Neurology Residency
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About Our Residency
The Houston Methodist Stanley H. Appel Department of Neurology offers a four-year accredited adult neurology residency program. The program is developed to provide well-rounded training in clinical neurology and mentorship in the clinical and basic sciences that provides a strong foundation for the practicing neurologist and physician-scientist. The program has a high faculty-to-resident ratio, which allows residents access to training yet also challenges them to be autonomous with a commitment to lifelong learning.
Houston Methodist is a private, non-profit institution which has earned worldwide recognition since it opened its doors in 1919 with a long history and tradition of training leaders in medicine and research. Through its affiliations with national, international, and state institutions, Houston Methodist is a valuable site for training of residents, fellows, and medical students. Our fully accredited educational program provides exposure to complex cases, state-of-the-art technology, and access to physician leaders in Neurology and related fields. Thus, this program is designed to prepare the best and brightest future neurologists.
Our Team
Message from the Program Director
Dear Applicants,
I am pleased to welcome you to the Neurology Residency Program at Houston Methodist Hospital. We are proud of the quality training that is provided and the caliber of our current resident trainees. Much of what makes Houston Methodist ranked among the top institutions for neurology training is the patient population, the faculty, and its leading role in making advances in translational research and treatment.
Houston Methodist Hospital is located in the world’s largest medical center in one of the most diverse cities in United States. Based on its location, its collaborative reach extends far beyond the limit of its walls. There is an extensive collaborative network between physicians, researchers, and institutions that provides great opportunities for trainees in all aspects of neurology, including medical care, research, and academics.
The departmental faculty has over fifty cumulative years of experience training and mentoring residents, fellows, and post-doctoral graduates who have become heads of departments, industry, and research worldwide. Under the legacy of leaders and giants in neurology, our residents excel beyond the standards of core knowledge and clinical practice. Our program is strengthened by a cadre of diverse faculty who cover the breadth of neurology including neurodegenerative diseases, vascular neurology, epilepsy/sleep medicine, neuromuscular medicine, movement disorders, and spasticity, pain/headache, language disorders, and neuroimmunology. Trainees also have formal experiences with other noteworthy faculty in neurosurgery, neuro-oncology (University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center), neuro-ophthalmology, neuro ICU, physical medicine and rehabilitation, psychiatry, pediatric neurology, and a host of formal and non-formal elective experiences. Thus, our residents experience a well-rounded training at Houston Methodist which establishes a strong foundation in neurology and opportunities to build upon that foundation in specific area(s) of interest.
The mission of the Neurological Institute is to not only push advances in patient care and education but also translational research. The institution is committed to supporting and sponsoring independent and collaborative research in a wide variety of areas. This has led to the granting of opportunities for faculty, fellows, and residents to build careers in research as independent investigators and even develop novel tracks in training to meet unmet needs in care.
This mission is not limited to faculty but is incorporated into the structure of the residency program. Residents are required to participate research during their training to enhance their ability to critique and apply data as well as develop and scientific approach to their practice and patients. Residents are provided certified training in research methods and ethics and gain valuable experience and exposure to the scientific method, data analysis, and grant and paper. It also provides a starting point for those residents who are interested in academic-research career paths. In accord, our graduates have an outstanding first-time neurology board pass rate and have been very successful in obtaining the practice or fellowship of choice upon graduation.
In conclusion, the Houston Methodist Neurology Residency program provides a training experience that fully encompasses all aspects of neurology in an atmosphere that supports and encourages initiative, scholarship, and success.
Thank you for your interest in our program. For those planning to apply, please refer to the Eligibility & Application section of our website for specific information. Interviews will be offered to those applicants with an impressive record of academic performance and recommendations which clearly affirm the candidate’s caliber.
I wish you the best in your future endeavors.
