A Letter from the ResidentsWelcome to the Neurology Program at the University of Rochester! We'd like to take this opportunity to share an overview of the neurology program from the residents' perspective. Having recently been though the residency search process ourselves, we know how important it is to find a program that's a good "fit" for you. One aspect of Rochester's program which appealed to all of us during our residency search is its balance between clinical experiences and education. We have formal educational conferences daily in a variety of formats which complements the learning we receive from patient care. We also have the chance to reinforce our knowledge by teaching others. This ranges from informal review of neurologic topics with interns and medical students on the wards to serving as small-group tutors and lab instructors for the second year medical student neuroscience course. Additionally, we have the chance to educate medical students in Krakow, Poland during our 4th year...while they teach us about the finer points of their beautiful European city! Another strength of the neurology program at Rochester is our diverse faculty. We have the opportunity to interact with over 50 neurology attendings on our clinical rotations. Many of the faculty are internationally recognized yet they remain very approachable and enjoy working with the residents. We will often pass an attending in the hallway and stop him or her to ask advice about a patient or a research topic. Our department covers a broad subspecialty range including neuromuscular diseases, epilepsy, neuroimmunology, movement disorders, cognitive disorders, vascular disease, neuro-ophthalomology, headache, and child neurology, and we have opportunities to participate in electives in each of these areas. Rochester has a longstanding reputation for excellence in clinical training, and during our residency training this has been augmented by increasing support for academic opportunities. Residents are encouraged to participate in the active clinical and translational research that is ongoing in the department. We have a yearly resident research symposium where the projects range from clinical case presentations to basic science research. We also attend monthly journal club sessions which are held in the evening at a different attending's house each month. Last year's journal club highlight included a full Irish dinner and chocolate fountain at the house of our original chair! However, the part of the program that most strongly drew us all to Rochester was the visibly collegial atmosphere. Our program is one where we have all witnessed colleagues going out of their way to help each other, whether it involved doing a consult for someone on a busy day or covering a call day when unexpected circumstances arose. In addition to the time spent together at work, we often get together outside of the hospital for picnics or holiday parties, happy hours after work, or breakfast at the public market. Apple picking, camping, and wine touring are other outings we have enjoyed. Rochester is full of beautiful parks and hosts numerous festivals during all four seasons--celebrating everything from lilacs to snowshoeing! The cost of living is quite low, the school systems are excellent, and there are lots of cultural opportunities, especially with the Eastman School of Music affiliated with the U of R. We want to welcome you to apply to the neurology residency program at Rochester and to take a closer look at a place where work and fun are not mutually exclusive. We look forward to meeting you and showing off our program during the upcoming interview season!
Constantine Farmakidis Roberto Fernandez Megan Hyland Milton Medeiros John Scagnelli Chief Residents in Neurology
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