Stanford Neurology & Neurological Sciences Education
Residency Training Program
Department of Neurology & Neurological Sciences
300 Pasteur Drive
Room H3144, Mail Code 5235
Stanford, California 94305
Phone: (650) 725-6688
Fax: (650) 725-7459
The Department of Neurology & Neurological Sciences at Stanford offers ACGME-accredited adult and child Neurology residency training programs as well as multiple post-residency fellowship training programs in various subspecialties.
This is a vibrant and exciting time for clinical neurosciences at Stanford. Our Department continues in a period of tremendous growth and development with a more than two-fold increase in our clinical faculty in last several years. Stanford Neurology faculty are among the world leaders in many areas within the clinical and basic neurosciences. Many of our subspecialty divisions and programs are now the largest on the West Coast, and are considered at the very top nationwide in terms of activity, cutting-edge research, and influence within their respective fields. Every significant subspecialty within Neurology is currently well-represented (and many continue to grow). Certain areas are unique strengths, including our Neurology-based neuro-oncology group and our new neuro-autonomic program. Stanford boasts a world-renown Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, Movement Disorders Center, the country’s first Comprehensive Stroke Center, the largest Child Neurology division of the West Coast, a model multidisciplinary Headache (Pain) Clinic, the pioneering Center for Sleep Sciences and Medicine, and many other notable clinical strengths. Our trainees have a vast array of clinical, research, and other academic opportunities available to them. Prospective applicants are invited to explore this website and its many links to gain an appreciation for the incredible scope and quality of experiences that are available here with post-graduate training in the clinical neurosciences.
The Stanford University reputation attracts patients with serious and complex neurologic disorders from all over the Western United States, the Pacific Rim, and from around the world. The population growth of the metropolitan area around Silicon Valley also ensures a steady source of patients with a wide range of neurological diseases. Stanford Hospital itself is nearly always at full capacity which leads to a dynamic and rich training environment. In fact, the volume of Neurology patients at Stanford is currently the second highest of all the university hospitals in California. Similarly, Neuroscience outpatient volumes are tremendous, with over 20,000 visits per year in our clinic. We have recently expanded outpatient neurology into the beautiful state-of-the-art Hoover Pavilion, and two new multi-billion dollar hospitals are being actively built. This is all to say that despite the ample research and academic opportunities available (see below), our training programs remain clinically focused and very intensive. Trainees should expect a broad exposure to a large volume of complex patients while on their clinical rotations.
Our excellent clinical training in Neurology at Stanford is complemented by exposure to the faculty, resources, and facilities of one of the world’s leading neuroscience research institutions. Stanford sits on the absolute cutting edge of 21st Century neuroscience and translational research. Stanford’s newly-created multidisciplinary neurosciences institute, under the direction of Dr. William Newsome, brings together clinicians and scientists in the School of Medicine and many other Stanford University Schools and Departments who share a common interest in clinical and basic neuroscience. With several hundred faculty participants dedicated to expanding the frontiers of neuroscience, the institute builds on Stanford's expertise in Medicine, Humanities and Sciences, Engineering, Law, and Business to form a world-class interdisciplinary program to provide innovative solutions to clinical medicine. This distinguished group of Stanford neuroscientists includes multiple members of the National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine, and Nobel Prize laureates. Our trainees have direct access to these investigators and thought leaders as most are physically located on the School of Medicine campus. The Stanford academic community has a great tradition of innovation, along with a spirit of openness and collaboration. Along with an extensive and vigorous clinical experience, our residency program includes two research tracks including an NIH R25 program that allow our trainees to fully leverage this remarkable research setting. Opportunities for pushing the boundaries in neuroscience research, both basic/translational and clinical, exist at Stanford like nowhere else.
Multiple unique experiences are available at Stanford for the consideration of our Neurology trainees. The Stanford biodesign program, for example, takes advantage of our exceptional institutional resources in engineering, computer science, and medical device bio-design, as well as our long history of successful collaboration with industry in Silicon Valley. Trainees also have access to colleagues in the Stanford Health Research and Policy Department, which also provides a popular master degree program in epidemiology and clinical research methodology. Fellowships and collaboration are possible with the Clinical Excellence Research Center (CERC). This cutting edge program organizes research teams from multiple Stanford Schools to design and test new methods of health care delivery that substantially reduce population-wide disability and annual per capita health spending in the near term. New initiatives in international health are available to our Neurology trainees. The Center of Innovation in Global Health (CIGH) is currently one of the most comprehensive and active in the country. Stanford neurologists have been active leaders in pioneering opportunities for residents with an interest in global health in Africa. Residents and clinical fellows at Stanford have access to another valuable resource in the Stanford Society of Physician Scholars (SSPS). The SSPS spans major clinical departments and brings together talented residents and clinical fellows in order to train tomorrow’s medical leaders through scholarship and innovation, create a collaborative community, and foster mentoring opportunities between faculty and residents and between residents and medical students. The Advanced Residency Training at Stanford (ARTS) Program offers the opportunity to combine clinical training with advanced research training to complete a PhD degree during or upon completion of residency or clinical fellowship.
Teaching of our trainees is a major emphasis for our faculty, many of whom have been hired specifically as Clinician-Educators. Mentorship is strong, career development is emphasized, and close faculty-trainee interaction is the norm. We emphasize the importance of learning and teaching. Our trainees work closely with students from the Stanford School of Medicine, currently ranked the #2 research medical school in the United States by U.S. News and World Report. In fact, the Neurology Department has won the Association of University Professors of Neurology (AUPN) “Successful Recruitment” award for the last two years by having the highest percentage of medical students matching into Neurology of any school in the U.S. This is largely a testament to the dedication and enthusiasm of our residents and fellows who interact with these excellent students. Our trainees have the opportunity to develop their own teaching skills in multiple forums, including acting as facilitators for medical student small group sessions, formal didactic sessions with the students, and even participation in novel training courses that exist through the Stanford Faculty Development Center (SFDC) for Medical Teachers.
Stanford is poised on the cutting edge of medical education research. The Stanford Center for Medical Education Research and Innovation (SCeMERI) has multiple resources and conferences available that Neurology residents can access. Further, Stanford Medical School is one of the leading institution for Medical Simulation. Our residents not only participate in exercises here from a training perspective, but this is another setting for doing research in novel education methods.