Chief Residents' Message

Dear Future Neurologists,

Welcome to UH Neurological Institute at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center! As the chief residents, we could not be prouder of our program and hope that you find your tour of our website insightful and useful.

The UH Neurological Institute was established in 1956 as a Division within the Department of Medicine directed by Clark Randt, MD. Our department grew under our five long-tenured and renowned chairs: Joseph Foley, MD, Robert B. Daroff, MD, Dennis Landis, MD, Anthony J. Furlan, MD, and our current chair, Cathy Sila, MD, reflecting our institute's continuous stability.

Our institute includes over 55 faculty members and over 49 residents, making us the second largest residency training program in the country. Our program is led by David C. Preston, MD, recognized as the best program director in the country for the 2015-2016 academic year by the American Academy of Neurology. Our training takes place at two main facilities - UH Cleveland Medical Center and Louis Stokes VA Medical Center. UH Cleveland Medical Center, the proud official medical provider of the Cleveland Browns, is a Comprehensive Stroke Center and Level I Trauma Center. Our VA Medical Center is the third-largest in the country and specializes in ocular motility disorders, neuro-otology, and spinal cord injury rehabilitation. Within UH Neurological Institute are many centers, including Epilepsy, Neuromuscular, Movement Disorders, Stroke and Cerebrovascular Disorders, Critical Care Neurology, Brain Health and Memory, Community Neurology, and Neuro-Ophthalmology/Balance. We have a strong relationship with the Neurosurgical Department, with both departments under UH Neurological Institute. We serve an incredibly diverse and largely underserved population in eastern Cleveland, but as a major referral center, we also serve patients from all over the world.

Our residency program is steeped in academic tradition. Training begins in the Medicine Department for a year, an outstanding training program directed by Keith B. Armitage, MD. While in first-year, neurology residents will still do two months of inpatient neurology and two weeks of outpatient neuro to stay fresh with their knowledge and build bonds with the rest of the residency class.

Our second year of training is focused on establishing a clinical foundation in neurology. It starts with an intensive introductory "bootcamp" emphasizing neurological emergencies and fortifying neurological exam skills. This is accomplished through large-group lectures, small-group interactive sessions, and simulation exercises. The emergency neurology summer lecture series reinforces this knowledge over the ensuing two months. Our lecture series for the rest of the academic year includes the Evidence Based Medicine Course, Morbidity and Mortality conference, outpatient lecture series, clinical pathological correlation conference, vascular neurology conference, general neurology conference, neuro-critical care didactics, movement disorder video conference, journal club, radiology lectures, neuro-immunology lectures, child neurology lectures, medical ethics, psychiatry for neurology lectures, internal medicine for neurology lectures, grand rounds, epilepsy surgery conference, and seizure semiology conference. During our second year, junior neurology residents get an incredible balance of inpatient and outpatient services with our X+Y schedule, where they rotate between inpatient services every 4 weeks and a variety of outpatient clinics every 2 weeks. This allows residents to have early exposure to outpatient neurology, helping them be better-rounded and make informed decisions about fellowship choices. While on the X-blocks, junior neurology residents run the inpatient neurology services, which include general inpatient neurology, vascular neurology, epilepsy and the epilepsy monitoring unit, neuro-ICU, and VA neurology. Instead of a traditional call system, a pair of residents will be cross-covering and admitting over a two-week night float rotation.

Our third year of training is unique in comparison to any other program in the country. It features an 8-week course on EEG and epilepsy, a 6-week course on EMG interpretation and neuromuscular diseases, and a 6-week neuroscience course. During the latter course, we return to the second year of medical school to participate in lectures, lead anatomy sessions, and facilitate small group sessions with Case Western Reserve University medical students as they learn about clinical neurology.

Our last year of training prepares us to become competent neurologists as we lead the inpatient services as well as enjoy more outpatient exposure with ambulatory rotations, a psychiatry month, and a quality improvement and pathology month.

Our program offers a great path for those who are interested in pursuing an academic career, as the UH Neurological Institute is a leading program in clinical trials and basic research. To facilitate this pursuit, we offer both a research pathway and a leadership in medical education track. The former permits residents to engage in research for a dedicated six-month period, often culminating in first-author publications. The latter supports residents as they complete a certificate in leadership in medical education at the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University and culminates in a conference on maximizing your skills in medical education at Harvard Medical School.

Cleveland and its metropolitan area is a great place to live with a low cost of living. It features excellent restaurants, Lake Erie, Cuyahoga Valley National Park and the associated emerald necklace of Metroparks, and great cultural experiences including Severance Hall, home of the world-renowned Cleveland Orchestra, the Cleveland Institute of Art, Playhouse Square theater district, the free Cleveland Museum of Art, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Cedar Point Amusement Park, and of course our hometown Browns, Indians, and championship-winning Cavaliers. We have also developed a Wellness Committee, where neurology residents from all years join together to plan-out events, make a monthly wellness newsletter, and share wellness resources with the rest of the department.

Many of our residents pursue fellowships at UH Cleveland Medical Center and other top-tier programs in the country. They then go on to be accomplished community physicians and leaders of major academic institutions.

Though there are many great training opportunities, we hope you consider joining our family at UH Cleveland Medical Center. We wholeheartedly endorse this program and cannot say enough good things about it, so please do not hesitate to contact us. UH Cleveland Medical Center Neurology Residency Program is truly the best in the country. We look forward to meeting you in the future.

Sincerely,

Malak Alaboudi, MD
Joshua Edmondson, MD
Daniel Wood, MD
2024-25 Neurology Chief Residents