Welcome!
Welcome and thank you for your interest in the UAB Child Neurology residency program! Our ACGME-accredited, five-year categorical program is designed to educate and empower trainees to be well-trained, patient-centered child neurologists. Training is based on supervised clinical work with increasing responsibility for outpatients and inpatients over time. Applications for the Child Neurology residency program are accepted through ERAS only. Applicants do NOT need to separately apply to the UAB Pediatric Residency Program for the Child Neurology positions.
Our program offers two categorical resident positions each year. Almost all residents complete two years of training in pediatrics prior to the initiation of training in child neurology. Our graduates are eligible to sit for the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology as well as the American Board of Pediatrics board examinations.
After completing two years of training in general pediatrics at UAB/Children’s of Alabama, our trainees complete adult neurology training and child neurology training where they focus on the evaluation and management of patients with a wide array of neuropathology at University Hospital, the Birmingham VA Medical Center, Kirklin Clinic, and Children’s of Alabama. All locations are within a short walk of each other!
During the PGY-3 year, our trainees complete 9 months of adult neurology training and have 3 months of child neurology training. The PGY-3 trainees also begin taking care of patients in their weekly pediatric neurology continuity clinic. In the PGY-4 year, our trainees complete 12 months of child neurology training in the outpatient, inpatient, and elective settings as they learn from patients and their families. During the PGY-5 year, trainees spend one month on our child neurology inpatient consult service “pre-tending,” 3 months in adult neurology (completing neuropathology, outpatient clinics, and a desired elective), and they have the opportunity to design the other 8 months of that year in a way that best suit their interests and future endeavors. We offer a variety of outpatient clinic opportunities, electives, research/QI activities, and we encourage our PGY-5s to focus on how to best prepare for board certification and a career after graduation from our program.
During the PGY-3, PGY-4, and PGY-5 years, trainees attend a variety of educational conferences hosted by both the UAB Division of Pediatric Neurology and the UAB Department of Neurology. They also attend weekly Grand Rounds at Children’s of Alabama and UAB Department of Neurology Grand Rounds.
Lastly, our diverse faculty of child neurologists enjoy teaching motivated, well-rounded trainees. We believe in the power of mentorship and lifelong learning. We are a close-knit group of child neurologists who enjoy Birmingham as it is a thriving, affordable city for individuals with a variety of interests outside of work! We want all of our trainees and our faculty to balance wellness and the true privilege of working to achieve high patient care and advancements within our exciting field. Thank you again for your time and interest in our program. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have questions about our program.
Sincerely,
Dr. Sarah Novara
Pediatric Neurology at Children's of Alabama
Children's of Alabama is the only free-standing pediatric hospital in Alabama. It is one of the 10 busiest hospitals in the nation. With over 16,000 inpatient admissions and over 690,000 outpatient visits annually, you will get plenty of exposure!
The neurology service at Children's of Alabama provides a very well rounded experience. In 2021, the division had around 9,000 outpatient clinic visits and over 4,600 inpatient consults and 3,300 telehealth visits. Child neurology trainees assist in the care of hospital patients as members of our consultation service. They also attend general neurology and neurology sub-specialty clinics with all of the child neurology attendings.
Pediatric neurology call is covered by adult neurology rotating PGY-3s and our PGY3-5s throughout each year. We have a night float system that operates most Monday-Friday evenings with another trainee on home call for Saturday-Monday morning. These weeks of night float or weekend home call are scattered throughout each academic year. There are several in-house pediatric residents on-call every night who provide first-line cross-cover for patients who have been consulted on by neurology. Overall, pediatric neurology PGY-4s and PGY-5s on call provide backup and assistance almost exclusively over the phone to the in-house residents when on home call, and when on night float, they perform telephone consults along with various in-person consults on patients needing to see neurology prior to Emergency Department discharge, those with neurologic emergencies, or those who are being admitted and need a neurology consultation. Our trainees and adult neurology rotating PGY-3s have a backup attending and epileptologist on call with them at all times, and our trainees perform no more than 6 weeks of night float per year.
Our Team
 Sarah Novara, M.D., MSHQSResidency Program Director Toni DavisonProgram Coordinator |