Sincerely,
Bing Liao, MD, MSc
Neurology Residency Program Director
ALS / Neuromuscular diseases
- Ashley E. L. Anderson, MD, MPH | Clinical profile
- Stanley H. Appel, MD | Faculty profile | Clinical profile
- Ericka P. Greene, MD, FAAN | Faculty profile | Clinical profile
- Jun Li, MD, PhD | Faculty profile | Clinical profile
- Bing Liao, MD, MSc | Faculty Profile | Clinical profile
- Sheetal Shroff, MD | Faculty profile | Clinical profile
- R. Glenn Smith, MD, PhD | Clinical profile
Cognitive neurology / memory disorders
- Joseph C. Masdeu, MD, PhD | Faculty profile | Clinical profile
- Gustavo C. Román, MD, DrHC | Faculty profile | Clinical profile
- Alireza Faridar, MD | Faculty profile | Clinical profile
- Juan "Jon" Toledo, MD, PhD | Clinical profile
- M. Obadah Nakawah, MD | Faculty profile | Clinical profile
Epilepsy and seizures
-
Rohit S. Kuruvilla, MD | Clinical profile
- Brandy Ma, MD, MPH | Faculty profile | Clinical profile
- Amit Verma, MD | Faculty profile | Clinical profile
General Neurology
- Julia L. Jones, MD | Clinical profile
- Joseph F. Imbs, DO | Clinical profile
Movement disorders
- Andrew Billnitzer, MD, MPH | Clinical profile
- Eugene C. Lai, MD, PhD | Faculty profile | Clinical profile
- William G. Ondo, MD | Faculty profile | Clinical profile
- Olga Waln, MD | Faculty profile | Clinical profile
- Joseph F. Imbs, DO Clinical profile
Neuroimmunology / Multiple Sclerosis
- Abdul Alchaki, MD | Clinical profile
Neuropsychology / Concussion
- Veronica J. Burton, PhD, ABPP | Clinical profile
- Stella H. Kim, PsyD | Clinical profile
- Kenneth Podell, PhD, FACPN | Faculty profile | Clinical profile
Speech, language and cognitive compromise
- David B. Rosenfield, MD | Faculty profile | Clinical profile
Stroke
- David Chiu, MD | Faculty profile | Clinical profile
- Vivek Misra, MD, FAHA | Faculty profile | Clinical profile
- Rajan R. Gadhia, MD | Faculty profile | Clinical profile
- Tanu Garg, MD | Faculty profile | Clinical profile
- Kasey Gildersleeve, MD | Faculty profile | Clinical profile
- Thomas Kent, MD | Faculty profile
- John J. Volpi, MD | Faculty profile | Clinical profile
Research Faculty
- David R. Beers, PhD | Faculty profile
- Bo Hu, MD, PhD | Faculty profile
- Chung Hyunglok, PhD | Faculty profile
- Belen Pascual, PhD | Faculty profile
- Aaron Thome, PhD | Faculty profile
- Kyuson Yun, PhD | Faculty profile
- Weihua Zhao, MD, PhD | Faculty profile
Curriculum
The neurology curriculum has been designed to assure professional maturation of residents. The PGY2 year has more months of inpatient rotations than the PGY3 or PGY4 resident. With each year of training, the resident has fewer general neurology rotations and more specialty and elective rotations. This schedule assures that residents gain increased specialty training with one-on-one faculty teaching and that they are able to design a schedule of electives that broadens their educational experience or focuses on areas of evolving interest.
The inpatient teams at Houston Methodist include at least one junior and one senior neurology resident. This design provides the junior resident with supervision and, at the same time, offers the senior resident increased responsibility and opportunity for mentoring and teaching. The night-call schedule provides increased patient responsibility, as residents progress in their training. Senior residents provide back-up call for the junior night-call resident. Again, the junior resident has supervision, while the senior resident is able to supervise and instruct the junior resident. Third, one senior (PGY4) resident will be elected to serve as administrative chief resident each year. The administrative chief resident will assist directly in program development and work as a liaison between staff and residents. This experience will provide the resident with the opportunity to gain additional supervisory and administrative skills. Duty hour requirements and restrictions are enforced at institution and departmental levels.
Rotation Schedule
PGY1 (13 Four-Week Rotations)
|
BLOCK |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
|
INSTITUTION |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
ROTATION |
MICU |
NCS |
ID |
Rheum-2 weeks, ED/PTO-2 weeks |
Wards |
Stroke |
|
% OUTPUT |
0 |
0 |
0 |
50 |
0 |
0 |
|
BLOCK |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
|
INSTITUTION |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
ROTATION |
Wards |
Cardio-2 weeks, Endo/PTO-2 weeks |
Wards |
Rheumatology-2 weeks, nights-2 weeks |
ED/PTO-2 weeks Nephro-2 weeks |
Nights-2 weeks, Cardio-2 weeks |
MND |
|
% OUTPUT |
0 |
0 |
0 |
50 |
0 |
0 |
50 |
UTS= University Inpatient Medicine teaching service (i.e., wards)
Electives= Endocrinology, Rheumatology, Nephrology, or Geriatrics, Hepatology, Neurology, Palliative care medicine
NCS=Neurology Consult Service/Teaching Service
NMD= Neuromuscular Disorders
MICU=Medical ICU
PGY2 (13 Four-Week Rotations) example
|
BLOCK |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
|
INSTITUTION |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
ROTATION |
NCS |
NCS |
NCS |
NMD |
NMD |
Stroke |
|
% OUTPUT |
0 |
0 |
0 |
50 |
50 |
0 |
|
BLOCK |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
|
INSTITUTION |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
ROTATION |
Stroke |
Stroke |
Epilepsy |
Dementia |
