The Neurosurgery Department at Washington University offers a CAST-approved, 12-month functional fellowship, providing training in the diagnosis and management of movement disorders, epilepsy, spasticity and craniofacial pain.
Fellowship Leaders
Jon T. Willie, MD, PhD, is the director of the Stereotactic, Functional and Epilepsy Fellowship. Additional faculty include: Joshua Dowling, MD, Eric Leuthardt, MD, Sean McEvoy, MD, and Jarod Roland, MD.
Prior Fellow Graduates
Diane Aum, MD (St. Louis, MO)
ASSFN AMPLify Mentorship Program
The American Association for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery (ASSFN) has recently launched AMPLify (Authorship, Mentorship, Partnership, and Leadership). AMPLify is open to medical students and residents wanting early exposure, practical guidance, and networking opportunities in Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery. A key feature of the program is a 3-month visiting fellowship at a selected mentor’s institution. This period allows mentees to engage in their planned research projects under the direct guidance of their mentor, while also providing them with the opportunity to acquire direct clinical experience. For more information and to apply, click here. Applications are due October 15, 2024.
Clinical Experience
The fellow will spend time both in the outpatient clinics, as well as on the inpatient surgical service, in addition to working on clinical research projects leading to presentations at national/international meetings and publication in peer-reviewed journals.
The fellow will participate on the inpatient surgical service at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and St. Louis Children’s Hospital. Additionally, the fellow will assist with patient care on the inpatient Functional Service in collaboration with the Chief Resident, Senior Resident, and Nurse Practitioners, with the Chief Resident having primary responsibility for the management of the inpatient service. Depending on the educational experience of the fellow, they may be asked to take on more of a mentorship role with respect to inpatient care. The fellow will assist the Chief Resident in the training of the junior house-staff on pre- and post-operative management of functional patients.
Research
The fellow will also be expected to pursue academic projects leading to presentation at national Neurosurgery meetings and publication in peer-reviewed journals. At least one day per week will be reserved for academic pursuits, with the specific day depending on the clinical and operative schedule of the attending of that rotation. The fellow, under the direction of Drs. Willie, Leuthardt, Dowling, McEvoy, and Roland, will select at least two research projects prior to the start of the fellowship, to allow time for IRB approval. The fellow will work with the attendings on data collection and analysis, manuscript preparation, and submission for presentation and publication.
Eligibility Criteria and Contact
Applicants must have completed an ACGME-approved neurosurgery residency training program in the United States or Canada before the start of the fellowship program, or meet the criteria for an unrestricted (non-training) Missouri medical license. An interview is required. Interested applicants should apply two years prior by sending a cover letter and curriculum vitae.
If you have any questions, please contact the Senior Residency/Fellowship Program Coordinator, Michele Bridges, at bmichele@wustl.edu.