Neurology

Within this program, you will find a supportive community that values you, your wellbeing and your professional development. Through a commitment to research, education and wellbeing, the program aims to empower you to thrive both professionally and personally, ensuring that you are equipped to make a lasting impact in the field of neurology.

The Neurology Department includes numerous faculty members representing all subspecialties in the field. Faculty members are nationally and internationally recognized for quality patient care, clinical teaching and research. The training curriculum is built around active patient-care experiences, the intellectual backbone of neurology. The high ratio (2:1) of attending teaching faculty to residents allows ample opportunity for one-on-one teaching. Attending physicians are always available to discuss patient-care issues and serve as guides in the process of resident education.

In terms of the structure of the department, there are programs in each of the following areas:

• Neuromuscular disease, including the ALS, Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) and pediatric MDA clinics, and an AGCME-approved Neuromuscular Medicine Fellowship

• Epilepsy and clinical neurophysiology, including a Level 4 Epilepsy Center and an ACGME-approved Clinical Neurophysiology Fellowship

• Stroke and vascular neurology, including a Joint Commission-certified Comprehensive Stroke Center and an ACGME-approved Vascular Neurology (Stroke) Fellowship

• Movement disorders (including the comprehensive movement disorders clinic)

• Multiple sclerosis and neuroimmunology (including the comprehensive multiple sclerosis clinic)

• Cognitive and behavioral neurology (neuropsychology)

• Headache

• General neurology

• Pediatric neurology (housed in the Department of Pediatrics)

• Neuro-ophthalmology (housed in the Department of Ophthalmology)

• Sleep neurology (in collaboration with the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine in the Department of Medicine and the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health)

• Neuro-oncology (in collaboration with the Department of Neurosurgery as part of Penn State Cancer Institute)

• Neurocritical care (in collaboration with the Department of Neurosurgery and the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine)

• Neurorehabilitation at Penn State Health Rehabilitation Hospital

• Pain medicine (in collaboration with the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine), including an ACGME-accredited Anesthesia/Pain Medicine Fellowship

• Neuropathology (housed in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and Department of Neurosurgery)

• Neuroradiology (including an interventional neuroradiology program in collaboration with the Department of Radiology and Department of Neurosurgery)

Penn State Neurology Residency Program at a glance

• Five positions per year

• Four-year categorical program

• Integrated Internal Medicine internship, including a six-week dedicated Neurology block

• Night float system

• 4 + 2 schedule with dedicated time for the Resident Continuity Clinic

• Over eight months of flexible and elective time

• Research and Clinical Educator tracks

• Comprehensive didactics, including morning report, noon lectures, academic half day, journal club, board review, chair rounds, neurology grand rounds, etc.

• Training in EEG, EMG, Botox and other procedures as desired

• Commitment to quality, patient safety and multidisciplinary care

• Program, departmental and institutional commitment to nurturing a diverse and inclusive atmosphere

• Tertiary referral center for central Pennsylvania, serving rural and urban populations, and creating an ideal mix of “bread-and-butter” neurology and rare diseases

• Fantastic lifestyle in Hershey, Pennsylvania, with an affordable cost of living and easy access to amenities

• A close-knit, supportive group of residents and faculty invested in your success

• Graduates of our program will meet eligibility requirements for the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology

Leadership and trainees from the Neurology Residency are pictured, front row from left: Rae Bacharach, Shima Shahjouei, Jordan Yaukey, Aatqa Memon, Lydia Kauffman, Papul Chalia, Jacob Esper, Luis Navedo-Sanchez, Kalkini Durai, Yayoi Kumata and Mi Zhou. In the back row, from left, are Bill Su, Renee Choyce, Akintunde Adebowale, Durgesh Chaudhary, Brian Lee, Michael Nsaka, John Cavendish, Patrick Bergquist, Benjamin Ayer and Jacob Tremoulis.

Residents in the Neurology Residency Program include, first row from left, Jordan Yaukey and Shima Shahjouei; second row from left, Aatqa Memon, Lydia Kauffman, Papul Chalia, Jacob Esper, Yayoi Kumata, Kalkini Durai and Mi Zhou; and back row from left, Akintunde Adebowale, John Cavendish, Durgesh Chaudhary, Patrick Bergquist, Michael Nsaka, Jacob Tremoulis, Jacob Esper, Benjamin Ayer, Brian Lee and Luis Navedo-Sanchez.

