Neuroradiology Fellowship

Overview

George Washington University offers a one-year ACGME accredited fellowship in Neuroradiology. We have three fellowship positions per year. Fellows spend most of their year at George Washington University Hospital (GWUH) and will have rotations at the National Institute of Health (NIH) and at the Children’s National Health System. The fellows have graduated responsibilities and act under direct supervision by the faculty members of the Division of Neuroradiology, all of whom are sub-specialty trained. Fellows fulfill all ACGME requirements for training. Occasionally, we offer a second-year (non-ACGME) neuroradiology fellowship position.

George Washington University Hospital

At George Washington University Hospital, we serve a diverse patient population with an extensive spectrum of pathologies and from different clinical services. Patients who are referred to us from our level 1 trauma center include those with acute intracranial hemorrhage, acute spinal injury as well as those with face/neck trauma. We serve a busy comprehensive acute stroke center that is responsible for the evaluation and management of patients with sudden neurological deficits. In addition to the imaging of patients with acute conditions, we also provide service to patients from Washington, D.C. and from the neighboring mid-Atlantic areas.

We work closely with the George Washington Medical Faculty Associates' (MFA) subspecialized otolaryngology colleagues. Patients referred to us from these clinics include those with head and neck tumors, temporal bone/skull base pathologies, voice changes, and sino-nasal diseases.

We collaborate with the Department of Neurology in the diagnosis and management of patients with various ailments including those with multiple sclerosis, seizure/epilepsy, as well as neurodegenerative and movement disorders.

The Department of Neurosurgery works with our section in not only the management of acute neurological conditions mentioned above but also in the diagnosis and evaluation of patients with tumors of the skull base, brain and spine, patients with Chiari I malformations, and those with advanced spinal stenosis. Learn more about the GW Hospital's Spine Center services.

The fellows are responsible for standard CT and MRI protocols as well as advanced techniques such as functional MRI, diffusion tensor tractography, quantitative MR for seizure and dementia evaluation, CSF flow imaging, MR spectroscopy, arterial spin labeling perfusion, and dynamic contrast enhanced MRI.

Affiliate Institutions

The fellows rotate through the National Institutes of Health for 10 weeks. During this elective, the fellows are responsible for image interpretation of all neuro-radiological MRIs and CTs. These include imaging of patients with rare conditions such as Von Hippel-Lindau syndrome and those with Neuorfibromatosis. In addition, they are introduced to imaging protocols developed at the NIH for the better understanding of the pathophysiology of diseases such as multiple sclerosis.

The fellows rotate through Children’s National Health System for a period of four weeks. During this time, the fellows are responsible for image interpretation of neuro-radiological CTs and MRIs. The fellows work closely with four dedicated pediatric neuroradiologists in improving their understanding of anatomy, physiology and pathology of the diseases of the CNS in children.

Education

We offer a highly educational experience in a pleasant work environment. The fellows attend the weekly resident/fellow neuroradiology conferences. These didactic conferences follow a one-year curriculum and cover topics such as various pathologies of the brain, spine, and head and neck. In addition, the fellows attend weekly dedicated fellow sessions. The sessions are intended to build on the didactic neuroradiology conferences and to focus on advanced imaging of stroke, CNS tumors, and head and neck pathology. The fellows receive routine formal teaching while at Children’s National and the National Institutes of Health. The fellows will also assist in resident supervision and education on a daily basis and present at least one lecture to the residents and/or medical students.

The fellows actively participate in multi-disciplinary conferences such as head and neck tumor board as well as epilepsy and neuropathology conferences. They are also welcome to attend other interdisciplinary conferences such as neurology/neurosurgery grand rounds, as well as stroke, spine, and neuro-interventional conferences.

Research

Each fellow is required to complete a research project and to either submit an abstract to a national/regional meeting and/or or to submit a manuscript for publication. Each fellow is granted half a day per week to pursue his/her research interests and to meet his/her research requirements. Fellows can choose a mentor from GW and become involved in projects ranging from head and neck to policy/economics. A list of 2013 publications from GW can be found here. In addition, fellows can participate in research projects at the NIH or at Children’s National. View the lists of 2013 publications from the NIH and 2013 publications from Children’s National to get an idea of the depth of research projects in which fellows can participate.

Procedures

The neuroradiology fellows participate in the neurointerventional cases performed in the Interventional Radiology and Interventional Neurosurgery divisions. Cerebrovascular angiography, facet and nerve root blocks, discography, vertebroplasty, stent placement, embolization procedures, and thrombolysis are among the procedures performed. Lumbar puncture under fluoroscopy and myelography, as well as cisternography, are also performed.

Applicant Information

Interested applicants should submit the following to the Neuroradiology Fellowship coordinator, Rachelle Allah (rallah@mfa.gwu.edu).

GW Neuroradiology Fellowship Application
A curriculum vitae (CV)
A cover letter or personal statement
Three letters of recommendation
USMLE 1, 2, and 3 scores,
Current contact information
A copy of ECFMG certificate and visa status (if applicable)
Starting 2016, there are new ACGME requirements for Neuroradiology fellow applicants. Please download a PDF of these requirements. Please note that applicants graduating from non-ACGME programs will need to fulfill several new requirements. For instance, a summative letter of recommendation highlighting the clinical excellence of the applicant must be provided. If you have any questions about these changes, please feel free to contact us.

M. Reza Taheri, MD, PhD

Director of Neuroradiology Fellowship Program

rtaheri@mfa.gwu.edu

GW Radiology Department

900 23^rd Street, NW, G2092

Washington, D.C. 20037

Tel: (202) 715-5212

Fax: (202) 715-5161

Candidates for Neuroradiology fellowship are no longer selected through the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP). Instead, we will be offering these positions to qualified applicants shortly after their interviews.