Technology.

In addition to the above, fellows rotate at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia for pediatric epilepsy (4 weeks required) and at the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center

Recruitment/application process

The Penn Epilepsy Fellowship participates in the NRMP Epilepsy and Clinical Neurophysiology Fellowship Match with applications accepted through ERAS.

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 Materials:

  • CV
  • Personal Statement explaining your interests in Epilepsy
  • USMLE Transcript
  • Professional photo
  • 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 Genna J. Waldman, MDGenna Waldman, MD
Assistant Professor of Clinical Neurology
Associate Program Director

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 Aditya Joshi, MD Aditya Joshi, MD
Assistant Professor of Clinical Neurology

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

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