Residency Program
The University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago offers an ACGME accredited 4-year neurology residency training program that accepts 6 residents per year. Our educational mission is to develop a strong clinical and academic foundation for our residents while preparing them for the next step in their careers. Through our diverse training sites (the University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System- a tertiary care urban hospital, and the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center) we provide a wide range of clinical, academic, and research opportunities for our residents to not only develop a strong foundation in general neurology but to gain vital exposure to the neurologic subspecialties. We are committed to continually evolving, and the incorporation of resident feedback is a fundamental aspect of the process. Above all, our program prioritizes the resident educational experience as a key component of the departmental goal of providing the highest quality of care to our patients and community.
Links Heading link
Message from our Director Heading link
The UIC Neurology department prides itself on its dedication not only to excellent patient care but also to education and research. Our faculty have great interest, passion, and expertise in education. Many of us meet with our residents regularly to track and guide their educational endeavors as well as to readily address any concerns. Our residents benefit from a robust daily noon lecture series including didactics, board reviews, and journal clubs. They also learn from regular neuropathology discussions and weekly Neuroradiology conferences led by our UIC neuroradiologists.
Our residents get clinical experience at our university hospital and at the Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Hospital. At the UIC hospital, our trainees serve a diverse patient population coming from throughout Illinois and neighboring states. Coupled with the nurturing enthusiasm of our faculty, this creates an excellent training environment. At the JBVA the residents participate in the care of a unique patient population while working with a separate group of dedicated faculty who provide an outstanding education. We are proud that our faculty and residents reflect the diversity of Chicago’s population.
Messages Heading link
-
Message from our Director
Dr. Loeb, our department chair, has strived to introduce many advancements to our department over the last several years. Our vascular neurology section serves a vast territory with a telemedicine and referral system that covers multiple hospitals. Our epilepsy section is one of the largest in the state, boasting a busy epilepsy monitoring unit. Our neurocritical care section continues to grow, working closely with our neurosurgery colleagues in a robust neuro ICU. Our neuroimmunology section has been involved in translational and clinical research with the vision to individualize treatment for patients with multiple sclerosis. Our neuro-oncology section serves a large patient population with both primary and secondary malignancies. Our neuromuscular section boasts a multidisciplinary clinic dedicated to serving ALS patients. Our movement section exposes residents to many rare disorders and introduces them to procedures such as Botox injections. All in all, this creates a comprehensive learning environment for our trainees that teaches them how to diagnose and manage both common and rare neurological disorders.
Furthermore, many of our subspecialty sections have clinicians and scientists avidly involved in translational and basic research. This gives our residents abundant opportunities to participate in or design their own research projects. Labs in neuroimmunology, vascular neurology, neuroinflammatory disorders, neuromuscular disorders, epilepsy, and neuropathology are available to our trainees. Our Neuro-repository provides an abundant source of data from which our clinicians and researchers strive to find new ways to understand Neurology.
I encourage you to explore the details of our program and feel free to contact us with any further inquiries. Our program strives to recruit and train residents with a passion for understanding our nervous system, compassion for people, eagerness to educate future physicians and drive to further advance the field of neurology.
Thank you for your interest in our program.
Very truly,
Director
Jared Davis
Neurology Residency Program Director -
Message from our Chief Residents
Welcome to the University of Illinois Chicago Neurology residency training program! We are delighted and honored that you are considering our residency training program. The program is committed to providing you with a well-rounded education in a variety of neurological subspecialties, as well as life experiences meant to prepare you for success in any field you choose to pursue in your future endeavors.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, our department made strong efforts to ensure a smooth and safe transition for incoming residents. The program has adapted extremely well, especially with implementation of telehealth visits for patients in addition to virtual learning conferences for the residents. We aim to maintain a collaborative and supportive working environment while providing top quality healthcare to our patients.
Schedule
The UIC Neurology residency is a categorical program offering an invaluable intern (PGY1) year in Internal Medicine that will strengthen your knowledge base and create camaraderie with our medicine colleagues. PGY2 year, the first year in neurology training, will focus on building solid foundational knowledge through mostly inpatient clinical experiences, including general neurology, stroke, neurocritical care, and neuro-oncology. As you progress to your senior years as a PGY3 and PGY4, you will build your leadership skills leading the inpatient teams, gain further subspecialty exposure, and pursue personal interests in neurology during your self-designed electives. You will also have specialty clinic months throughout residency during which you will gain early exposure to all subspecialties in neurology including movement disorders, neuromuscular, neuro-ophthalmology, neuro-oncology, epilepsy, sleep, cognitive/memory, and neuroimmunology.
Teaching
You will be trained in treating and stabilizing patients acutely in the inpatient setting as well as providing them with long-term care in the outpatient setting. Our faculty are passionate educators who are enthusiastic about teaching residents and helping them grow as neurologists. There is also a vast educational curriculum, including neuroradiology conferences, morning reports, journal clubs, grand rounds, and noon lectures, provided by leading experts. Our residents also present at resident and departmental conferences to help build their public speaking and presentation skills.