Movement |
NICU |
Psychiatry |
|
% OUTPUT |
0 |
0 |
80 |
100 |
100 |
0 |
0 |
PGY3 (13 Four-Week Rotations)
|
BLOCK |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
|
INSTITUTION |
1 |
1 |
1 |
43 |
1 |
1 |
|
ROTATION |
NCS |
NCS |
MND |
Neuro Oncology |
Stroke |
Elective |
|
% OUTPUT |
0 |
0 |
50 |
50 |
0 |
50 |
|
BLOCK |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
|
INSTITUTION |
1 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
43 |
|
ROTATION |
NICU |
Pedi Neuro |
Pedi Neuro |
Elective |
Elective |
Elective |
Neuro Oncology |
|
% OUTPUT |
0 |
50 |
50 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
50 |
PGY4 (13 Four-Week Rotations)
|
BLOCK |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
|
INSTITUTION |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
ROTATION |
NCS |
NCS |
>NMD |
NMD |
Stroke |
Stroke |
|
% OUTPUT |
0 |
0 |
50 |
50 |
0 |
0 |
|
BLOCK |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
|
INSTITUTION |
2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
ROTATION |
Pedi Neuro |
Elective |
Elective |
Elective |
Elective |
Elective |
Outpatient Neurology |
|
OUTPUT |
50 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
PGY1 Year
Houston Methodist’s PGY 1 year consists of 13 four-week blocks of training, in conjunction with rules and regulations outlined by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and Neurology RRC. During this year, there is a coordinated curriculum with didactic lectures, journal club and morning report through the Internal Medicine, and Graduate Medical Education departments. The PGY 1 residents must successfully complete all 12 months of training before beginning their PGY 2 year of training. Resident performance and eligibility for promotion will be evaluated by rotation faculty and, ultimately, the neurology program director.PGY2 Year
The first year of residency training includes twelve months of required rotations that includes three block rotations on the Stroke/Vascular neurology service, three blocks on the inpatient consult service and two block rotations on the Neuromuscular/Neurodegenerative service. Residents will also rotate on three separate outpatient settings in Movement Disorders, Dementia, and Epilepsy. The PGY 2 resident will also rotate on the consult-liaison psychiatry service for one block and evaluate a variety of patients with primary and secondary psychiatric conditions, including major depressive disorders, disorders of psychosis, personality disorders, management of dementia and delirium, and disorders of anxiety and adjustment disorders. Residents will be expected to take a history and perform a physical examination of the psychiatric patient and assess the patient according to the DSM IV Axis category of disease. Residents will round with the attending physician on all teaching inpatient/consult cases.
The neurology residents will also rotate in the NICU for one block rotation. They will be supervised by Neurocritical Care Faculty and participate in twice daily team rounds and follow inpatients daily, write notes and work in inter-professional teams. Residents will evaluate and manage a variety of neurocritical cases, including acute stroke and hemorrhage, encephalopathies, status epilepticus, respiratory failure, and spinal cord trauma and compression. Residents will be expected to assess circulation, airway management, cardiovascular support, electrolyte, and fluid balance, and CNS functional assessment and monitoring. Residents will be taught and supervised in performing a number of procedures, including intubation and management of ventilation, arterial and central line placement, and emergent cardio conversion during cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
PGY3 Year
In the second year of training, the resident will have two four-week block rotations of pediatric neurology at the Children’s’ Memorial Hermann Hospital, which is one-half mile from the Houston Methodist Hospital. The inpatient consult service team is made up of the attending physician, pediatric neurology or neurology residents, pediatric or medicine-pediatrics resident, and students. The other two weeks a month, the neurology residents will rotate on the outpatient service at the Hermann Professional Building, Suite 1010, covering the breadth of pediatric neurology, including movement disorders, spasticity, epilepsy, headache, developmental delay disorders, and metabolic disorders.
The PGY 3 resident will also have an additional block rotation in the NICU.
PGY 3 residents will rotate for two block rotations on Neuro-oncology at MD Anderson Cancer center. Each four-week block is divided into two weeks on the inpatient consult and admission service and two weeks in the outpatient ambulatory Primary Brain Tumor clinic.
The PGY 3 year has four months for elective rotations, including EMG/NCV, EEG/epilepsy, Neuroophthalmological, neuroradiology, neuropathology/ ophthalmic pathology, neuro-oncology, and a research elective.
PGY4 Year
The senior year of residency allows for more specialized training, clinical responsibility, and teaching. PGY 4 residents will often lead inpatient clinical teams under the supervision of an attending physician by distributing patients among team members, supervision of junior residents and medical students, administrative responsibilities, and teaching.
