Introduction

The University of Wisconsin fellowship training program in Clinical Neurophysiology seeks neurology residents who have completed an accredited neurology residency in the US and who are dedicated to the care of people with diseases of the nervous system, have demonstrated interest in clinical and basic neuroscience, and show promise of future achievement. For over 50 years the Department has been dedicated to training highly motivated physicians in an atmosphere that emphasizes teamwork, close interaction with attending physicians and resident colleagues, independence and development of sophisticated skills in clinical neurophysiology examination utilizing EEG, EMG, Evoked Potentials to aid in the evaluation and care of patients with neurological disorders in general and Neuromuscular disorders and Epilepsy in particular.

The fellowship program provides two positions per year.

Trajectories

The fellow can choose the focus of their fellowship as one of the following:

Trajectory Descriptions

50%-80% Epilepsy Focus

The Epilepsy track prepares fellows to master all aspect of EEG including reading and interpretation of adult, pediatric and neonatal EEGs of both outpatients and inpatients, evaluation and interpretation of EEGs in the inpatient epilepsy monitoring unit, and managing patients in the epilepsy monitoring unit. In addition, fellows will be learning the approach to pre-surgical evaluation of patients with epilepsy, reading and interpreting continuous EEG monitoring studies of patients in various ICUs (pediatric and adult) and management of patients in the epilepsy clinic at the University Hospital and the VA Hospital. For those in the Epilepsy track, 50%-80% of their time will be spent in these activities and remaining 50% of time can be spent in neuromuscular, or 20%-30% of time in intra-operative monitoring (IOM) or in Sleep Medicine.

Those that chose neuromuscular will spend half the year in either EMG lab doing EMGs and neuromuscular clinic learning standard nerve conduction studies and EMG, but also to evaluate patients in the neuromuscular clinic and learn approaches to patients with muscle and nerve disorders. Additional training will be provided in performance and interpretation of single-fibre electromyography, evoked potentials and central EMG (including Botox® injection).

Those interested in intra-operative monitoring (IOM) will learn how to use intra-operative neuromonitoring techniques (EEG, MEPs, VEP, SSEPs, direct cortical stimulation) to improve surgical outcomes.

Those interested in sleep medicine will work in the Wisconsin Sleep Center spending time seeing patients with sleep disorders and learning to read and interpret sleep studies. Fellows will always be under the supervision of Attending Physicians.

 50% Epilepsy and 50% Neuromuscular Focus

For those in 50% Epilepsy and 50% neuromuscular track, their time will be equally divided between the Epilepsy focus and Neuromuscular focus.

All fellows will have additional training in reading outpatient Evoked potentials. Elective time will be provided for those who wish to learn intra-operative EEG/evoked potential monitoring or pursue research.

Latest revision: 06/27/2023, Smitha Holla, MD