Epilepsy Fellowship

The Vanderbilt University Medical Center Department of Neurology Division offers 8 total positions for its ACGME-approved Epilepsy and Clinical Neurophysiology fellowship programs. These positions include 6 adult and 2 pediatric fellows in either 1 or 2-year positions. The mission of Vanderbilt’s Epilepsy fellowship program is to train future epileptologists to treat patients with all forms of epilepsy across the lifespan. We do this through high volume exposure to epilepsy in diverse environments:

  • Outpatient EEG
  • Outpatient epilepsy management through continuity clinic
  • Critical care EEG
  • Epilepsy monitoring unit (EMU): 8-bed adult EMU and 6-bed pediatric EMU
  • Pre-surgical epilepsy work-up
    • Invasive EEG monitoring (stereoEEG and GRID)
    • Intraoperative electrocorticography
    • Functional mapping
    • 3T MRI (7T MRI for research protocols) with dedicated adult and pediatric neuroradiologists
    • Functional MRI
    • SPECT
    • PET
    • Wada
    • Neuropsychological testing
    • Neuropathology
  • Surgical epilepsy treatments: resective surgery, laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT), radiofrequency ablation, vagal nerve stimulation (VNS), responsive neurostimulation (RNS), deep brain stimulation (DBS)

Strong integration of:

  • Robust adult and pediatric curricula
  • Supplemental education in other neurophysiology modalities:
    • Intraoperative monitoring (IOM)
    • Autonomic testing
    • Electromyography (EMG)
    • Polysomnography (PSG)

Epilepsy Fellowship

Opportunities for scholarly activities in varied domains: research, clinical trials, quality improvement, education, advocacy

At the end of fellowship, graduates are prepared for the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) Subspecialty Certification in Epilepsy. We are proud of our current 100% Epilepsy board pass rate. Graduates are well-equipped to practice in academic institutions of various sizes across the country, private healthcare systems, and outpatient private practices.

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Tracks and Sample SchedulesTracks and Sample Schedules

Sample fellow rotation schedules in various tracks are illustrated below. Fellows on all tracks will participate in a continuity clinic (1 half-day per week on average) throughout their 1-2 years of fellowship. The one-year track follows a typical schedule and focus, with the option to specialize in either adult or pediatric epilepsy. The 2-year Advanced Epilepsy track offers additional research opportunities, more surgical cases, more autonomy in continuity clinic, and leadership and teaching opportunities. Advanced Epilepsy complete their first year through Clinical Neurophysiology Fellowship and their second year is Epilepsy.

Epilepsy - Adult

Epilepsy - Pediatrics

Advanced Epilepsy - Year 1


Educational ConferencesEducational Conferences

In addition to a rigorous clinical experience with a high volume of diverse cases, our epilepsy and neurophysiology fellowships are complemented by a robust year-round didactic and conference schedule. 

Fellow Conference (Monday)
Weekly multi-specialty (epilepsy, clinical neurophysiology, neuromuscular, sleep, psychiatry, neurosurgery, wellness) didactic sessions presented by faculty as well as integrated fellow-led in-service examination review course

EEG Teaching Conference (Tuesday)
Weekly fellow-led interactive, challenging EEG case discussions (pediatric and adult) presented to all faculty and fellows

Clinical Case Conference
Monthly attending-led interactive case conference discussing challenging non-surgical (pediatric and adult) epilepsy cases

SEEG Case Conference
Monthly attending-led interactive invasive EEG (predominantly stereoEEG) case discussion from the initiation of non-invasive pre-surgical surgical work-up to post-surgical outcome

Clinical Neurophysiology Course (Wednesday)
Weekly multi-specialty didactic sessions covering diverse epilepsy and clinical neurophysiology topics

Anti-Seizure Medication Conference (Thursday)
Weekly fellow-led didactic sessions, each covering one ASM in-depth as well as several major clinical epilepsy topics and surgical epilepsy treatments

Journal Club
Monthly journal club with faculty leader that selects 4-5 articles for fellows to each briefly present

Multidisciplinary Adult Epilepsy Surgery Conference
Bimonthly conference presenting potential adult epilepsy surgery candidates to multidisciplinary group of epileptologists, neurosurgeons, neuroradiologist, neuropsychologist, biomedical engineers, and physicist

Multidisciplinary Pediatric Epilepsy Surgery Conference
Weekly conference presenting potential pediatric epilepsy surgery candidates to multidisciplinary group of epileptologists, neurosurgeon, neuroradiologists, neuropsychologist and physicist

Research Conference
Quarterlyforum for faculty and fellows to share ongoing or new clinical research projects with opportunity for fellow involvement


Epilepsy Fellows


Research OpportunitiesResearch Opportunities

Fellows in both the one- and two-year tracks will have rich opportunities to engage in research. The Department of Neurology has investigators active in both basic and clinical research in epilepsy. For more information about what faculty members are currently studying, visit the Epilepsy Division’s research summary page.


ContactContacts

Shilpa B. Reddy, MDShilpa B. Reddy, MD, MMHC
Associate Professor, Pediatric Neurology
Program Director
Mohammad Junaid Humayun, MBBSMohammad Junaid Humayun, MBBS
Assistant Professor, Neurology
Associate Program Director
Francesca Rutherford SmithFrancesca Rutherford, MBA
Program Manager
francesca.rutherford@vumc.org
(615) 322-0660

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