The PGY 4 resident will complete the third required block rotation in pediatric neurology at Hermann’s Children's’ Hospital. During the final year, the resident will have five months of elective training for additional subspecialty training and exposure. A six-month elective block for research is possible, pending approval by the program director, specific rotation directors and the number of elective rotations already completed.
Electives
Electives are designed to provide a framework for fellowship training and clinical practice with exposure to subspecialty areas in neurology. The training program provides ten months for elective training in a number of areas:
- EMG/NCV
- Epilepsy/EEG
- Neuropathology/ophthalmic pathology
- Neuroradiology
- Neuro-oncology
- Neuro-ophthalmology
- Pain management
- Neuromuscular medicine
- Sleep medicine
- Research
- Others (Residents can create a subspecialty experience that combines different clinics or experiences based on their interest and career goals. A statement of Goals and Objectives is required. Program director and specialty faculty approval is also required.)
Continuity Clinics
Residents will gain experience in evaluating and managing the adult neurology outpatient over time and become knowledgeable in providing continuity of care for non-acute neurological disorders.
Residents will see an average of four patients a week and are expected to provide a full assessment, evaluation, and management of the ambulatory patient, including history and examination, review of medical records, review, and interpretation of diagnostic tests and consultations, and implementing pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic therapy. The resident will review every new and follow up patient with the faculty assigned to the clinic. The faculty will provide supervision and guidance to the resident in the management of all patients evaluated in the clinic. The ratio of faculty to resident in the clinic is 1:1, with no more than two residents assigned to a one half-day longitudinal clinic.
Resident Continuity Clinic
The resident continuity clinic is intended to provide training in the long-term management of the ambulatory adult neurology patient, similar to private practice neurology. Residents are assigned to a half-day clinic weekly in which new patients and follow-up patients will be scheduled for evaluation and treatment of various neurological conditions.
This longitudinal clinic is dynamic and flexible by allowing the resident to organize the clinic according to his/her clinical interests. Patients will be randomly scheduled to the residents’ clinic. However, residents will be able to place patients in their clinic, often as a follow-up from inpatient care. Due to the number of subspecialties represented within the department, residents spend a year in one continuity clinic and then rotate to another. This allows exposure and training in the longitudinal care of ambulatory patients with a variety of conditions under the guidance of faculty with expertise in the management and treatment of those conditions. One of these longitudinal clinics is located at the San José Clinic in downtown Houston (option in PGY 4 year only).
San José Clinic
Upper-level residents (PGY 4) will rotate weekly at this clinic. The clinic serves underserved and indigent patients by providing general and specialty-specific care by a staff of volunteer health care providers. Residents will see new patients and established patients for a variety of conditions, including epilepsy, headache, Parkinson’s disease, myasthenia, dementia, neuropathy and back pain.
Patients are referred from both pediatric and adult general medicine clinics. Houston Methodist faculty will be responsible for providing supervision and instruction to residents. However, the experience provides an opportunity for autonomy in a clinical setting with limited resources.
General Neurology Resident Continuity Clinic
PGY 4 resident who are not assigned to San Jose clinic will participate in this clinic weekly. Residents will evaluate general neurology patients referred from primary care providers, other specialists, or hospital discharges under the supervision of an attending physician. Residents will see new patients and established patients for a variety of conditions. Residents will also have the opportunity to perform common outpatient procedures under supervision, i.e., Botox injection, occipital nerve block, lumbar puncture and others. After evaluation, the patients will be followed longitudinally by the same resident, or to be referred to subspecialty clinics if needed. This clinic provides residents the experience of “real world neurology” outpatient practice, with the goal that the residents are prepared for independent practice after graduation.
The Resident Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) Clinic
The MDA clinic occurs twice monthly on the second and fourth Fridays of the month and is supervised by Faculty in Neuromuscular Medicine. The resident will become knowledgeable and gain experience in evaluating and managing the adult neuromuscular and muscular dystrophy patient and providing ongoing care for patients with diseases of the peripheral nervous system, including motor neuron disorders, Duchenne/Becker’s dystrophies, Charcot-Marie-Toothe disease, acquired and congenital myasthenic syndromes, and ataxia syndromes.
Patients are referred to the resident clinic from departmental faculty, local private practitioners and self-referred patients screened through the MDA. The MDA faculty will be responsible for providing supervision and teaching the resident, including case teaching and formal lectures within the clinic setting. The faculty will evaluate every patient seen by the resident and provide instruction and guidance regarding evaluation and management of each case.
Teaching Conferences
Teaching conferences series are designed to cover the breadth of neurology, complement bedside teaching, and mature clinical practice. Residents will be required to attend morning report and noon conference daily and grand rounds weekly.
