Image-guided Neurosurgery Fellowship

Overview

Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School offer a Fellowship in image-guided neurosurgery providing advanced training in clinical methods and translational research through an NIH training grant. The fellow will participate in neurosurgical care of patients with brain tumors and functional disorders. BWH has state-of-the-art image-guided OR with high field large bore MRI, US, fluoroscopy, and world’s first intra-operative PET/CT and is the National Center for Image-Guided Therapy. The Fellow will be expected to participate in original research from among numerous active programs including functional brain mapping, intra-operative tissue characterization, image-guided minimally invasive tissue ablation, guidance, and robotics. A personalized clinical and research plan will be developed.

Requirements

Candidates must have completed an ACGME accredited program or the equivalent in their home country.  Consideration can be given on an individual basis to enfolded fellowship for senior neurosurgical residents. Applicant must be eligible for a valid limited Massachusetts State Medical License.

Curriculum

The curriculum for the Image-guided Neurosurgery Fellowship at BWH is competency-based and designed to be completed over the duration of the Fellowship. Upon completion of the Fellowship, graduates will have mastered the curriculum and will be compassionate, highly knowledgeable, technically proficient neurosurgeons and academicians who have the potential to be future leaders in Neurosurgery. The Fellow will be trained in the full spectrum of areas relevant to image guided neurosurgery. From a clinical standpoint, this would include ordering and interpretation of radiographic studies, neuro-navigation, intra-operative imaging, and post-operative management of patients.

Research Experience

The Fellow will be expected to participate in original research from among numerous active programs including functional brain mapping, intra-operative tissue characterization, image-guided minimally invasive tissue ablation, guidance, and robotics. A personalized clinical and research plan will be developed.

How to Apply

Interested applicants please submit: Cover letter and CV to Dr. Alexandra Golby, agolby@bwh.harvard.edu.

Fellowship and Faculty Contacts

Alexandra Golby, MD
Neurosurgeon & Fellowship Director 
agolby@bwh.harvard.edu

Dr. Alexandra Golby is Professor of Neurosurgery and Professor of Radiology at Harvard Medical School. After completing neurosurgical training at Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Boston Children’s Hospital Neurosurgery residency program in 2002, she received the Dandy Clinical Fellowship from the Congress of Neurological Surgeons to study in France with Professor Benabid and in Switzerland with Professor Villemure. She returned to BWH in 2003 to start her faculty career. Dr. Golby is Director of Image-guided Neurosurgery, Co-director of AMIGO (Advanced Multimodality Image Guided Operating Suite), and Co-director of Clinical fMRI.

Dr. Golby’s clinical practice is focused on image-guided neurosurgery with special interests in surgery for patients with brain tumors and epilepsy, particularly those whose disease is intimately involved with critical brain regions. Using advanced multi-modal imaging and intra-operative image-guidance, Dr. Golby performs precise, minimally invasive, and personalized surgery. In addition to conventional open craniotomy for brain tumors, she is also specialized in laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT), a minimally invasive technique that uses precisely guided laser heat to destroy tumors in the brain. Dr. Golby performed the first clinical use of LITT for brain tumors in New England in 2010. This technique is particularly helpful for tumors deep in the brain or those that are difficult to access using conventional approaches.

Dr. Golby’s research involves the development and application of preoperative and intraoperative imaging techniques to optimize surgical treatment of neurosurgical patients with brain tumors. Her research is highly translational and uses structural, functional and molecular imaging techniques to improve neurosurgical planning and intraoperative decision-making.