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Sara Schaefer, MD, MHS, FAAN (Neurology)

Associate Professor of Neurology
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Additional Titles

Associate Program Director, Neurology Residency, Neurology

Program Director, Movement Disorders Fellowship, Neurology

Contact Info

Yale School of Medicine

Dept. of Neurology, P.O. Box 208018

New Haven, CT 06510

United States

About

Titles

Associate Professor of Neurology

Associate Program Director, Neurology Residency, Neurology; Program Director, Movement Disorders Fellowship, Neurology

Biography

Dr. Schaefer is a graduate of Brown University and The Ohio State University College of Medicine, and an alumna of the Yale Neurology Residency Program. She completed 2 years of subspecialty training in movement disorders at Yale. She has a particular interest in medical education, and completed a Masters of Health Sciences with a focus on medical education in 2019. She has designed an interactive, video-based online training curriculum in movement disorders for residents and medical students that is used by learners all over the world. She serves as co-founder and deputy editor of the MDS podcast, launched January 2019, founder and producer of Neurology Nuts and Bolts: Constructing your Career podcast, launched February 2022, serves as the Movement Disorders Section Head of the Annual Academy of Neurology Resident In-Service Training Examination (RITE) Committee, and as the CME editor for the Movement Disorders Journal.

Appointments

  • Neurology

    Associate Professor on Term
    Primary

Other Departments & Organizations

Education & Training

MHS
Yale University (2019)
Chief Resident, Neurology
Yale-New Haven Hospital (2016)
Resident, Neurology
Yale-New Haven Hospital (2016)
Intern, Medicine
Yale-New Haven Hospital (2013)
MD
Ohio State University College of Medicine (2012)
ScB
Brown University (2007)

Research

Overview

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)

Education, Medical; Movement Disorders

Research at a Glance

Yale Co-Authors

Frequent collaborators of Sara Schaefer's published research.

Publications

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

Academic Achievements & Community Involvement

  • activity

    American Academy of Neurology RITE Review Committee

  • activity

    Movement Disorders Journal

  • activity

    Movement Disorders Journal

  • activity

    Movement Disorders Society Podcast

  • activity

    Movement Disorders Society Education Committee

Clinical Care

Overview

Sara Schaefer, MD, MHS, is a neurologist who specializes in treating patients with movement disorders, including Parkinson’s disease, tremors, chorea, dystonia, and Huntington’s disease. She also evaluates patients who might benefit from deep brain stimulation surgery.

“What I enjoy about treating movement disorders is that there’s so much we can do to help patients—whether the solution is medication, deep brain stimulation, or botulinum toxin injections, among others,” Dr. Schaefer says.

Dr. Schaefer discovered the field of movement disorders as an undergraduate student conducting research at the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke. “I appreciated the fact that, as a doctor, you develop long-term relationships with patients and walk with them through the disease process,” she says.

As an example, one challenging aspect around the disease process for Parkinson’s patients is the anxiety that accompanies it. Patients experience drops in levels of dopamine (a neurotransmitter that affects mood) as a result of the disease. “A large part of being a good doctor is understanding the unspoken things that are coming into the room—the anxieties, fears—and bringing those to the surface,” Dr. Schaefer says. “Every patient needs something different.”

Dr. Schaefer highlights those differences to medical students and other trainees she teaches as an assistant professor of neurology at Yale School of Medicine. She is involved in research to create educational learning modules for physicians and neurology learners. “I’m trying to create material so that primary care doctors and even general neurologists can make informed decisions about whether to start medications or refer someone to a specialist,” Dr. Schaefer says. “This will help avoid delays in diagnosis—which happen too often.”

Clinical Specialties

Movement Disorders

Fact Sheets

Board Certifications

  • Neurology

    Certification Organization
    AB of Psychiatry & Neurology
    Original Certification Date
    2017

Yale Medicine News

Get In Touch

Contacts

Appointment Number
Clinical Inquiry Number
Office Fax Number
Mailing Address

Yale School of Medicine

Dept. of Neurology, P.O. Box 208018

New Haven, CT 06510

United States

Administrative Support

Locations

  • Lippard Laboratory of Clinical Investigation (LLCI)

    Academic Office

    15 York Street

    New Haven, CT 06510

  • Patient Care Locations

    Are You a Patient? View this doctor's clinical profile on the Yale Medicine website for information about the services we offer and making an appointment.