Mission Statement

Our goal is to foster exceptional training in Vascular  Neurology and the opportunity for clinical research in the vascular neurosciences. We aim to provide our Vascular Neurology fellows with exposure to all aspects of vascular neurology and neuroscience with increasing autonomy and attainment of the positive characteristics of the six core competencies necessary to become outstanding independent practitioners of vascular neurology.

Fellowship Director: Christoph Stretz, MD

Fellowship Coordinator: Lizete Santos

Vascular Neurology - Research Fellowship

Program Overview

As part of the SPIRIT network, one of 25 Regional Coordinating Centers in the NIH/NINDS Stroke Trials Network, Brown University will seek to enroll one fellow for a year long vascular neurology research fellowship, beginning on or around July 1st of each year.

Each SPIRIT fellow will be paired with a specific StrokeNet co-investigator faculty mentor. All SPIRIT fellows will enroll for credit in at least one and up to five core courses, covering such topics as Epidemiology, Statistics, Developing a Research Proposal, and Fundamentals of Clinical Trials. Courses may be taken at Yale, Brown, or the University of Connecticut. With advance permission of the SPIRIT fellowship director, courses may be taken at other institutions, including on-line programs. Additionally, all SPIRIT fellows will complete a multi-session course on the responsible conduct of research (e.g., CITI RCR). A central component of the training program is the completion of a closely mentored, but independently conducted research project in clinical neurology. 50% of the fellow's time will be protected for research activities.

Eligibility

Eligible candidates include clinicians, residents, fellows, and junior faculty at any of our four institutions (Brown University, Hartford Hospital, Yale University, Northwell Health); external candidates may also apply. Candidates may come from any discipline (e.g., epidemiology, diagnostic imaging, neurology, neurosurgery, nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech language pathology, physiatry). Fellows enrolled in accredited vascular neurology fellowships are welcome to apply. Candidates may not be receiving other NIH training funds (e.g., K23, K08, Kl2, T32). Candidates do not need to be US citizens or hold a green card.

Selection Criteria

Candidates must:

  1. demonstrate an interest in research related to vascular neurology
  2. provide evidence of exceptional performance in their medical, nursing, or professional training
  3. identify a mentor who will sponsor the research component of their fellowship
  4. submit a fellowship application

Candidates do not need to declare that they plan to seek further K funding or plan on a career that emphasizes research. However, they must be planning to stay in academia involved with stroke research throughout their career (e.g., enrolling patients into trials, writing). Following the application deadline, a multi-institutional fellowship committee will review the written applications to select candidates based on their interest in an academic career related to vascular neurology, promise for success, the quality and feasibility of a project proposal, and the commitment of a primary mentor.

Application Deadlines

The application deadline is currently under review, and will likely be on or about April 1, 2023.  Successful applicants will be notified in late Spring 2023 for fellowship beginning in July 2024.

How to Apply

Please contact Dr. Christoph Stretz (Fellowship Director) at [email protected] or call 401-444-8806.

Vascular Neurology - Clinical Fellowship

Program Overview

The Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center at Rhode Island Hospital is affiliated with The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. We are Joint Commission certified Comprehensive Stroke Center and recognized by the American Heart/Stroke Association  as a Gold Plus/Target Stroke Center. We consist of a dedicated team of physicians, allied health professionals and support staff that provide primary and consultative care to patients with neurovascular disorders in a tertiary care setting. Our mission is to provide exceptional care to patients with vascular neurologic disease; participate in the education and development of residents, fellows, and medical students; to advance clinical research in the vascular neurosciences; and to promote dissemination of information about stroke in the community.

Our center offers a seamless array of acute preventive and tertiary care backed by excellence in research and education. The hospital is a non-profit organization and the largest employer in Rhode Island. There are 700 beds, 1800 physicians, 600 house officers, and over 150,000 emergency department visits annually.  Our stroke faculty consists of 7 vascular neurologists at Rhode Island Hospital and 2 neurohospitalists/vascular neurologists at The Miriam Hospital. 

