The Neurological Institute of New York
at Columbia University Medical Center
The New York-Presbyterian Hospital at Columbia University Medical Center
From the Chairman
This is an extraordinary time to be a neurologist as there is no more exciting specialty in medicine today than neurology. The field has been transformed by brain imaging, molecular genetics, animal models, well-designed clinical trials and outcomes studies. And fueled by the rapid pace of discovery involving fundamental mechanisms of normal and abnormal brain function, it is reasonable to believe, for the first time ever, that effective treatments or preventions targeted to specific mechanisms and, possibly, even cures will become available within the foreseeable future for devastating conditions like Alzheimer disease, Parkinson disease, ALS and muscular dystrophy. Already, the treatment of stroke, epilepsy, acute inflammatory demyelinating neuropathy, multiple sclerosis, and migraine is vastly different, and vastly more effective, than it was 20 years ago. The prospect of providing direct benefit to the millions of patients with neurological diseases has never been brighter.
We are very pleased that you are interested in our training programs, and we hope that this site is informative and helpful. For nearly 100 years, the Neurological Institute at Columbia University Medical Center has trained outstanding clinicians, clinical and laboratory investigators, and academic leaders in neurology. The Department of Neurology provides a rich and stimulating environment that links clinical experience derived from a large and diverse patient population with active research programs that are advancing our understanding of neurological disorders and creating new expectations for improved treatment. Our large faculty is an extraordinary group of individuals that includes clinician educators, clinical investigators and laboratory scientists. All are committed, enthusiastic and accessible teachers. They are wonderful role models for our residents, and they demonstrate daily that neurologists are most effective when their practice has a sound scientific basis, and that clinic and laboratory are mutually interactive and inseparable.
Finally, you will enjoy being here. The atmosphere at the Neurological Institute is collegial and supportive, your peers will be stimulating, enthusiastic and helpful, and the friendships you develop here will be life-long. Columbia University Medical Center is one of the great academic medical centers, and Columbia itself one of the greatest universities. And, of course, the opportunity to work and live in New York, one of the world's great cities, a vibrant metropolis filled with culture and excitement, is an essential part of the Columbia experience. We look forward to meeting you.
Timothy A. Pedley, M.D.
Henry and Lucy Moses Professor and Chairman
Neurologist-in-Chief
From the Residency Program Director - An Overview
The Faculty and Staff of the Department of Neurology at the Neurological Institute of New York welcome your interest in our training programs. By providing consistently excellent clinical and scientific learning opportunities, the Neurological Institute (NI) has an internationally recognized tradition of training academic leaders, and superb physician-scientists practitioners of neurology.
The NI training programs possess all of the elements necessary to train both clinical and research-oriented neurologists. The collegial environment and subspecialty organization foster excellence in all areas of neurology. There are abundant opportunities for learning, from bedside and clinical rounds to formal conferences and seminars. In addition, faculty members are readily accessible and offer many opportunities for personal interactions between trainees and renowned experts in neuroscience and nearly all subspecialty areas of neurology.
Residents participate with increasing independence in all aspects of patient care, and have experiences in adult and pediatric inpatient neurology, the neurological intensive care unit, stroke unit, epilepsy monitoring unit, consultation services, emergency room, ambulatory care, and all major subspecialties of neurology. The large and diverse patient volume provides our trainees with an unsurpassed depth of experience. Because the hospital serves a large urban population, residents have exposure to both common neurological problems encountered in our local community, as well as to patients referred for tertiary care of rare and complex neurological disorders. Trainees are thus enabled to become uniquely strong practitioners of neurology.
Clinical teaching occurs against a background of exceptionally strong neuroscience. Understanding the underlying neurobiology of neurological disorders is viewed as an essential element in the training and development of future neurologists.
Training future academic neurologists, including clinician-educators, clinical investigators, and physician-scientists, is one of the Department's highest priorities. The Department of Neurology, together with the Department of Psychiatry, the Department of Pathology & Cell Biology, and the Center for Neurobiology and Behavior, offers unparalleled research opportunities in clinical, translational and fundamental neuroscience. Residents are encouraged to participate in research, and a highlight of every year is the Residents' Research Day, when trainees have the opportunity to present and discuss their work.
Blair Ford, M.D.
Director, Neurology Residency Training Program
Adult Neurology
Pediatric Neurology
Fellowship Programs in Clinical Neurology
