Epilepsy Clinical Training Components
The University Hospitals Epilepsy Center, founded by Hans Lüders, MD, PhD, and directed by Dr. Guadalupe Fernandez-Baca Vaca, is a collaborative team of both adult and pediatric epileptologists employing state-of-the-art technology and procedures to diagnose and treat epilepsy. The mission of the UH Epilepsy Fellowship Program is the training of highly skilled academic epileptologists, who at the end of their fellowship training will emerge as experts in the management of refractory epilepsy, surgical epilepsy and stereotactic EEG.
The fellowship program will give the trainees a solid education in clinical neurophysiology, in comprehensive medical management of patients with epilepsy, in selection and evaluation of patients who are candidates for epilepsy surgery, and in basic and/or clinical research tools used in epileptology. The University Hospitals Epilepsy Center is a national leader in clinical epilepsy research; there are therefore plenty of opportunities for clinical and translational research. A large number of international visiting epileptologists and research scholars contribute to the academic and work environment.
The fellowship program, directed by Jon Zande, MD has five one-year Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited positions in epilepsy. The fellowship is designed to lead to board certification in Subspecialty Exam in Epilepsy through the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) and Clinical Neurophysiology with Added Competency in Epilepsy or Intra-operative Monitoring through the American Board of Clinical Neurophysiology (ABCN). Training at both University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center and University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital ensures a broad exposure to adult and pediatric epilepsy, tailored according to the candidates’ requirements.
The year begins with an intensive two-month International Epilepsy and EEG Course. During the subsequent 10 months, fellows gain experience in all aspects of epilepsy and clinical neurophysiology, including scalp routine EEG, continuous EEG in Intensive Care Unit, scalp and invasive video-EEG monitoring in EMU, pre-surgical evaluations, intra-operative monitoring and evoked potentials. The option for a second year of fellowship is available to selected candidates.