Education

The Yale Movement Disorders fellowship program is a two-year, fully funded, mixed clinical and scholarly program within the Yale Department of Neurology. The fellowship consists of two years of clinical experiences combined with scholarly pursuits both years, such that the fellow receives maximal longitudinal experiences in both avenues. The program prides itself on tailoring the learning experience to the career goals and interests of the fellow, with a robust mentorship structure with Clinical Division Chief Veronica Santini, MD, Program Director Sara Schaefer, MD, MHS and other highly engaged faculty.

Clinical experiences consist of exposure to a wide array of movement disorders - both common and rare - with a team of experienced clinicians. Fellows also receive adequate training in deep brain stimulation selection and programming (all available programmer types) for Parkinson disease, essential tremor, and dystonia, as well as botulinum toxin injections for movement disorders and disorders of increased muscle tone, including spasticity. There are abundant opportunities for fellows to learn from collaborators in departments and divisions relevant to movement disorders patient care. For instance, fellows have rotated in pediatric movement disorders, neurosurgery, otolaryngology, cognitive neurology, nephrology (autonomic), sleep medicine, neuromuscular/EMG, and neuro ophthalmology clinics during elective time.

Scholarly pursuits are at the discretion of the fellow with dedicated faculty mentorship, and may include basic science or clinical research, medical education, or patient advocacy and community engagement. Special opportunities include the Yale Clinical and Epidemiology Research in Neurology (CERN) Training Program (T32), the masters in health sciences (MHS) degree in medical education, and collaborations with the Yale School of Medicine Teaching and Learning Center, School of Public Health, School of Management, and others.

• The supervised, immersive Neurology Clerkship offers students multifaceted, hands-on experience in various inpatient and outpatient settings. It also teaches critical interpersonal skills that are essential to different professional settings.
• Research assistant positions are available for one year. The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs provides more information.
• Undergraduate students 18 years of age or older who are currently enrolled in an accredited, degree-granting institution other than Yale may apply. The Office of the Provost provides more information.
• Student Interest Group in Neurology/Neurosurgery
• Visiting Elective Program for Students from U.S. Medical Schools.
• International medical students seeking observerships should review the Yale School of Medicine Curriculum Policies, particularly the Observership Policy.