Morning Report with Program Director
Orientation: One week of orientation lectures from senior residents, faculty, and ancillary staff. We cover a range of essential topics, from basics of neurology to the latest advancements in diagnosis and treatment.
Weekly lectures:
Monthly lectures:
Quarterly lectures:
RITE Prep: weekly starting in November held by the senior residents.
Botox Simulation on Mannequin Ultrasound Guided Spinal Tap
Our program now follows a 4+1 model with night float included.
Residents will participate in their own outpatient clinic week every 5 weeks. Residents will travel between AGH, Forbes, and Jefferson hospitals to precept with various faculty. This is a general neurology clinic, and patients with a wide range of disorders are seen. Every attempt is made to ensure that a cohort of patients follows each resident throughout their time here, allowing continuity and establishing important physician-patient relationships. At this time, resident will not be pulled into another service or work any weekend days.
The stroke team consists of one senior and one junior, with a variety of rotators. The census consists of patients primarily admitted to the stroke service as well as patients on whom the stroke team is consulted. Patients are primarily located
in the neuroscience intensive care unit (NICU), the stroke unit, or the clinical decision unit (CDU). The team rounds on all patients each day, starting generally between 9 and 10 a.m. Residents on the service alternate weekends rounding on the team.
Admissions to the service are completed by the consult resident, buddy, or night float resident. Residents on the stroke service are not pulled away to do stroke
alerts, admissions, or consults.
The general neurology service consists of one senior and one junior resident, in addition to rotators on the service. The census consists of patients primarily admitted to the general neurology service as well as patients on whom general neurology is consulted. The team rounds on all patients each day, starting generally around 10 a.m. Patients present to this service with a wide variety of
pathologies, ranging from bread-and-butter to zebra. Opportunities in procedural
experience with lumbar punctures are plentiful.
Residents on the service alternate weekends rounding on the team. Admissions to the service are completed by the consult resident, buddy, or night float resident. Residents on the general neurology service are not pulled away to do admissions or consults.
The consult rotation is a unique opportunity for the participating resident to be involved in “first contact” history taking, examinations, and on-the-spot, sometimes acute, decision making. During this rotation, the residents are
responsible for taking all stroke alerts, admissions, and consults occurring
during the daylight shift. The patient is seen by the resident, properly staffed, and make decisions, including IV tPA and mechanical thrombectomy. For each case, the consult resident is expected to generate a sensible and comprehensive differential diagnosis, in addition to suggesting appropriate work-up and treatment. After this is done, the floater places the patient on an inpatient service, whether stroke or general neurology, or signs off as appropriate.
The buddy rotation is functionally the same as the consult rotation, with the difference being that the buddy works in the evening, assisting the night float resident with all responsibilities. They have one weekday off per week.
Each resident spends 2-4 weeks per year on a dedicated epilepsy rotation. This is an excellent opportunity to learn complex seizure and epilepsy diagnosis and
management. While on this rotation, the resident will admit all patients to the
Epilepsy Monitoring Unit for phase 1 and phase 2 evaluations and will additionally round on admitted patients with intractable epilepsy and status epilepticus. During the first year, the groundwork for reading and interpreting EEGs is laid through multiple daily reading sessions with an epileptologist, in addition the weekly EEG conference. These daily sessions continue into the second and third neurology years, refining the resident's skill in EEG. Finally, the resident participates in weekly epilepsy conferences by presenting difficult epilepsy cases to a group of physicians and experts from neurology, neurosurgery, radiology, and neuropsychology. Presentations include planning for patients that require intracranial monitoring, neuromodulatory devices, laser ablation, or resective surgery.
Our program will no longer have a 24-hour call service but will have a dedicated Night Float resident throughout the night. This rotation will not exceed 2 weeks at a time.
The AGH Stroke Center is a nationally recognized leader in providing comprehensive and cutting-edge care for stroke patients. Our commitment to excellence is reflected in our designation as an Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center by the Joint Commission, a distinction held by only a select few medical centers nationwide.
The AGH Epilepsy Program provides a comprehensive and innovative approach to the diagnosis, treatment, and management of epilepsy. Our team of experienced
epileptologists, neurosurgeons, neuropsychologists, and dedicated staff work
collaboratively to offer patients the most advanced and personalized care.
AGH boasts a robust neurodiagnostic program, offering a comprehensive range of services and providing residents with unparalleled exposure to diverse neurological conditions.
EMG Expertise:
EEG Excellence:
Intraoperative Monitoring (IOM):
This comprehensive neurodiagnostic program at AGH provides residents with an
exceptional learning environment, fostering their expertise in a wide range of
neurodiagnostic procedures and exposing them to the full spectrum of neurological conditions.
At AGH, we understand the unique challenges of living with multiple sclerosis
(MS). Our dedicated team of specialists, led by internationally renowned experts, is committed to providing comprehensive, compassionate care tailored to your individual needs.
Our Expertise:
Personalized Care:
Allegheny General Hospital stands as the only ALS Association-certified Center of Excellence for ALS in Western Pennsylvania, providing a vital resource for patients and families facing this challenging disease.
The ALS Clinic at AGH brings together a dedicated team of multidisciplinary professionals, including neurologists, physiatrists, social workers, speech
therapists, and pulmonary care specialists. This collaborative approach ensures
comprehensive care, diagnosis, and therapy for ALS patients, all under one roof.
The clinic's commitment to patient-centered care is evident in its track record of
supporting hundreds of patients and their families throughout the diagnosis and
treatment journey. By offering a comprehensive and coordinated approach, AGH's
ALS Center of Excellence provides a beacon of hope and support for those
affected by this debilitating disease.
Headache Center
AHN Headache Center is a fast-growing academic headache center in our community. The center was founded in 2017, has several branches and specializes in the treatment of patients with all types of headache pain. The clinical team consists of the Director, four additional neurologist, six APPs, full-times nurses, and numerous administrative and clerical support staff.
In addition to treating patients, AHN Headache Center is a teaching facility that gives residents the highest quality of preparation to make impactful contributions to patient care and advance the level of knowledge of headache medicine.
We are focusing on the multidisciplinary approach to collaborate with primary care providers, psychiatry, pain psychology, pain medicine and metabolic center.
We are in the process of establishing the Headache Fellowship program to prepare Fellows for a career in clinical headache practice or academic headache medicine and/or research.
Movement Disorder Clinic
The AGH Movement Disorder Clinic is dedicated to providing exceptional care for individuals living with Parkinson's disease, dystonia, tremor, and Huntington's disease amongst other movement disorders.
At AHN's Cahouet Center for Comprehensive Parkinson's Care, our team of highly skilled professionals, including Fellowship trained Neurologists assisted by physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, and psychologists work collaboratively to address the unique challenges associated with these complex conditions.
Neurologists work collaboratively with Neurosurgeons to provide the option of deep brain stimulators for qualifying patients.
Residents receive hands on experience in Botulinum toxin injections for patients with dystonia.
At the Movement Disorder Clinic, Neurologists actively participate in clinical trials and collaborate with leading researchers to develop innovative therapies to improve patient outcomes.
