Chief Residents' Message

We are so glad that you are considering Northwestern Neurology for your residency training, and we are excited to share some of our favorite parts of the program with you.

The goal of our program is to provide a solid foundation in clinical neurology. Northwestern Memorial Hospital (NMH) is in the heart of downtown Chicago, serves as a quaternary referral center, and is the second-largest provider of charity care in Illinois. This provides exposure to a diverse patient population with a wide range of pathologies and ensures a robust, well-rounded clinical experience. We have world-renowned faculty in all subspecialties of neurology that are excited about teaching trainees and engaged in all types of research from bench to bedside.

Our program leadership, namely our program director, Danny Bega, MD, MS, and our chairman, Dimitri Krainc, MD, PhD meet with us regularly to elicit resident feedback, which drives positive changes to the program. We have implemented a wellness liaison position to enhance the resident experience and support for trainees. Some examples of recent significant changes include two-person night float system, eliminating all 24-hour call shifts, implementing an extra-call-for-pay system, and moving to an X+Y schedule format, which were all driven by resident feedback. We have also expanded the number of residency positions to 10 per year. This allows our trainees to have earlier exposure to a variety of outpatient subspecialties and more elective time.

Furthermore, we have a strong didactic curriculum with daily morning and noon conferences, with catered lunch options from many local Chicago restaurants. The conferences are a mixture of basic science lectures, weekly Grand Rounds, and resident presentations of overnight cases. We are especially proud of our weekly neuro-anatomy course that spans the first six months of the academic year and the entire nervous system.

One of the most unique aspects of our program is a Clinical Neurophysiology course during early PGY-3 year. During this course, residents have an entire dedicated month of time protected from clinical duties to learn how to interpret EMGs, sleep studies, and EEGs. This time is especially exciting because we have all weekends off to hang out with our co-residents and explore Chicago while also feeling extremely prepared to act as senior residents.

Our residents are leaders of projects in a wide array of scholarly research including clinical trials, global health, health equities, and quality improvement projects. All PGY-3s complete an Evidence-Based Medicine curriculum taught by our NIH-funded physician-scientists. Residents also have funding from the department to present scholarly work at conferences throughout the year. Additionally, McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University offers certificate programs in bioethics, medical education, health equity and advocacy, and global health that several of our residents are completing to support their career goals. We also offer a Physician Scientist Training Program pathway for those who see research as an integral part of their career trajectory.

As residents, we sincerely enjoy what we do and feel supported both inside and outside the hospital by our colleagues and faculty. We found both academic and personal fulfillment at Northwestern throughout our neurology training. Chicago is an amazing, vibrant city for both work and play. Some of our favorite activities include sampling the incredible restaurant scene, attending different summer festivals, doing outdoor activities by the lake, or visiting one of Chicago’s many unique neighborhoods. We hope you strongly consider joining our program!