Neurology is an independent department of the Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The Department is divided into divisions or specialized programs of the department that usually consist of three or more faculty. The three-year residency program in clinical neurology leads to certification in adult or child neurology. The aim of the training program is to produce top-notch clinical neurologists wholly prepared to pursue a career as either a physician scientist or a practicing clinician, and to establish a foundation for lifelong learning in neurology and the neurosciences. To accomplish this mission, a flexible didactic program tailored to each trainee’s needs is integrated with extensive practical training in a conveniently clustered five-hospital system. Individual mentoring is a critical component of the program, and a full-time Education Specialist is available to support the department’s educational goals.

What Makes Our Program Unique

Both adult and child neurology programs are GME approved and are carefully designed to build the basic strengths necessary for a trainee to become an outstanding clinical neurologist, and, for those interested in research, to develop as a first-rate physician-scientist. Unique aspects of Vanderbilt’s program that enrich the training experience include:

•  yearly posted basic science and clinical seminar series
• regular informal faculty-resident conferences
• a full-time dedicated educational specialist
• a large teaching faculty
• substantial elective time in the second and third years for academic/clinical development
• a weekly chairman’s rounds with Dr. Macdonald
• a physically adjacent five-hospital system in which to train

Our Faculty

The large teaching faculty is a diverse and collaborative group, providing trainees with opportunity to interact with both experienced and junior faculty members, as well as with senior residents. Formal teaching takes place through weekly resident education conferences, Chairman’s conferences, and various sub-specialty conferences; monthly Grand Rounds; two monthly Journal Clubs; and an annual live patient mock board exam. Periodic research dinners add to the atmosphere of collegiality within the department.

About the Facilities
The academic center of the department is located in recently expanded space on the third floor of Medical Center South, located just across the street from the Vanderbilt Clinic and the Vanderbilt Hospital. Plans are in the works to move the academic center to renovated space within the Medical Center East complex, which will be even more advantageous for residents, fellows, and faculty. Treating Medical Center East as the hub of a wheel, spokes can be drawn out to all the major buildings a resident might need to go to engage in departmental activities.

The facilities supporting the residency program are centrally located within the uniquely compact Medical Center campus and are only a few minutes walk from one another. Neurology research laboratories occupy an entire floor of the recently built interdepartmental Medical Research Building III, and are distributed throughout the other research buildings. The clinical training experience is enhanced by extensive exposure to inpatient and outpatient care at a variety of facilities, including:

• Vanderbilt University Hospital
• Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt
• Stallworth Rehabilitation Center
• Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital
• Veterans Administration Medical Center
• The Vanderbilt Clinic

Residents rotate through these facilities.