Program Overview

Physicians who want to specialize in childhood brain and nerve disorders have a unique academic home to receive the advanced training they need. The University of Florida College of Medicine has a thriving residency program in child (pediatric) neurology, helping to train the next generation of specialists to serve the region and beyond.

UF’s pediatric neurology residency program provides advantages not available elsewhere, from extensive collaborations with other UF centers and departments, including the McKnight Brain Institute, the Clinical Research Center, the Clinical and Translational Science Institute, the Multi-Disciplinary Training Program and the departments of neurology, neurosurgery, pediatrics and psychiatry, to outreach exposure in rural communities, immersion in the department’s faculty practice, and a plethora of opportunities for scholarship and research experience.

2023 Pediatric Neurology Residence
Michael Lattanzi, Katherin Portwood, Alisha Allen, and Kirsten Consing

The Child Neurology Residency Program at the University of Florida matches one PGY-1 each year for a 5-year categorical sequence (with plans to expand in 2023-4). High quality, mentorship, guidance, depth, and breadth are some of the words we frequently hear from our residents, medical students, and visitors. The program is fully compliant with ACGME requirements and includes the mandatory exposure to adult and pediatric neurology, as well as a range of available electives. The adult neurology training is distributed among all 3 years of the neurology training period, enabling the trainee to assume gradually increasing responsibility on the adult neurology service, and also to gain exposure to adult neurology electives and subspecialty activities.

Residency Program 2018

UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital is the pediatric teaching hospital of the University of Florida College of Medicine and has gained national prominence due to its world-class research, educational, and clinical programs. The faculty in the Division of Pediatric Neurology are committed to delivering the best clinical care and training for our child neurology residents. The program offers top-notch clinical training along with research opportunities and scheduling flexibility to enable trainees to pursue subspecialty interests.

Since its inception, the residency has become a high-profile training program in the Southeastern United States. Our graduates are fully eligible for certification by the American Board of Pediatrics and the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.


Mission

Our program’s goal is to discover new knowledge, to refine understanding of clinical and basic neuroscience and apply these insights to improve the health and well being of children and their families, while instilling the spirits of inquiry, compassion, and service into the future generation of clinician scientists training in the practice of child neurology

Program Aims:

  • Alleviate the current workforce shortage in Pediatric Neurology both in Florida and other underserved areas
  • Train skilled and self-motivated medical professionals who will be lifelong learners
  • Allow residents to build sound fundamentals of knowledge to apply in clinical settings
  • Provide evidence based clinical care with a focus on patient outcomes in outpatient and inpatient settings integrated with the faculty
  • Encourage residents to explore additional subspecialty training
  • Encourage residents to develop areas of expertise to provide a substrate for scientific presentations and other scholarly pursuits
  • Increase the volume of our training program with funded categorical 5-year combined pediatrics/child neurology positions along with ad hoc opportunities for talented candidates who are late-comers to our specialty.
  • Develop in depth knowledge about up-to-date Child Neurology, biomedical, clinical, and pediatric scientific information and consistently apply this knowledge to patient care – preparing all fellows to pass subspecialty board certification exam on the first attempt within 5 years.

Background

Pediatric neurologists diagnose, treat and manage disorders of the brain, spinal cord and nervous system, including developmental delays, headache syndromes, neuropathy, seizures, strokes, and neuromuscular and spinal cord disorders. The UF Child Neurology Program is nationally ranked and poised for growth in order to help meet the needs of N. Florida’s rapidly growing population. As one of two residencies in the State, and the only program co-located with a prestigious undergraduate campus, world-class graduate programs, and multiple professional schools, academic and scholarship opportunities abound.


Training

Five-Year Categorical Program

Through our five-year categorical Pediatric Neurology Residency Program, trainees will focus on pediatric residency training for their first two years, then transition to pediatric neurology for the remaining three years. The program was approved in November 2012 by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, or ACGME, the national body that certifies post-medical school education in the U.S. Physicians who complete the program can apply for a license to practice independent pediatric neurology in any state or pursue fellowship opportunities. Graduates will be eligible for certification by both the American Board of Pediatrics and the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, and able to treat both adults and children.

Trainees interested in joining the program for their PGY3 year and beyond, please inquire.