Rhode Island Hospital has a 24/7 TIA unit in the emergency department, a 20 bed stroke unit,  an 18 bed closed neurocritical care unit, 24/7 neurointerventional care, and 5 neurointerventional radiologists.  We are the only hospital in the United States to have an MRI in the ED with an adjacent biplane angiosuite which is dedicated to mechanical thrombectomy cases. Over 1100 patients with ischemic stroke, over 250 patients with intracerebral hemorrhage, and over 80  patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage are seen annually. Over 220 patients receive intravenous thrombolysis each year, with a median delivery time of 40 minutes. Over 280 mechanical thrombectomies are performed annually.

Research studies are performed for ischemic stroke (prevention, acute treatment, and rehabilitation) and intracerebral hemorrhage. We are a site for NIH StrokeNet and enroll patients in both industry and government-sponsored trials. The research team includes the research coordinator and 5 department-funded research assistants who help with enrollment in clinical trials.

There are 6 trainees per year in the neurology residency and 10 students from the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University each month who are actively involved in the care of stroke patients. 

Prerequisites

  • Successful completion of an ACGME-accredited neurology residency
  • Current curriculum vitae
  • Professional photo
  • Personal statement
  • Three letters of reference (one must be from the residency program director) should be uploaded to the ERAS website

We participate in the match by ERAS.  Our NRMP number is 1677188F0. Click here to view the match calendar. 

Accreditation Status

The program is accredited by the ACGME. Our program number is 1884318001. 

Length of training

1 year, July 1st-June 30th

Training schedule

  • 24 weeks Vascular Neurology Inpatient service
  • 6 weeks Consults at The Miriam Hospital (Primary Stroke Center)
  • 4 weeks Neuro-ICU
  • 2 weeks Neurosonology
  • 2 weeks Neuroradiology / Neurointerventional Radiology
  • 1 week Neurorehabilitation
  • 1 week Telestroke
  • 7 weeks Elective (6 track specific)
  • 1 week of CME
  • 4 weeks of Vacation
  • 1 half-day of clinic per week (on most rotations)

Optional Tracks

As of 2020, fellows have the option to select a track to enhance and focus their training.  The four tracks are within Endovascular, Neurorehabilitation, Neurohospitalist, and Research.  Tracks will be distinguished within the vascular neurology fellowship by track specific electives, and completion of a designated track will be noted on your fellowship certificate. 

On Call

While on the vascular neurology inpatient rotation, fellows will take 2 weekdays of call per week and 1 weekend day call.  There is no call while on other rotations. Call responsibilities include leading vascular ward rounds, supervising code strokes with residents directly or indirectly, and attending cerebral angiograms when possible.

Educational Conferences and sample vascular inpatient schedule

Click here to view a description of all recurring conferences on the residency page

  Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday or Sunday
8-9 Morning report Morning report Neurology Grand Rounds (Joint EM/Vascular Neurology quarterly) Morning report Morning report Vascular Wards Start (on inpatient service only)
9-12 Vascular Rounds Vascular Rounds Vascular Rounds Vascular Rounds Vascular Rounds
10:30-11:30 Cerebrovascular conference          
12-1 Noon conference Noon conference Neuroradiology rounds Noon conference Noon conference  
1-2     Cerebrovascular Teaching / Journal Club (monthly)      
2-5 Vascular Wards Signout @4:30pm Vascular Wards Signout @4:30pm Vascular Neurology Fellow Clinic/Vascular Wards Signout @4:30pm Vascular Wards Signout @4:30pm Vascular Wards Signout @4:30pm  
4-5       Neurovascular Webinar SEries (monthly)    
5-6 PFO conference (monthly)          

Faculty & Staff

A roster of our faculty and staff can be found on the Comprehensive Stroke Center page

How to Apply

Please contact Dr. Christoph Stretz (Fellowship Director) at [email protected] or call 401-444-8806.