Epilepsy Fellowships
The Epilepsy Fellowship is a one-year program. The Fellowship offers specialized training in neonatal, pediatric, and adult epilepsy and neurophysiology – with an emphasis on the management of intractable epilepsy and epilepsy surgery evaluation.
Those successfully completing the program are eligible for subspecialty certification in Epilepsy by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. Fellows can select between an adult or pediatric-focused track. Regardless of track, exposure is offered to both adult and pediatric patients and expert faculty.
Second Year Fellowship
An optional second year of fellowship training in Clinical Neurophysiology is also available. This combined two-year fellowship program prepares candidates for an academic practice in a tertiary epilepsy center, offering a greater opportunity to become proficient at corticography, invasive monitoring, and cortical mapping procedures. Additionally, second-year fellows are expected to complete an independent research project for presentation at a national meeting and publication.
- Curriculum & Training
All fellows attend a combined weekly epilepsy surgery conference, and a comprehensive lecture series throughout the year covering pediatric and adult topics, plus journal club and EEG review sessions. Fellows will become knowledgeable of the various imaging modalities involved in the evaluation of intractable epilepsy, including MRI, interictal/ictal SPECT, PET, and fMRI. Additionally, the Epilepsy Fellowship provides hands-on experience and intensive individual training by faculty in the following procedures and clinical activities:
- Pharmacology of antiepileptic drugs
- Investigational antiepileptic drug research
- Outpatient subspecialty epilepsy clinic
- Routine and intraoperative evoked potentials
- Scalp electroencephalography in neonates, children, and adults
- Video EEG monitoring in an epilepsy monitoring unit
- Invasive electroencephalography with depth and subdural electrodes
- Intraoperative electrocorticography and cortical mapping in awake or anesthetized patients
- Extraoperative cortical mapping
- Use of the vagus nerve stimulator and responsive neurostimulation
- Wada testing
Fellows rotate through the adult UT Southwestern Epilepsy Program and the pediatric Children's Epilepsy Center in Dallas. Both centers are Level 4 NEAC Epilepsy Centers with active surgical programs. Faculty includes seven pediatric and six adult epileptologists.
- Adult Fellowship Program
Fellows in the adult program spend time at Parkland Memorial Hospital and Zale Lipshy Pavilion—William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital (a neuroscience specialty hospital). The Epilepsy Monitoring Unit has 11 beds and admits 500 patients annually. The associated Neurophysiology Labs provide outpatient and inpatient services to more than 1,100 beds within the affiliated sites of the UT Southwestern Medical Center. Outpatient experience is offered at the adjacent Neurology Clinic at the Ron J. Anderson, M.D. Ambulatory Care Center.
- Pediatric Fellowship Program
The Children’s Medical Center of Dallas is the primary clinical location for this fellowship. The volume and diversity of patients provide a full-bodied education to fellows. Facilities include an 8-bed pediatric epilepsy-monitoring unit (EMU). Neonatal EEG expertise is attained as the center also reads EEGs performed in 3 other NICUs in the metroplex.
The Comprehensive Epilepsy Center at Children's Medical Center of Dallas is designated a level 4 Epilepsy center by the National Association of Epilepsy Centers. The Pediatric Neurophysiology lab performs over 5000 video EEGs, annually. There are 50-75 epilepsy surgeries performed annually including ~20 stereo EEG evaluations and 20 neurostimulation procedures (including RNS and DBS). The Comprehensive Epilepsy Center sees ~8,000 outpatient epilepsy visits per year.
Candidates interested in pursuing a career in surgical epilepsy can apply for 2 years of fellowship training.
The program objectives of Epilepsy Fellowship are for fellow competence and/or exposure in:
- Pediatric electroencephalography - routine and long-term continuous EEG monitoring, neonatal EEG, pediatric ICU EEG monitoring.
- Evaluation of potential candidates for epilepsy surgery- Phase 1 pre-surgical evaluations, utilization of neuroradiologic tests, and exposure to Magnetoencephalography.
- Outpatient Clinical management of refractory pediatric epilepsy - pharmacological, surgical, and dietary therapies.
- Epilepsy surgery - intracranial EEG evaluations including stereo EEG, subdural grids & strips, functional cortical mapping, management of neurostimulation treatments including responsive neurostimulation.
- Quality Improvement and clinical trials in epilepsy with opportunities to participate and receive mentorship from faculty.
- Participate in rare genetic epilepsy clinics including Rett Syndrome, Angelman Syndrome, and Tuberous Sclerosis Complex clinics.
- Prerequisites
Applicants must:
- Have an M.D. degree (or equivalent) from an LCME-accredited medical school
- Have satisfactorily completed an ACGME-accredited adult or pediatric neurology residency program
- Be board-eligible or board-certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
- Possess a current Texas Medical License.
Foreign medical graduates must be ECFMG-certified and eligible for J-1 visa sponsorship.
- Application
How to apply to the Adult Epilepsy Fellowship Program
Applications are generally accepted 24 months prior to the anticipated start of training. This is typically in August of the PGY-3 year for Adult Neurology Residents, or PGY-4 year for Pediatric Neurology Residents. Interviews typically occur thereafter in the fall/winter.
For questions about the Adult Epilepsy fellowship: Email
How to apply to the Pediatric Epilepsy Fellowship Program:
The Pediatric Epilepsy Fellowship Program at UTSW Medical Center is a part of the NRMP national match program.
We are currently offering 2 Pediatric Epilepsy fellowship positions per year (in addition to 2 Pediatric Clinical Neurophysiology Fellowship positions per year).
All candidates must apply through ERAS to be eligible. Please see ERAS for application requirements.
If you have any questions at any time during the application process, please contact Tayler Kalia at (214) 456-9587 or by Tayler.Kalia@utsouthwestern.edu.
- Fellowship Education Team
Alexander Doyle, M.D.
Program Director
Adult Epilepsy Fellowship
Afsaneh Talai, M.D.
Program Director
Pediatric Epilepsy FellowshipAdult Program
Questions?
For questions about the Adult Epilepsy fellowship: Email
For questions about the Pediatric Epilepsy fellowship: Email
Current Fellows
Hrishikesh Dadhich, M.D.
Residency: Univ. of Alabama at Birmingham
Medical School & Undergraduate: University of Alabama at Birmingham
Henry He, M.D.
Fellowship: UT Southwestern Clinical Neurophysiology
Residency: UT Southwestern Neurology
Medical School: UT Southwestern
Undergraduate: Rice Univ.
Melissa Huynh, M.D.
Fellowship:UT Southwestern Clinical Neurophysiology
Residency: UT Southwestern Neurology
Medical School: McGovern Medical School
Undergraduate: UT Austin
Faez Syed, M.D.
Residency:Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Neurology
Medical School: Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Graduate: Princeton Univ., M.A, Religion
Undergraduate: Yale Univ.