Education Opportunities
Fellowship

The Shillito Fellowship in Pediatric Neurosurgery

Purpose

The Shillito Fellowship in Pediatric Neurosurgery at the Neurosurgical Service at Children's Hospital, Boston, provides a neurosurgical trainee with an intensive exposure to pediatric neurosurgical problems leading to the acquisition of clinical and operative expertise. In addition, the fellow participates in clinical research projects during the initial fellowship year in order to become familiar with specialized areas of academic pediatric neurosurgery. A second year of fellowship training with a primary concentration in laboratory research is also available to interested applicants.

Description

The fellow functions in a special role in the combined Harvard Medical School neurosurgical training program at Children's Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital. The fellow rounds daily with the entire resident staff and directly participates in the management of the pediatric service. The fellow participates in all surgical cases at Children's Hospital in a role determinedjointly by the attending neurosurgeon, fellow and chief resident. The fellow is on home call at night throughout the year for pediatric cases, both for consultation with junior house officers and for all surgical procedures, under the supervision of the responsible member of the attending staff.

Brain Tumor Fellowship

Under the Direction of Peter Black, Neurosurgeon-in-Chief, the Brain Tumor Fellowship is designed to provide subspecialty training in neuro-oncology with particular emphasis on the new technologies being tested and developed at the Brigham and Women's Hospital, including the interoperative MRI and three-dimensional imaging in the Surgical Planning Laboratory.

Brain Tumor Fellowship: Six-month Program

Fellows choosing a six-month curriculum will participate in an intensive exposure to clinical neuro-oncology systems and methods. The fellow will spend his or her first month learning about the hospital and the service, as an example of an adult and pediatric experience. The second month is dedicated to learning the techniques of awake craniotomies. The third month focuses on surgical procedures in the interoperative MRI while the fourth month provides extensive exposure to surgery utilizing image-guided systems in the conventional operating room. The fifth and sixth months will allow the fellow to evaluate and compare the above mentioned systems and approaches.

Brain Tumor Fellowship: One-Year Program

Progressive learning in neurosurgery and neuro-oncology is the focus of the one-year brain tumor fellowship. Fellows choosing the one-year curriculum will spend the first two months familiarizing themselves with Brigham and Women's Hospital and Children's Hospital and the Neurosurgical Service, as an example of an adult and pediatric experience. The next six months are dedicated to learning the techniques of awake craniotomies image-guided surgery, and the interoperative MRI. The remaining four months are spent comparing these systems with the study of our experience and others, as well as preparing papers on neuro-oncology for publication.

Spine Fellowship

Under the direction of Eric Woodard, Director of the Spine Service at Brigham and Women's Hospital, the Spine Fellowship is designed to provide subspecialty training in all aspects of spinal neurosurgery with an emphasis on the new technologies and instrumentation being tested and developed at the Brigham and Women's Hospital, including the interoperative MRI, three-dimensional imaging and instrumentation. This one-year program provides intensive exposure to the clinical and teaching work of both Dr. Eric Woodard and Dr. Marc Eichler.

Cerebrovascular Fellowship

• Extracranial carotid artery surgery,
  
• Vertebral artery and subclavian artery exposure & surgery,
  
• The use of saphenous veins for patch and tubular grafts
  
• All types of intrcranial procedures, including: EC-IC bypass, IC-IC bypass, aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations
  
• Other cryptic vascular lesions such as cavernous malformations.
  

Each cerebrovascular fellow will write at least two major clinical vascular papers. The fellow may also work in the laboratory, and will have the opportunity to do microanastomosis and participate in ongoing experimental ischemic projects.

Application process for fellowships

Interested candidates are encouraged to send a c.v. and three reference letters to the faculty member under whose auspices the fellowship is being offered:

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