The University of Minnesota Medical School recently established an innovative one-year multidisciplinary Subspecialty Fellowship program in Neuromodulation Medicine. Participating Departments are Neurology, Neurosurgery, Psychiatry and Rehabilitation Medicine. The program is recognized as an ACGME Non-Standard Training (NST) program and is funded through the Discoveries and treatments for Brain Conditions area of the Minnesota Discovery and InnoVation Economy (MnDRIVE) initiative. 

The main goal of the fellowship is to provide the opportunity to develop the expertise necessary to evaluate and manage patients with neuromodulation-amenable disorders using specialized procedures and techniques. It is the intent of the University of Minnesota Neuromodulation Medicine training program to develop neurology, neurosurgery, psychiatry and rehabilitation medicine specialists into competent, independent neuromodulation subspecialists. Fellows will receive extensive training in the use of neuromodulation for clinical evaluation treatment and rehabilitation across a wide range for modalities, with emphasis on the specialty of the trainee. Fellows are expected to rotate in all disciplines and be involved with research. 

Applicants must have graduated from an ACGME accredited training program (or equivalent) in Neurology, Neurosurgery, Psychiatry or Rehabilitation Medicine, and be board certified or board certification eligible. 

Acceptance into the program will be made by the primary and specialty program directors and faculty based on the individual's qualifications, including curriculum vitae and letters of recommendations from the training program from which the applicant has graduated. Preference will be given to individuals with an interest in pursuing a career in academic medicine. 

The program is administered through the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences. Applications are currently being accepted for the 2024-2025 academic year. The deadline to apply for the 2024-2025 academic year is February 8, 2024.

Training

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Requirements

Application requirements for Neuromodulation Medicine Fellowship:

  • Formal letter expressing personal interest in the Neuromodulation Medicine Fellowship.
  • Current Curriculum Vitae
  • Three letters of reference from the training program from which applicant will or has graduated
  • Completion of the Application

All application materials and inquiries for the Neuromodulation Medicine Fellowship:

Carly Dolan

Neuromodulation Fellowships Coordinator
612-624-4624
cldolan@umn.edu

Application Deadline

Applications are currently being accepted for the 2024-2025 academic year. The deadline to apply for the 2024-2025 academic year is February 8, 2024.

Training Sites

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Interventional Psychiatry - UMMC Riverside

Interventional Psychiatry - UMMC Riverside

M Health Fairview Masonic Children's Hospital overhead view

Interventional Psychiatry - St. Louis Park

Interventional Psychiatry - St. Louis Park

  • Treatment resistant depression, TMS and ketamine with Dr. Ziad Nahas
  • Research - Dr. Alik Widge
    • Attend laboratory meetings. Through those meetings, learn about ongoing research in neurostimulation and the considerations in designing such research, both in humans and in animal models. Observe research procedures across multiple studies to understand the interaction between neuromodulation medicine and next-generation treatment development.  Meet with individual faculty preceptors and learn about their research programs, including focused projects that might be conducted (e.g., secondary data analysis, work with our patient registries). With the concurrence of a faculty mentor (or designate, e.g. a staff scientist in their lab), design and carry out a supervised scholarly project. This may not require data analysis – preparation of a qualitative review or book chapter is also a scholarly endeavor. The expected output of this yearlong experience is a written scholarly product, which may be an article/chapter as just noted, or might be a poster at a professional meeting such as the annual Minnesota Neuromodulation Symposium.
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Neurosurgery - Woodwinds DBS, Woodbury

  • Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) programming for treatment of Essential Tremor (ET), motor symptoms of Parkinson disease (PD) and dystonia with Dr. Kristine Domingo
  • Attend and present patients at the Movement Disorders Division DBS Consensus.
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Program Faculty and Fellows

Program faculty include a diverse group of psychiatrists and psychologists with varying areas of expertise and backgrounds.  Over the two year program, fellows will have the opportunity to work with many of our division faculty, as well as providers from other systems in the twin cities metro area.  Below, is a list of the program faculty who nearly all fellows encounter during their time here, listed by their primary role.  There are additional departmental and division faculty involved in our program via presentation of didactics, elective experiences, service coverage, research opportunities and consultation.

Multidisciplinary Leadership
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Scott Cooper, MD, PhD
secooper@umn.edu
Clinic: 612-626-6688 

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Ziad Nahas, MD, PhD
znahas@umn.edu
Office: 612-273-9732

Core Faculty
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Sophia Albott, MD, MA
Head of the Division of Adult Mental Health (AMH),
Assistant Professor,
Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences

albot002@umn.edu
Office: 612-273-9041

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David Darrow, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor,
MnDRIVE Neuromodulation Scholar,
Institute of Translational Neuroscience Scholar,
Rockswold-Kaplan Endowed Chair for Traumatic Brain Injury (with Hennepin Healthcare),
Department of Neurosurgery

darro015@umn.edu
Office: 612-624-6666

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Thomas Henry, MD
Professor and Epilepsy Research Director
Program Director, Epilepsy Fellowship
Neurologist, Epileptologist, Clinical Neurophysiologist

trhenry@umn.edu
Office: 612-624-9025

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Alex Herman, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor,
Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences

herma686@umn.edu
Office:  612-625-1194

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Michael Park, MD, PhD
Associate Professor and Resident Program Director,
Department of Neurosurgery

mcpark@umn.edu
Office: 612-624-6666

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Carol Peterson, PhD
Professor,
Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences

peter161@umn.edu 
Office: 612-273-9811

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Sabine Schmid, PhD, LP
Director for Psychology Education,
Assistant Professor,
Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences

schmids@umn.edu
Office: 612-273-9116

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Ted Walzack, MD
Professor and Vice-Chair of Clinical Affairs,
Department of Neurology

walcz003@umn.edu

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Alik Widge, MD, PhD
Associate Professor,
Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences

awidge@umn.edu
Office: 612-625-3330

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Saydra Wilson, MD
Assistant Professor,
Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences

wils2548@umn.edu
Office: 612-625-3330

First Year Fellows
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Jeremy Chaikind, MD
Neuromodulation Medicine Fellow

Legal Counsel
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Susan G. Kratz
612-626-4999
kratz@umn.edu