This service is comprised of 2-3 residents as well as medical students and advanced practice providers. The service typically has up to 20 inpatients. Patients may be admitted to this service through the emergency room, from UAB clinics or as transfers from other hospitals. The fellow is responsible for overseeing the management of all patients on this service as well as acute stroke patients in the emergency room. Fellows will typically not be responsible for carrying their own patient load but should function in a supervisory role over the residents.

Fellows will spend two weeks working on the inpatient neurorehabilitation service at the Spain Rehabilitation Hospital. Here, fellows will be able to monitor the progress of patients following their acute management on the inpatient stroke service. Most stroke patients admitted to the rehabilitation service will stay in the center for 1-3 weeks. Fellows will also have the opportunity to work in the outpatient rehabilitation clinics, neuropsychiatry lab, and learn about procedures for management of spasticity and other long-term rehabilitation needs for stroke survivors.

The neurosonology laboratory adjacent to the inpatient stroke unit provides an opportunity for fellows to learn carotid and transcranial Doppler ultrasonography. Fellows may also learn special techniques including bubble tests, emboli detection and vasomotor reactivity. Fellows will be able to read enough studies to meet requirements to sit for the ASN examination (www.asnweb.org).

The NICU is located next to the inpatient stroke unit. Vascular Neurology fellows will rotate though this service and assist in the management of stroke patients as well as neurosurgical and other neurology patients requiring intensive care.

UAB currently manages a 35-hospital network across Alabama for acute teleneurology. During a focused two-week block a the beginning of the fellowship, trainees will become comfortable with assessment of acute stroke patients presenting to hospitals of varied complexity and guiding acute stroke care via telemedicine. Fellows may continue to do shifts in telemedicine as part of other rotations through the year or do dedicated elective time with this service.

As there is substantial overlap in the management of cerebrovascular disease with other medical fields, fellows will complete a two-week outpatient rotation with subspeciality clinics in cardiology and hematology. Clinics include the multidisciplinary heart-brain clinic, structural cardiology clinic, electrophysiology clinic, and hypercoagulable disorders clinic. Fellows will also have the opportunity to observe cardiology procedures including PFO closure, left atrial appendage closure, and cardiac ablation.

Electives may include additional training in neurocritical care, neuroimaging or neurointerventional surgery. Fellows may also use their elective time to pursue research projects. All electives must be approved by the Program Director.