Lectures will be given by departmental faculty and faculty from other departments. Residents will also be required to give lectures, case presentations and journal club throughout the academic year. Junior faculty and residents will present up-to-date advances in neuroscience under the mentorship of selected faculty. PGY 4 residents will be required to give a grand rounds presentation during their senior year of training.
Morning Report is required and occurs at 8:00 a.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays and will be attended by a faculty member. Residents will present new neurology cases for discussion and teaching.
Resident Lecture Series occurs on Monday-Thursday at noon and covers a large variety of topics relevant to basic sciences of neurology and clinical neurology that fulfill American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology requirements. These topics include neuroanatomy, pathology, genetics, pharmacology, and clinical subspecialties: neurology emergencies, cerebrovascular disease, headache and pain, movement disorders, epilepsy, neuromuscular disorders, neuroimmunology, trauma, neuro-oncology, and behavioral, cognitive neurology. Subspeciality case conferences include neuropathology case conferences, neuroradiology case conferences, EEG/Epilepsy/IOM case conferences, EMG/NM case conference and sleep medicine case conferences. Residents will also present journal clubs and morbidity and mortality cases under supervision of faculty members.
Professor's Rounds occur on Wednesday from 1:15 to 2:15 p.m. and provides an invaluable opportunity for residents and students to receive hands-on training in the evaluation and examination of the neurology patient. During these rounds, a patient volunteers to be interviewed and examined by a chosen resident. The resident, along with other attendees, must then discuss the site(s) of the lesion, differential diagnosis, evaluation, treatment, and relevant molecular biology.
Neurology Grand Rounds occur at noon on Fridays at the Houston Methodist Hospital and Pediatric Grand Rounds occur at 8:00 a.m. every Fridays at The Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital. Residents are required to attend all HMH Grand Rounds and Pediatric Neurology Grand Rounds unless rotating on neuro-oncology at MDACC. Each PGY 4 resident provides a Houston Methodist grand rounds presentation on their topic of choice. Each resident is expected to present a Pediatric Grand Rounds Case Presentation once before completion of three pediatric neurology block rotations.
Mandatory MDACC required didactics include Morning Report on Tuesday mornings and the MDACC Friday Lecture Series. Residents are only required to attend these didactics when rotating on Neuro-oncology.
Resident Basic Science Lectures PGY 3 neurology residents are expected to present advances in neurology/neuroscience under the guidance of a mentor who specializes in the field of research and/or care. The lectures occur throughout the year on Fridays (noon) and are presented to the department and open to the other clinicians and scientists in the medical center.
These lectures provide a superb opportunity for the resident to delve into the pathophysiology of disease as well as understand the direction of current research and the advances in the care, diagnosis, and treatment of neurology diseases. It also provides an unparalleled experience in the critical analysis and critique of research studies and in communication skills, all under the mentorship of experts that are renowned in their field.
Eligibility and Application
To be eligible for the neurology residency, an applicant must meet certain criteria:
Application Criteria
- Have fewer than five years since medical school graduation
- Be of good professional character with at least three letters of recommendation attesting to their academic and personal qualifications
- Be a graduate of a U.S. or Canadian medical school accredited by the Liaison Committee for Medical Education (LCME), or a college of osteopathic medicine in the U.S. accredited by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), or a medical school outside the U.S. and Canada with a current valid certificate from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) prior to appointment, or have completed a Fifth Pathway program through an LCME-accredited medical school
- Be licensable in the State of Texas and obtain before beginning training a postgraduate resident permit or a valid Texas medical license from the Texas Medical Board
- Every non-citizen applicant selected for appointment must have permanent resident status or a J-1 visa as a condition of appointment to a resident position at Houston Methodist. Read more
Nearly all selected applicants to the program will have scored between 220-245 on first time Step 1 and/or Step 2 USMLE examinations, although exceptions will be made for individual applicants with otherwise exceptional applications.
Applications must be submitted through ERAS (Electronic Residency Application Service). (ACGME Program # 1804812160). Prospective applicants can begin the application process by submitting the following materials:
Application Requirements
- Application
- Curriculum Vitae
- Personal statement
- Medical school transcript
- Wallet-sized color photograph
- USMLE transcript (transmitted by the NBME)
- ECFMG status report (International Medical Graduates only)
- Three letters of recommendation (including a letter from the program director of current training program)
Transfer applicants must seek waiver from the parent program as required by the National Residency Matching Program before applying to the program.
Drug & Tobacco Screening: Applicants will be tested for nicotine and drug usage during the post-offer physical. If an applicant tests positive for nicotine use, including nicotine gum and patches, the offer will be rescinded, and individuals will be given the opportunity to participate in a free Houston Methodist-provided tobacco cessation program. Applicants wishing to reapply after testing positive for nicotine may do so 90 days after the date the initial offer was rescinded.