Welcome to the Neurology Residency! Under the leadership of our chair, Dr. Krishnankutty Sathian, the Department of Neurology at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center has enjoyed continued rapid growth over the past years. This is an exciting time!

Those who explore the program will notice the collegial environment. Faculty members are actively involved in teaching and work hard to balance the educational and personal goals of residents with the service requirements of the department. There are multiple faculty in each of the subspecialties of neurology, yet the group is small enough to remain close-knit so that residents are able to get to know each faculty member during their residency.

An advantage for the residency is that almost all required rotations are at Penn State Health Milton Hershey Medical Center. This is the only hospital that the residents cover when they are on call, and a night float system is in place. In the medical center, all neuroscience patient rooms, from the neuroscience integrated care unit to the epilepsy monitoring unit, are on the same floor as the resident workroom and call room.

The following are some highlights of the residency:

• Six-week “neurology immersion” curriculum for neurology interns:

  First-year neurology residents spend six weeks rotating in the neurology consult service, general service and stroke service, with goal to learn the neurologic exam and obtain exposure on localization skills and clinical skills. This experience has been praised by residents and helps ease the transition between Internal Medicine and Neurology.

• A dedicated longitudinal resident continuity clinic block rotation:

  Residents spend four half-days per week in resident clinic every five weeks. This rotation allows a much more realistic clinic schedule for the residents that mirrors an attending schedule; continued supervision by faculty; avoidance of unnecessary inpatient handoffs; and much more relaxed dedicated outpatient learning environment.

• The residency program can be individualized to meet each trainee’s goals:

  • Integrated longitudinal Resident Research Track:

    Residents have the opportunity to apply for grants under the mentorship of NIH-funded researchers and participate in the Physician Scientist Training Program. Enrollment starts in early second year. Residents receive additional time and mentorship to support their research.

  • Integrated longitudinal Clinician Educator Track:

    Residents interested in a career as a clinician educator, or who just want to improve their skills, may participate in this flexible track, which spans one or more years during training.

  • More than 8 months of flexible and elective time:

    Residents have ample opportunity to explore their passions and strengthen their skills across the scope of neurology and related fields.

  • Support for a wide variety of interests:

    The scope of experiences has led to our residents pursuing both general neurology and a wide variety of neurologic subspecialties—12 different subspecialties in the last four years, to be exact!

• A dual “resident-driven” and “department-driven” wellness program.

• An amazing group of residents and faculty to work with!

In conclusion, I want to thank you for the opportunity to present our residency program. I hope I’ve conveyed a sense of what a special place this is to be.

Rae Bacharach, DO
Director, Neurology Residency
Assistant Professor of Neurology

The mission of the Neurology Residency at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center is to cultivate neurologists who strive for excellence in patient care, research, education and community service to create leaders in the field of neurology, reduce healthcare disparities and improve the health of the community and beyond.

General Application Information

All applications must be received through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS).

Application Requirements

The following items must be included in the ERAS application:

• Personal statement

• Medical school transcripts

• MSPE or dean’s letter

• Letters of recommendation (at least three letters from faculty, with at least one from a neurologist)

• USMLE and/or COMLEX transcripts

U.S. clinical experience is preferred, but not required.

This program is participating in the supplemental ERAS application program signaling process. Candidates with a strong interest in our residency program are highly encouraged to signal us because these applications will be prioritized.

Interview Process

The program will contact select candidates via email to schedule interviews. Interviews occur on selected Fridays between October and December. All interviews are conducted virtually.

All candidates need to be registered with the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP). No positions are offered outside the Match.

International Medical Graduates

The program accepts applications from international medical graduates. The application process is similar to the above; applicants must apply via ERAS and be registered with the NRMP.

Applicants must be either:

• A U.S. citizen

• A permanent resident (green card holder)

• The holder of a J-1 visa sponsored through ECFMG

The institution does not sponsor any other visas.