Research
Our faculty are eager to work with residents on research projects and help them grow as researchers. Residents are encouraged to pursue academic projects with the goal of presenting their work at our departmental grand rounds at the end of their fourth year, as well as submitting manuscripts to national journals for publication and presenting their work at national conferences.
Diversity
At UIC, we embrace and value diversity, reflected in our residents and attendings who come from countries all over the world, each with unique educational and cultural backgrounds. Diversity is also embodied in our patient population and the wide spectrum of diseases you will come across as a trainee. You will have chances to rotate at both the University of Illinois Hospital (UIH) and Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Hospital (JBVA), in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Each has its own practice mode, unique patient population, and medical structure/system.
Our Hospitals
The University of Illinois Hospital (UIH) is an academic teaching hospital located in the Illinois Medical District, one of the largest urban healthcare districts in the country. UIH is a Joint Commission-certified Comprehensive Stroke Center and a tertiary referral center, accepting complicated patients from the Chicagoland area. Our hospital is equipped with an epilepsy monitoring unit (EMU) where we care for patients with complex, refractory seizures and a neurosciences intensive care unit (NSICU) where we encounter patients with high acuity, life-threatening ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes, traumatic brain injuries, CNS infections, and neuromuscular diseases with respiratory compromise. At the Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs (JBVA) Medical Center, our residents have the opportunity to give back to those who have given so much for our country. Caring for veterans offers a unique challenge, as these patients often have multiple medical comorbidities that have to be taken into consideration when treating their neurological problems.
Explore
Outside of work, you will have plenty to explore within the city. Chicago is home to some of the best museums, sports teams, restaurants, shopping, and theaters in the country. Our campus is close to the downtown area for easy access to all the fun experiences, while the campus itself is quiet, convenient, and safe. Little Italy, a nearby community, is very family-friendly, while the West Loop, which is just down the street, is known for the best restaurants in the city. There is the ease of transportation, so many residents can enjoy work and life balance without relying on a vehicle. We thank you for considering our training program and look forward to meeting you soon!
Sincerely,
Junghyun (Marco) Kim, M.D. and Aisha Ali, M.D.
PGY4 Chief Residents -
Alumni
Career paths of recent graduates of the UIC Neurology residency program:
2023
- Aisha Ali, MD
Vascular Neurology Fellowship, UIC - Junghyun Marco Kim, MD
Neurocritical Care Fellowship, U of C - Alex Bader, MD
Neuromuscular Fellowship, UIC - Evan Jameyfield, MD
NeuroOphthalmology Fellowship at WashU - Prateek Kumar, MD
Stroke Fellowship, UT Houston - Ahmad Daif, MD
Private Practice
2022
- Maria Chavez-Keatts, MD
Headache Fellowship, University of Washington - Kaleigh Fetcko, MD
Neuro Oncology Fellowship, Duke University - Neil Sharma, MD
Neurophysiology Fellowship, UIC - Sara Torabi, MD
Neurophysiology Fellowship, UIC - Jessica Wilson, MD
Neuroimmunology Fellowship, Rush University - Kyle Wylie, MD
Neurophysiology Fellowship, Rush University
2021
- Sushant Puri, MD
Neuro Oncology Fellowship, John Hopkins & NIH - Shuo Qian, MD
Vascular Neurology Fellowship, UIC - Neda Sattarnezhad, MD
MS & Neuroimmunology Fellowship, Stanford University - Gulrana Syed, MD
Neurophysiology Fellowship, Rush University - Golnaz Yadollahikhales, MD
Behavioral Cognitive Neurology Fellowship, UCSF - Waleed Zeb, MD
Neurocritical Care Fellowship, Washington University in St. Louis
2020
- Kevin Chen, MD
Neurocritical Care Fellowship, Washington University in St. Louis - Andrew Christiana, MD
Neurophysiology fellowship, UIC - Bayan Moustafa, DO
Vascular Neurology Fellowship, UIC - Sarah Mufti, MD
Sleep Fellowship, Stanford University - Jorge Rodriguez F., MD
Informatics Fellowship, UIC - Ali Zandieh, MD
Headache Fellowship, Mayo Clinic
2019
- Fang Bai, MD
Neurophysiology Fellowship, Washington University in St. Louis - Nikesh Bajaj, DO
Sports Fellowship, Barrow Neurological Institute - Nicole DiGiannantonio, DO
Neurophysiology Fellowship, UIC - Shama Farooq, MD
Neuro-Oncology Fellowship, Memorial Sloan Kettering - Muhammad Rizwan Husain, MD
Vascular Neurology Fellowship, University of Pennsylvania - Gabriela Trifan, MD
Vascular Neurology Fellowship, UIC
- Aisha Ali, MD