Dear Future Neurologist,
As the chief residents for the 2024-2025 academic year, we are delighted to welcome you to the Department of Neurology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. We are excited to share all of the great things that make our program a unique place to train and hope you will consider our residency program for your next phase of training.
The UPMC Neurology Residency is one of the finest in the country, known for producing skilled graduates who are pursuing excellence in Neurology all around the country. As a Neurology resident, you will serve as the team leader at the central hub of healthcare in Western Pennsylvania and surrounding areas. The UPMC Neurology Department evaluates over 65,000 outpatients per year and cares for over 2,300 neurology inpatients annually at our flagship Presbyterian Hospital, where you will spend the majority of your clinical time. This volume directly translates into invaluable clinical experience seeing patients at our two comprehensive stroke and tertiary care centers, as well as training at dedicated cancer, women’s, children’s, and Veterans’ hospitals. UPMC’s telemedicine network encompasses over 50 other hospitals and provides exposure to every aspect of Neurology. At the end of this residency, you will be confident in both bread-and-butter neurological conditions and once-in-a-career cases.
UPMC is a nationally renowned Interventional Stroke and Vascular Neurology center and you will be closely working with internationally recognized stroke neurologists during your residency and will grow very competent in managing acute cerebrovascular conditions. UPMC was one of the highest enrolling center in the DAWN trial, changing the landscape of acute stroke care with expanded treatment windows. We take great pride in being on the cutting edge of innovation and continue to be a major center for several ongoing clinical trials.
With nearly all neurological subspecialties represented, you will have ample opportunity to gain exposure and experience in whatever field interests you. Residents from UPMC have entered competitive fellowships in every field of neurology, owing in large parts to an exceptional training and the unwavering support and mentorship from faculty. The program supports a strong general neurology continuity clinic where residents serve as the primary neurologists for their patients alongside their clinic preceptor and subspecialists who are happy to guide more complex neurological decision making. Residents remain the primary drivers of patient care on the general neurology inpatient and consult services with 24/7 faculty supervision.
A precedent of an excellent education is set forth early during the Resident Boot Camp at the start of the PGY-2 year that lays a groundwork of academic and clinical knowledge. We continually build on our fundamental knowledge with weekly afternoon case reports and daily, program-wide noon conferences. By the completion of your junior year, you will feel comfortable with the diagnosis and management of most neurologic complaints, performing lumbar punctures, interpreting EEGs, and reading neuroimages. During the third and fourth years, you will continue to hone these skills and refine your clinical decision making as well as educate your colleagues by leading grand rounds.
Along with all that our program has to offer, our amazing group of residents will make your time in residency a truly enjoyable and memorable experience. We frequently have both formal and informal social gatherings, led by our resident Social Chairs where the resident gather to support and celebrate each other while enjoying the bustling city of Pittsburgh. Known for our amazing sports teams, culture, and food, as well as a low cost of living, Pittsburgh is a great place to be during residency training.
We hope that you will consider the University of Pittsburgh for your neurology training! While we will miss seeing you on interview days, we welcome the opportunity to show you around if you make it to Pittsburgh this year. We promise you will appreciate the friendship among residents, the support from the faculty and our beautiful city.
Your Chiefs,
Medha Tandon
Aakaash Patel
Bharat Pillai
Christopher Richardson
Kunal Malik
Kaila Anderson
Lindsay Voltz
Mohammad Abulia
Moustafa Khalifa