Epilepsy and Functional Neurosurgery Fellowship

The McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston offers a one-year epilepsy and functional neurosurgery fellowship.

Minimum Qualifications

Qualified US applicants should have graduated from an ACGME-accredited neurosurgery residency program. Foreign trained applicants must hold a valid ECFMG certificate and must be fully trained in neurosurgery and have had at least some prior post-graduate training in the US. Foreign applicants may only be sponsored through ECFMG under J-1 visas.

Goals and Objectives

The Fellowship in Epilepsy Surgery, Brain Mapping and Functional Neurosurgery will be a focused experience that will seek to make the fellow an expert in a broad range of epilepsy surgery cases in adult and pediatric populations , functional brain mapping and resection of tumors in eloquent cortex, deep brain stimulation for movement disorders and placement of intra-thecal pumps.

Program Description

During the 12 months spent in clinical surgical training, the fellow will manage patients with neurological diseases, perform simple and complex open surgical procedures, and integrate these techniques into the surgical therapy of patients with epilepsy and other functional disorders .  He/she will perform clinical pre-procedural evaluations of patients, interpret preliminary diagnostic studies, consult with clinicians on other services, generate procedural reports, and participate in short-term and long-term post-procedure follow-up care, including neuro-intensive care.

The fellow will make daily rounds with the attending faculty and on-service residents, during which patient management decisions will be discussed and made. The fellow will work closely with Dr. Tandon and will closely follow and manage patients on their service. He/she will supervise senior residents who may also be assigned to the same services. Conferences will be organized by the fellow in conjunction with faculty and held to allow discussion of topics selected to broaden knowledge in the field of epilepsy and functional neurosurgery.  There will be didactic and interactive conference time, including interdepartmental meetings with neurosurgeons and other specialties that may be relevant to patient care. Specifically, we have recurrent Epilepsy Conferences and Deep Brain Stimulation planning conferences.  Regular review of all mortality and morbidity related to the performance of all epilepsy and functional surgical procedures will be documented. Fellows will participate actively in these reviews, which will be held at least monthly.

Contact Information

For additional questions regarding the fellowship and application process, contact:

Program Director: Nitin Tandon, MD

Contacts-
Nitin Tandon, MD
Meredith Hamilton Suescun – Fellowship Coordinator

Phone
(713) 486-8056
Fax: (713) 795-8105

Address
6400 Fannin Street, Suite 2800
Houston, TX 77030