If the applicant tests positive for drug use, the offer will be rescinded. Job seekers wishing to reapply after the drug screening is positive may do so one year after the date the initial offer was rescinded.
Background Check: Prior to employment start date, job seekers must complete a criminal background check.
Institutions
Houston Methodist Neurological Institute is one of the six Houston Methodist Centers of Excellence. Houston Methodist Hospital Neurology & Neurosurgery has been ranked top of nation by U.S. News & World Report for many years. In 2023, it was ranked No. 11 in the nation.
The inaugural creation of the Houston Methodist Neurological Institute at Houston Methodist Hospital in 2005 was the result of a commitment and mission to pioneer the translation of advances in basic science into meaningful therapies for neurological conditions while providing an environment that fosters the education and training of post-doctoral fellows, residents and students to develop into preeminent physicians and scientists of tomorrow.
The Neurological Institute is a cornerstone of Houston Methodist Hospital's strategic vision for its future as a top-ranked academic medical center. It supports a collaborative atmosphere for senior and young investigators in various fields. The Institute’s co-directors Gavin W. Britz, MD and Jun Li, MD, represent a broad spectrum of expertise. They lead a core group of more than 50 neurologists, neurosurgeons and dozens of neuro-specialist staff, all collaborating to make the Neurological Institute the nation’s model for neurological diagnosis, treatment, clinical trials, and research.
Houston Methodist Hospital
Houston Methodist Hospital, is located in the Texas Medical Center. For more than 100 years, Houston Methodist has served the Houston community and the world with the highest quality patient care in a spiritual environment. Affiliated with the Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church, Houston Methodist continues its longstanding commitment to improving the community health and well-being.
Recognizing our dedication to excellence, U.S. News & World Report has once again named Houston Methodist Hospital to its prestigious Honor Roll. We are nationally ranked in 11 specialties, the most in the state, and have been national leaders throughout the COVID-19 pandemic in research, offering innovative treatments and surpassing CDC safety standards. We are proud to be the No. 1 hospital in Texas and one of the top 20 hospitals in the nation. Houston Methodist Hospital was also ranked No. 2 on Forbes’ America’s Best Large Employers 2023 list.
Learn more about our U.S. News & World Report national rankings >
Residents will rotate on all adult inpatient/consult and outpatient services at Houston Methodist, including the vascular neurology, neuromuscular, headache/speech disorders, epilepsy, movement disorders, neuroimmunology and general neurology services. All outpatient adult neurology clinics are on the 8th floor of the Scurlock Tower, including specialty clinics, the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) clinics, and resident continuity clinic.
MD Anderson Cancer Center
The MD Anderson Cancer Center has consistently been ranked one of the top two hospital in cancer care every year since U.S. News & World Report began its annual “America’s Best Hospitals” survey in 1990. It is one of the largest cancer centers in the world with a depth of experience that contributes to every aspect of patient care with physicians who are recognized as among the best in the nation. The institution is known for research and translational science which have resulted in in pioneering medical advances over the years.
PGY3 Neurology residents complete two four-week block rotations under the supervision of Neuro-oncology Faculty and Fellows on the inpatient neuro-oncology service and the outpatient primary brain tumor clinic. Each block rotation is divided into two weeks on the inpatient service and two weeks in clinic with ability to attend morning report and conferences.
San José Clinic
San José Clinic, the original safety-net clinic in Houston, has steadfastly grown into a leading provider of quality healthcare services for individuals and families in the Greater Houston area who struggle the most with accessing care. The Clinic began with the vision of Monsignor Walsh, a donation of $50 from the Charity Guild of Catholic Women and volunteers from the community, who all came together with the same hope of breaking down barriers to healthcare for the underserved. Ninety years later, we proudly uphold the legacy of our founders by continuing to provide healthcare for those who need a health home the most, including primary and specialty medical and dental care as well as vision, laboratory and pharmacy services.
More than 1.1 million, one in every three, persons in the Houston/Harris County area lack health insurance. The demand for low-cost care in this area is consistently greater than available community resources. Primary healthcare for the uninsured is grossly inadequate, and specialty care is almost non-existent. Because of the Clinic's extensive use of volunteer physicians, other community volunteers and teaching affiliations, patients are able to access quality healthcare in a single convenient setting.
PGY3 and PGY4 residents weekly under the supervision of program faculty as part of their longitudinal clinic experience. Residents have the opportunity to evaluate, diagnose, and treat patients who are underserved and with limited resources. The experience provides a great opportunity to develop clinical skills and develop autonomy for the trainee.
