Educating Future Neurologists

Spring 2018

The UCLA Adult Neurology Residency program has completed another successful recruitment season with the match of nine outstanding graduating medical students for the 2019 class. These new residents will enter a program undergoing change and growth. This is the second year of nine residents as we increase our complement to 27 total trainees. The increase in residents has allowed us to launch an additional Veterans Administration ambulatory care rotation in the first year of residency and a required Neurobehavior rotation in the third year of residency. These rotations enhance both general neurology training and specific training in dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases. We continue to recruit residency classes that are diverse along multiple dimensions, including race, gender, sexual preference, and scientific/clinical interests. This is the second year of our clinicianeducator tract. This path combines a rigorous didactic year in the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA Medical Education Fellowship, teaching opportunities in settings across the spectrum of medical education, and a mentored education project where residents teach in undergraduate neuroscience courses and in the medical education programs for other residencies.

We are also now in the second year of our Diversity in Training Scholarship Program. This opportunity provides a sponsored internship in our department for medical students from underrepresented groups in neurology. Students are selected from a competitive application process and are provided room, board, and airfare. This month-long rotation provides experience in the neurology services in Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, as well as rotations through our subspecialty clinics for a combined training in inpatient and outpatient neurology.

In an effort to expand the breadth of learning experiences and to train our neurology residents in the ever-changing field of global medicine, we are expanding our portfolio of global neurology offerings. This year, UCLA Neurology residents completed experiences in Uganda and the United Kingdom. We are currently engaged in discussions with the National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery of Mexico to develop a visiting resident exchange program (more on this in future Chair’s Reports). This collaboration will provide trainees an opportunity to better understand the birthplace and health system of many of our patients, and to enhance trainees’ knowledge of neurology in the areas of unique exposure in Mexico, such as infectious diseases and neuroinflammatory conditions.

Innovation and change in neurology education, led by the Director of the UCLA Neurology Residency Training Program, Dr. Charles Flippen, moves UCLA Neurology forward.

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