School of Medicine

The Program consists of clinical and surgical epilepsy training in pediatric and adult populations. The fellowship experience includes:

1. Outpatient clinic exposure to a spectrum of diseases involving seizures and epilepsy in various populations
2. EEG interpretation skills development
3. Adult and pediatric EMU rotations
4. Epilepsy surgery – phase I, phase II evaluations (including intracranial monitoring with subdural grids/strips/depth electrodes and stereotactic EEG), planning surgical interventions
5. Neuromodulation – programming and management (VNS, RNS, DBS)

Fellows are encouraged to participate in quality improvements in epilepsy, epilepsy surgery and EEG.

Fellows can choose to participate in clinical research studies and present their work at national meetings.

Fellows divide their time between University Medical Center and Children's Hospital (a level 4 pediatric epilepsy center) of New Orleans in allotments based on whether they are on an adult versus pediatric fellowship track. Adult track fellows will also pursue 2 clinical rotations at the Epilepsy program at Ochsner Health (a level 4 epilepsy center) for adult EMU and Epilepsy surgery experience.

With one-on-one guidance of supervising faculty, fellows acquire the skills to practice as independent epileptologists in either private practice or academia.  Fellows are also given the opportunity to participate in presurgical conferences and are expected to present several didactic lectures to residents each year. Fellows who successfully complete the year of training are eligible for subspecialty certification in epilepsy through the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.