Medical School: Texas Tech U HSC-Lubbock
Medical School: Ohio State University
Medical School: UT Houston McGovern
Alumni
Year
|
Position Post-Residency |
Class of 2024 |
|
| Sara Benitez, MD | Neuromuscular Medicine Fellowship, Houston Methodist |
| Riya Bhavsar, MD | Vascular Neurology Fellowship, Houston Methodist |
| Zane Foster, MD | Private Practice |
| Amulya Gottiparthy, DO |
Neuro-Oncology Fellowship, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center
|
| Osman Ozel, MD | Private Practice |
| Beatriz Thames, MD | Movement Disorders Fellowship, Houston Methodist |
Class of 2023 |
|
| Akhil Shivaprasad, MD | Neuromuscular Medicine Fellowship, Duke University |
| Himanshu A. Patel, MD | Vascular Neurology Fellowship, University of Maryland |
| Syed A. Gillani, MD | Endovascular Surgical Neuroradiology, Univ. of Missouri |
| Sanaa A. Karim, DO | Pain Fellowship, Oklahoma University |
| Danish Kherani, MD | Vascular Neurology Fellowship, UT Houston |
| Tony J. Zhang, MD | Vascular Neurology Fellowship, Houston Methodist |
Class of 2022 |
|
| Meryim Poursheykhi, MD | Neurohospitalist, Vanderbilt |
| Andy Lin, MD | Clinical Neurophysiology Fellowship, Mayo Clinic |
| Melody Badii, MD | Neuromuscular Fellowship, UC Irvine |
| Abdulmunaim Eid, MD | Neuroimaging Fellowship, Houston Methodist |
| Ahmed Khalafalla, MD | Vascular Neurology Fellowship, Houston Methodist |
| Nishath Naseem, MD | Vascular Neurology Fellowship, Mayo Clinic |
Class of 2021 |
|
| Shruti Agashe, MD | Clinical Neurophysiology Fellowship, Mayo |
| Harsh Patel, MD | Vascular Neurology Fellowship, Emory |
| Destiny Hooper, MD | Vascular Neurology Fellowship, University of Cincinnati |
| Vindhya Koneru, MD | Movement Disorder Fellowship, Houston Methodist |
| Ilya Dubovoy, MD | Private Practice, Williamsburg |
Class of 2020 |
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| Hina Aslam, MD | Private practice |
| Jillian Heisler, MD, PhD | Private practice, Houston Methodist |
| Rajeel Imran, MD | Stroke Fellowship, Emory University |
| Jon Toledo, MD | Movement Disorder Fellowship, University of Florida |
Class of 2019 |
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| Keerthana Akkineni, MD | Clinical Neurophysiology Fellowship, Harvard Medical School |
| Chih-Chun Lin, MD, PhD | Movement Disorder Fellowship, Columbia University |
| Shyam Panchal, MD | Stroke Fellowship, Vanderbilt University |
| Kishan Patel, MD | Stroke Fellowship, Emory University |
Class of 2018 |
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| Mahnaz Entezaralmahdi, MD | Pain Fellowship, University of Southern California |
| JaMÍs MonÉt Jackson, MD | Transition Fellowship, Pediatrics to Adult Neurology, UT Houston |
| Nicholas Rome, MD | Private Practice, New Orleans |
| Crystal J. Yeo, MD, PhD | Neuromuscular Fellowship, Harvard Medical School |
Class of 2017 |
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| Alireza Faridar, MD | Neuroimaging Fellowship, Houston Methodist |
| Eva Mistry, MD | Vascular Neurology, University of Cincinnati |
| Haseeb Rahman, MD | Vascular Neurology, Emory University |
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| Rajan Gadhia, MD | Vascular Neurology Fellowship, Harvard Medical School |
| M. Obadah Nakawah, MD | Neuroimaging Fellowship, Houston Methodist |
Class of 2015 |
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| John Eatman, MD | Neuromuscular Fellowship, Houston Methodist |
| Umair Saeed, MD | Stroke and Neurocritical Care Fellowship, UT Houston |
| Stacy V. Smith, MD | Neuro-ophthalmology Fellowship, Houston Methodist Headache Medicine Fellowship, UT Southwestern |
| Jason Thonhoff, MD, PhD | Neuromuscular Fellowship, Houston Methodist |
Class of 2014 |
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| Hristelina Ilieva, MD | Neuromuscular Fellowship, Johns Hopkins |
| Sepideh Mokhtari, MD | Neuro-oncology Fellowship, MSK Cancer Center |
| Brooke McQueen, MD | Neurophysiology Fellowship, Houston Methodist |
Class of 2013 |
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| Xuan Wu, MD | Clinical Neurophysiology Fellowship, University of Pittsburgh |
Class of 2012 |
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| Kathleen Alfuth, DO | Private Practice, Dallas |
| Ashkan Mowla, MD | Vascular Neurology & Stroke, University of Michigan |
| Usha Thapalia, MD | Epilepsy/EEG, Cleveland Clinic |
Class of 2011 |
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| Mohammad Al Baeer, MD | Neurophysiology Fellowship, Houston Methodist |
Class of 2009 |
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| Snehi Sehgal-Kapur, MD | Neurophysiology Fellowship, The State University of New York |
From Our Graduates
"I wanted to share some news that you may have heard about already from Vicky. I accepted a neurohospitalist/inpatient epilepsy position at Vanderbilt. They asked me during my interview if I could handle a busy inpatient service. I thought back to our own teaching service and how busy we were but still learned to lead a team efficiently. That training was invaluable and though slightly intimidated, I feel surprisingly well prepared for this next step. Warm regards." Keerthana Akkineni, MD
