Mass General Brigham Neurodegeneration Clinical Research Fellowship
Overview
The Harvard/Mass General Brigham Neurodegeneration Clinical Research (NCR) Fellowship is designed to produce experts in the field of neurodegenerative diseases and clinical research, with a particular focus on the clinical care and research of neurodegenerative disease, who will shape clinical research in these fields throughout their career.
The Neurodegeneration Clinical Research Fellowship training will occur via two major avenues: 1) Clinical Care training conducted primarily through mentored clinical encounters and supplemented by clinical conferences and individual study; and 2) Clinical Research training conducted through the experience of acting as a sub-investigator on at least one non-interventional research project and at least one treatment trial, as well as the development of one unique clinical research project with the careful support of a research mentor.
Requirements
Candidates must be board eligible in Neurology, have completed residency in good standing prior to the start of the fellowship, and have a strong interest in clinical research. Candidates may have completed a one-year neuromuscular fellowship or equivalent prior to joining this fellowship.
Curriculum
The Curriculum is designed as a stand-alone one-year fellowship and contains two major activities:
Clinical Care (1 day per week):
Fellows will see new and returning patients in the primary neurodegenerative clinic of choice (ex: MGH ALS Multidisciplinary Clinic).
Under the supervision of the attending physician, fellows will take responsibility for longitudinal care of patients in the clinic and will learn to manage patients in the multidisciplinary setting, working with a team of allied health providers to meet patients varied medical needs. Clinic will be ½ day per week.
Fellows will have the opportunity to see patients in one of a number of other neurodegenerative clinics, such as the ALS Multidisciplinary Clinic, Memory Disorders Unit at BWH or MGH, FTD Multidisciplinary Clinic at MGH, or Huntington’s Disease Clinic at MGH in order to gain experience with related neurodegenerative diseases. They will manage patients with the attending physician in these clinics and will attend clinic approximately ½ day per week. Alternatively, a fellow could use this time to spend an additional ½ day in the primary neurodegenerative clinic of choice.
Clinical Research (4 days per week):
Fellows will learn to conduct clinical research in neurodegenerative diseases as a part of the NCRI and CART. They will be expected to act as sub-investigators working under the close supervision of a site investigator on at least one interventional trial, and at least one observational trial. They will also work with a mentor to design a new clinical study of ALS, AD, or a related neurodegenerative disease. Fellows will be encouraged to submit grants to obtain external funding.
Second Year of Fellowship
There is the opportunity to extend the fellowship for a second year. The focus of the second year will be to allow academic growth as a researcher with a focus on career development as a clinical researcher and development of a subspecialty research expertise. A second year of fellowship is contingent upon external funding availability, such as grant support, for example, from a project submitted for funding during the first year of training.
Research Experience
Fellows will learn to conduct clinical research in neurodegenerative diseases as a part of the NCRI and CART. They will be expected to act as sub-investigator working under the close supervision of a site investigator on at least one interventional trial, and at least one observational trial. They will also work with a mentor to design a new clinical study of ALS, AD, or a related neurodegenerative disease. Fellows will be encouraged to submit grants to obtain external funding.
The research portion of the fellowship will take place at MGH and BWH. The clinical portion of the fellowship will take place at both MGH and BWH. ALS clinical care will be provided at the MGH Neurology clinic (Wang ACC 8); AD and other dementia clinical care will take place either at the MGH Neurology clinic or the BWH Memory Disorders Unit (221 Longwood); FTD and HD clinical care will take place at the MGH Neurology clinic. Clinical research will be conducted within the MGH NCRI 165 Cambridge Street 6th floor or the BWH CART (221 Longwood) or MGH CART (Charlestown Navy Yard, CNY, Building 149).
How to Apply
Doreen Ho, MD – Program Director: dtho@mgb.org
Altrecia Henry, Program Coordinator: aehenry@mgb.org.