Neuroendovascular Surgery Fellowship

Overview

The objective of training is to give fellows an organized, comprehensive, supervised, and full-time educational experience in neuroendovascular surgery. This experience includes the management of patients with neurological diseases, the performance of neuroendovascular procedures, and the integration of neuroendovascular therapies into the clinical management of patients.

Requirements

The 2-year fellowship is open to the following candidates:

1) Graduates of a 7-year ACGME-approved neurosurgery residency*;
2) Graduates of an ACGME-accredited neurology residency who complete an ACGME-accredited vascular neurology fellowship; and
3) Graduates of an ACGME-accredited radiology residency who complete a neuroradiology fellowship.

The 1-year fellowship is open to the above-mentioned candidates provided they have performed at least 200 catheter-based diagnostic and/or interventional cerebral angiographic procedures as primary operator either during residency or a separate experience after completion of residency.

*MGB neurosurgery residents may be eligible for an enfolded fellowship at the discretion of the MGB neurosurgery residency Program Director and MGB neuroendovascular fellowship Program Director. The 1st year of the enfolded fellowship is performed during the resident’s 1st elective year (e.g., PGY4) and the 2nd year of the fellowship will be performed as a PGY7 following completion of the neurosurgery chief resident year, in accordance with CAST requirements and guidelines.

For more information, see:

https://sns-cast.org/cast-approved-fellowship-programs-in-cns-endovascular-surgery/

Curriculum

The MGB Neuroendovascular Surgery Fellowship will offer 2 tracks.

The 2-year track (1 fellow/year) requires no prior focused neuroendovascular case mastery, and will be offered to qualified neurosurgeons, neurologists, and radiologists, per CAST specifications. In year 1, fellows will perform no fewer than 200 catheter-based diagnostic and/or interventional cerebral angiographic procedures. In year 2, fellows will perform no fewer than 150 interventional procedures across the following case categories: unruptured and ruptured aneurysms; embolization of AVM, AVF, and tumor; intracranial and extracranial stent placements or angioplasty; acute ischemic stroke treatments; head and neck embolizations; spinal angiograms and/or embolizations; and MMA embolizations.

The 1-year (1 fellow/year) track requires mastery of the above-listed neuroendovascular procedures which may be performed across multiple years of residency or prior fellowship training but must amount to no fewer than 200 catheter-based diagnostic and/or interventional cerebral angiographic procedures. During this 1-year fellowship, the fellow will perform no fewer than 150 interventional procedures across the following case categories: unruptured and ruptured aneurysms; embolization of AVM, AVF, and tumor; intracranial and extracranial stent placements or angioplasty; acute ischemic stroke treatments; head and neck embolizations; spinal angiograms and/or embolizations; and MMA embolizations. Upon graduation from the Neuroendovasular Surgery Fellowship, this fellow (provided he/she is a neurosurgeon) mayhave the option to join the MGB Cerebrovascular Surgery Fellowship the following year.

Research Experience

Fellows are expected to contribute meaningfully to academic scholarship in the form of peer-reviewed publications, scientific presentations, and involvement in national and international neurosurgical societies.

How to Apply

The application process occurs via the Electronic Resident Application Service (ERAS), and the Match is administered by the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP).

Fellowship and Faculty Contacts

M. Ali Aziz-Sultan, MD
Neurosurgeon
ASULTAN@BWH.HARVARD.EDU

Dr. M. Ali Aziz-Sultan is Chief of Vascular Neurosurgery at Mass General Brigham, Co-Director of the Comprehensive Stroke Center, and Associate Professor of Neurosurgery at Harvard Medical School. He leads a multidisciplinary cerebrovascular center at the Brigham, merging open and endovascular techniques in two state-of-the-art hybrid operating rooms. His research spans clinical trials in stroke, aneurysm devices, and intracerebral hemorrhage, with additional work on biomarkers, stem cells, and CNS tumor drug delivery.

Rose Du, MD, PhD
Neurosurgeon
rdu@bwh.harvard.edu

Dr. Rose Du is Director of Cerebrovascular Surgery and Associate Professor of Neurosurgery at Harvard Medical School. Her clinical practice covers the full spectrum of cerebrovascular disease, including brain aneurysms, AVMs, moyamoya disease, carotid stenosis, cavernous malformations, dural arteriovenous fistulas, brain tumors, skull base tumors, and trigeminal neuralgia. Her research focuses on the genetics of and outcomes in cerebrovascular diseases.

Aman B. Patel, MD
Neurosurgeon
ABPATEL@mgh.harvard.edu

Dr. Aman Patel is Director of Clinical Neurosurgery and Co-Director of the Neuroendovascular Program at Massachusetts General Hospital, specializing in cerebral aneurysms, vascular malformations, and stroke. He offers both open microsurgical and endovascular approaches, leading a multidisciplinary group focused on cerebrovascular treatments. His research focuses on endovascular stroke treatment, aneurysm morphology and flow dynamics, and hemorrhagic stroke, with involvement in multiple NIH and industry-sponsored multicenter trials.

Nirav J. Patel, MD
Neurosurgeon & Cerebrovascular Fellowship Director
npatel40@bwh.harvard.edu

Dr. Nirav Patel is an Attending Surgeon at Mass General Brigham and Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery at Harvard Medical School, with fellowship training in Open Cerebrovascular and Skull Base Surgery at Macquarie University and Endovascular Neurosurgery at BWH. He specializes in brain AVMs and Moyamoya disease, and also treats aneurysms, stroke, brain bypass, carotid disease, and skull base tumors. His research focuses on AVM physiology, molecular targets for radiosurgery sensitization, and the transgenerational effects of folate on neuronal regeneration.

James D. Rabinov, MD
Interventional Neuroradiologist
jrabinov@mgh.harvard.edu

Dr. James Rabinov is a senior neuroendovascular specialist with joint appointments in the Departments of Radiology and Neurosurgery. He is an Associate Professor of Radiology at Harvard Medical School. His clinical expertise includes intracranial aneurysms, AVMs, atherosclerotic cerebrovascular disease, and ENT-related vascular conditions.

Christopher J. Stapleton, MD
Neurosurgeon & Neuroendovascular Surgery Fellowship Director
cstapleton@mgh.harvard.edu

Dr. Christopher Stapleton is a board-certified neurosurgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital, Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery at Harvard Medical School, Associate Program Director (MGH Site Director) of the MGB Neurosurgery Residency, and Program Director of the MGB Neuroendovascular Surgery Fellowship. A graduate of Harvard Medical School, he completed his residency and neuroendovascular surgery fellowship at MGH and an advanced cerebrovascular surgery fellowship at the University of Illinois at Chicago. His clinical practice covers brain aneurysms, cerebral and spinal AVMs, cerebral and spinal DAVF, carotid cavernous fistulae, carotid artery disease, cavernous malformations, intraparenchymal hemorrhage, ischemic stroke, subdural hematoma, and traumatic brain injury, with research focused on AVM genomics, aneurysm rupture modeling, and novel endovascular device development.