Overview of Program

The University of Louisville Clinical Neurophysiology Fellowship is ACGME accredited, program # 1872018001. 

Zeng Y. Wang, MD, PhD is Program Director. 

Clinical neurophysiology (CNP) is an area of medicine in which selected neurological disorders involving central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous systems and muscles are assessed, monitored, and treated using a combination of clinical evaluation and electrophysiological testing. A derangement of the normal physiology of the nervous system underlies these selected disorders, and an assessment of the electrophysiological abnormalities is an integral part of the evaluation process. Expertise in CNP requires a detailed knowledge of normal nervous system electrophysiology and how disease states alter it.

The Fellowship program allows the fellow to choose from one of three tracks:

1. Balanced Curriculum- with emphasis on both Electroencephalography (EEG) and Electromyography (EMG)

2. Epilepsy Curriculum- with major emphasis on epilepsy and EEG, minor emphasis on EMG

3. Neuromuscular Curriculum- Neuromuscular Curriculum with major emphasis on neuromuscular and EMG, minor emphasis on epilepsy and EEG

Participating training sites are:

1. University Hospital

2. Jewish Hospital

3. Norton Children's Hospital

The fellow will develop greater competency in the evaluation and management of epilepsy and neuromuscular diseases, especially with regard to use of CNP studies. Fellows will attain competencies in clinical neurophysiology and in the six ACGME core competencies.  After completion, the fellow will be qualified to take the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology certification in the subspecialty of Clinical Neurophysiology. We hope to have our fellows join as teaching faculty after completion of our fellowship.

Program Structure

The fellowship is comprised of several different monthly rotations and longitudinal experiences. Case-based learning is the main method for achieving educational goals and objectives. In each rotation, learning through clinical experience and one-to-one interactions with faculty is a primary teaching method. This is accompanied by learning clinical neurophysiology through lectures, weekly and monthly conferences, one-on-one learning with faculty and experiences in which the fellow teaches others. In addition, self-directed learning using textbooks, reviews, original research reports and web-based learning is a very important learning method for the fellow. Consistent and effective self-directed learning is the basis of the habit of the life-long learning expected of every graduate.

On Call Schedule: 

CNP Fellows do not take in-house call. While on EMU/EEG rotations fellows are on home call 6 days per week, with one day per week not on call. A neurology resident is on in-house call and will be the first physician responder for neurological emergencies. An Epilepsy Division faculty member is on home call for the EMU 24 hours per day and should be called for all but minor issues 

Faculty

We have several faculty members who are specially qualified in different areas of clinical neurophysiology:

• Zeng Y. Wang, MD, PhD-  Program Director, Associate Professor of Neurology, Board Certified in Neurology and Clinical Neurophysiology
• Catarina DeMarchi Assuncao, MD- Instructor, Board Eligible in Neurology; Board Eligible in Clinical Neurophysiology
• Gregory N. Barnes, MD, PhD- Associate Professor of Neurology, Board Certified in Neurology with special qualifications in Child Neurology and Epilepsy
• Martin Brown, MD, MSc-  Assistant Professor of Neurology. Board Certified in Neurology and Neuromuscular Medicine

• M. Steven Evans, MD, MS- Professor Emeritus (Part Time), Board Certified in Neurology, Clinical Neurophysiology and Epilepsy
• Cemal Karakas, MD- Assistant Professor of Neurology, Epilepsy Fellowship Program Director, Board Certified in Neurology with special qualifications in Child Neurology, Clinical Neurophysiology and Epilepsy
• Adriana E. Palade, MD- Professor of Neurology, Neurology Residency Director, Board Certified in Neurology, Clinical Neurophysiology and Epilepsy
• Amanda Rogers, MD- Assistant Professor of Neurology, Board Certified in Neurology with special qualifications in Child Neurology and Neuromuscular Medicine
• Vishwanath Sagi, MD, MPH- Assistant Professor of Neurology, Board Certified in Neurology and Epilepsy
• Christopher Shafer, MD- Associate Professor of Neurology. Board Certified in Neurology and Epilepsy

2024-25 Fellow: 

Ping Shi, MD, PhD

Residency: University of Louisville Neurology, 2024 

Med School: Shandong Medical School, China 

We are currently recruiting for a fellow to start July 1, 2025. Interested applicants should email program leadership. 

We plan to participate in the upcoming NRMP Fellowship Match (opening December 2024) for positions to start July 1, 2026.

Previous Fellows

Dr. Grant J. Turek was our first ACGME- Accredited fellow who started on July 1, 2021 and completed all training requirements on June 30, 2022.  Dr Turek joined our program after completing residency at the University of Louisville Child Neurology Program.  

Fellow Eligibility

This fellowship is intended primarily for adult (PGY5) or child neurologists (PGY6) already having graduated from an ACGME-accredited neurology or child neurology residency program and are board-eligible in Neurology. ACGME-accredited graduates in neurodevelopmental disabilities and psychiatry are eligible and will be considered. International medical school graduates should have or be eligible for a J-1 Visa, EAD, Green Card or be a US citizen. H-1 visas are not considered by the University of Louisville.

Fellow Selection Criteria

Fellows ordinarily start on July 1 of each year and are employed through June 30 of the following year. The Neurology Department follows the UofL School of Medicine guidelines. There is no match for the CNP fellowship, and applications may be made or accepted at any time. Applications are screened by the Program Director, and should include USMLE or COMLEX scores, medical school transcript and Dean’s letter, residency summative evaluation and three letters of recommendation.

Desirable criteria are:
 USMLE I-III scores above 210, all passed on first attempt, and USMLE II CS passed on first attempt, or similar COMLEX performance
 Superior medical school performance
 Superior performance in residency
 Letters of recommendation focused on Clinical Neurophysiology
 At least one US letter of recommendation

Candidates with superior applications are invited to interview with clinical neurophysiology faculty. No candidate is selected without an interview. Candidates are selected and ranked and in a special meeting of faculty. The highest ranked candidates are those with superior past performance and promise of future performance, whose goals and aspirations are a good fit with what our program has to offer.

The University of Louisville Clinical Neurophysiology Fellowship Program is open to all eligible faculty, staff, residents and students regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age.

Contact

For further information, please contact:

Program Director: Zeng Y. Wang, MD, PhD  zeng.wang@louisville.edu

Coordinator: Dominique W. Hurt, BS   neuroedu@louisville.edu

Program Mailing Address:

Clinical Neurophysiology Fellowship Program

UofL Dept. of Neurology

500 South Preston Street Room 113

Louisville, KY 40202