Program Overview
The Cognitive Neurology Unit (CNU) at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) was established in 1976 by the founding father of behavioral neurology, Dr. Norman Geshwind and has trained many of the leaders of the field. The Cognitive Neurology Fellowship program which originated in 1978, is a UCNS BNN accredited, two year clinical and research training program designed to train the next generation of academic cognitive neurologists and neuropsychiatrists in the clinical care of patients with brain dysfunction as well as provide them with a research foundation to enable them to become independent clinician scientists. Fellows are expected to develop patent care expertise in the evaluation and treatment of individuals with neurobehavioral conditions, acquire an expert level of Behavioral Neurology and Neuropsychiatry (BNNP) knowledge, develop practice-based learning, interpersonal and communication skills, and acquire an understanding of the research methodologies within the field of BNNP.
Clinical experiences through outpatient clinics and inpatient consultative services emphasize training in the diagnosis and treatment of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), frontotemporal dementia, Lewy body disease; acquired brain injury such a stroke, anoxic brain injury, and traumatic brain injury; and congenital and inherited disorders such as attention deficit disorder and dyslexia.
Concurrent to clinical training, fellows will develop a research project while working closely with the CNBS and the CNU. Fellows will have additional access to nationally and internationally recognized clinicians and researchers within BIDMC and in the neighboring Harvard/MIT Schools. Fellows will have access to tools of basic neurobiology, non-invasive brain stimulation (TMS and tCS), electrophysiology (EEG), brain imaging techniques (fMRI, PET/SPECT) as well as neuropsychiatry, neuropsychology, and cognitive neuroscience. Fellows also will have an opportunity to take an active role in the many clinical trials being conducted at the BIDMC.
The core curriculum includes journal club, seminars, conferences, and lectures within the CNU, Department of Neurology, BIDMC, and the greater Boston science community. Integral to this is our CNU/CNBS grand rounds, a weekly multidisciplinary rounds involving clinical case conferences, patient presentations, and research seminars. Fellows will lead the case presentations as well as play an active role in the discussion and research presentations.
Interested applicants should provide by mail or email a personal statement, curriculum vitae, and three letters of recommendations, one of which should be from their research advisor, to the program director, Dr. Stillman c/o Alisha Roby (aroby@bidmc.harvard.edu), by June 30th of the year prior to anticipated matriculation. Applicants are also encouraged to apply for the Sidney R. Baer, Jr. Foundational Fellowship http://tmslab.org/education-baer-apply.php.
Faculty
Chief, Division of Cognitive Neurology
Daniel Press, MD
Medical Director, Division of Cognitive Neurology
Chun Lim, MD, PhD
Program Director
Alexandra Stilman, MD
Division of Cognitive Neurology
Department of Neurology, KS446
BIDMC
330 Brookline Avenue
Boston MA 02215
astillma@bidmc.harvard.edu