"I am humbled and delighted to inform you that I am starting my first job as an assistant professor at the University of Florida Jacksonville NeuroICU next week. Thank you for the excellent education, training, and guidance in building my career. Please remember me in your prayers." Umair Saeed, MD
"Those billing and coding lectures were SO helpful. One suggestion I have though is to do one on billing for common procedures like EMG and EEG. I hope everything is going well, I miss working with all of you!" Nicholas Rome, MD
"I hope all is well. I just wanted to share a recent patient that I saw that my training at Methodist was critical in my ability to diagnosis and give her family answers. The training at Methodist 1) allowed me to learn pattern recognition in neuromuscular disease, 2) taught me to trust my exam over others’, 3) taught me EMG skills (even if this was the most trying part of the fellowship; it was worth it), and 4) completing the fellowship there made me a more confident clinician. Thank you for the all you did for me during fellowship. As I have said before, you all do amazing work." Lamar Davis, MD
"I have been away for not even a month and I could not help but write an email. I have settled in Cincinnati and absolutely love working here. I feel like I am in the Mecca for stroke research and opportunities seem to be endless. You helped me make the right decision. I have been involved in patient care here and my peers and faculty think that I was trained very well. I simply wanted to say Thank You, for all that you have done! Please do share my gratitude with the faculty at Methodist. I miss you all!" Eva Mistry, MD
" I am really honored and humbled to be trained at Houston Methodist with you all. The strong foundation during my residency has certainly helped me in my future career. I passed by vascular neurology (Stroke) boards last year and currently in my last year of neuro-critical care fellowship." Umair Saeed, MD
"I was thinking about Methodist today. I saw a patient with a tauopathy stare and another with hammertoes and high arches. It made me glad that I trained at a program that emphasized learning physical exam well and not just ordering tests. A few of my patients here are challenging, but I learned from you Dr. Simpson (as well as Dr. Appel and Dr. Smith) that any case no matter how difficult can be teased apart, analyzed and figured out with enough time and effort. This gives me comfort even when confronted with the most complicated problems. I hope everything is well at Methodist. I hope we can catch up soon, I am really curious how my patients are doing." John Eatman, MD
"I am thankful for my year in Houston. It has given me a different perspective on medicine and on how I choose to practice it. Before, I had no desire to be remotely involved in research; now I have a great interest in it. I have one patient that I am trying to get included in a trial for COL6 patients (I must thank Hristelina for her assistance in getting in contact with the lead investigator), and I may be a part of a treatment trial with kids with DMD (although, it appears that rank will be pulled on me and a more senior person may take the lead). Dr. Veda is teaching me to do muscle biopsies. I must honestly say that I hear Dr. Pleitez's voice each time; I don't say that in a negative fashion. Her standards on closing are something that I now appreciate. Again, I hope all is well. I really enjoyed my year at Methodist. It challenged me and made me a better doctor. Please tell everyone I said hello." Lamar Davis, MD
"I am really loving it here in New York!!! The fellowship program is amazing, so many opportunities to grow as a clinician and a researcher. I really think your training in Methodist is paying off now. I am forever grateful for all the teaching and mentoring you have given me. I will keep you posted with my progress here. I just can't get enough of the city. I will be coming to Houston for a visit after Christmas. I would love to meet you and give you a big hug before I go back. Thanks for everything" Sepideh Mokhtari, MD
"I started my new job yesterday, received a badge as assistant professor, and was assigned a nice office on the 18th floor of Smith Tower. How lucky I am. But I also felt scared. I will start to work independently. I keep encouraging myself that I will treat the patients the way you do, work the way you do. I was trained by the best teachers; I have the best examples to follow. I should be fine. Best Regards" Xuan Wu, MD
"I really feel comfortable handling neurological and stroke patients independently and also teaching medical students and residents. Gil Wolfe, MD, my chairman, got a very good feedback from the residents about how I am doing only after being here for 2 months.
I owe you a lot for training me. Just wanted to say THANK YOU!" Ashkan Mowla, MD
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