All international medical graduates must be certified by the ECFMG prior to the Match, but not necessarily prior to applying.

To be considered competitive for the program, international applicants should:

• Have passed USMLE Step 1 and 2. There is no specific cutoff for USMLE scores.

• Have U.S. clinical experience in the past two years, with a letter from a U.S. neurologist.

• Have graduated from medical school in the past five years.

• Be able to attain ECFMG certification as a part of their application.

We undertake a comprehensive, holistic approach to reviewing applications received from both U.S. and international candidates.

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Wellness, including emotional, spiritual, social and physical health, is a crucial component to training and to becoming a professional, compassionate and resilient physician. Self-care is a skill which must be continually practiced and reinforced. Penn State College of

The Neurology Residency program recognizes that the well-being of residents is paramount to their success and fulfillment. The program's leadership is committed to fostering a supportive and nurturing environment. Through mentorship, peer support networks, comprehensive mental health resources, resident recognition programs and dedicated wellness initiatives, residents receive the tools and support necessary to thrive both personally and professionally. Examples of recent resident-driven activities have recently included:

• Bowling

• Hershey Bears hockey game

• Going out to eat

• Holiday parties

• Birthday parties

• Coffee breaks

Examples of recent program activities have included:

• Annual resident retreat—cookout and kayaking on the Swatara creek

• Pumpkin carving

• Gingerbread house decorating competition

• Evening at Dave & Buster’s

• Neurology Department cookout

• Holiday party at the Hotel Hershey

• Annual resident welcome picnic

• Wellness bingo

Examples of recent institutional activities have included:

• Pet therapy, including dogs, kittens, goats, kangaroos, etc.

• Food truck festivals

• Live music

• Pop-up solace rooms

• Thank a Resident Day

• Donuts with the GME office

To foster peer support, the group has started a resident-to-resident mentorship program to facilitate academic success, professional growth and development. The program also developed a peer-to-peer “kudos” program, in which trainees praise each other anonymously and announce comments at monthly business meetings. The program also recognizes resident achievements and contributions through several award programs.

All residents must complete do the following during their training:

• Show consistent progress on all ACGME milestones and core competencies

• Complete a quality improvement project

• Participate and be productive in research/scholarly activity project

• Pass the annual RITE exam

• Complete faculty evaluations after every rotation

• Complete evaluations of rotations as indicated

• Take part in quarterly evaluation by office staff

• Pass ABPN clinical examinations (five by end of residency)

• Complete a biannual and end-of-residency evaluation of the program

• Participate in quarterly meetings with program director

• Complete and maintain case logs and procedure logs in New Innovations

• Attend 75 percent of required conferences: Morbidity and Mortality, Grand Rounds, neurology lectures, Friday neuroradiology lectures, neurology noon lectures and morning report

• Neurology noon lecture (12:10 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays)

• Neuroradiology/cerebrovascular conference (8 a.m. Fridays)

• Neurology Grand Rounds (noon Fridays)

• Morbidity and Mortality conferences (quarterly)

• Neuromuscular (EMG) quality conference (monthly)

• Epilepsy (EEG) quality conference

• Morning report (8 to 8:30 a.m. Mondays through Thursdays

• Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center

• Penn State Neuroscience Institute

• Lebanon VA Medical Center

• Penn State Rehabilitation Hospital

Penn State College of Medicine and Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center accept ongoing nominations for the Exceptional Moments in Teaching award.

The award, given monthly by the Office for a Respectful Learning Environment, accepts nominations from College of Medicine students who are invited to submit narratives about faculty members, residents, fellows, nurses or any other educators who challenge them and provide an exceptional learning experience. See more about the award here.

Previous nominees from the Neurology Residency are listed here. Click the + next to a nominee name to read their nominator’s comments.

The annual Resident/Fellow Research Day is held each year (with exception of during the COVID-19 pandemic) on and around the Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center campus.

The intent of the event is to provide an opportunity for residents and fellows to showcase their research accomplishments to their peers in other clinical departments, as well as their colleagues in the basic sciences.

Learn more about Resident/Fellow Research Day here.

Previous presentations from the Neurology Residency are listed here.

Previous awards from the Neurology Residency are listed here.