Neuroradiology Fellowship

Overview

Massachusetts General Hospital residency and fellowship training programs are excited about the 2025 Match. In this cycle, we will interview applicants for dedicated training and graduation from Massachusetts General Hospital. As an MGH trainee, elective opportunities will be available at the MGB Radiology Department (MGH/BWH), offering the extensive clinical and scholarly resources of these preeminent institutions. Our future vision of an integrated MGB healthcare system and training program will push the boundaries of diagnostic imaging and foster innovative educational experiences. Our goal today and in the future is to produce exceptional radiologists equipped to thrive in the dynamic landscape of modern healthcare.

The Neuroradiology Fellowship at Mass General is a rigorous program of clinical teaching and exposure to research designed to train outstanding neuroradiologists and leaders in our rapidly evolving subspecialty. We are engaged with state-of-the-art approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of all major CNS diseases.

Education of our neuroradiology fellows revolves around our excellent case material that accrues continuously, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Mass General is exceptionally strong in the clinical neurosciences and is consistently rated among the top three hospitals in this arena. In addition, we provide a series of specialized teaching conferences designed for the education of our fellows. Numerous joint conferences are co-hosted by the Division of Neuroradiology and other clinical divisions, designed for patient management and educational purposes.

Clinical programs of the highest quality have been established at Mass General in acute stroke, neuro-oncology, skull base neoplasms, pediatric neurology, aneurysms and AVMs, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease and movement disorders. We are thus engaged with state-of-the-art approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of all major CNS diseases.

We are leaders in the field of image-guided stroke therapy, including the use of CT angiography and perfusion along with MR diffusion and perfusion in the emergency setting. Our Emergency Department is equipped with its own MRI scanner to facilitate triage of the acute stroke patient.

We are one of the first institutions in the country to have installed a 3.0Tesla magnet MRI scanner for clinical use.

Curriculum

The Neuroradiology Fellowship at Mass General is a rigorous program of clinical teaching and exposure to research designed to train outstanding neuroradiologists and leaders in our rapidly evolving subspecialty. We are engaged with state-of-the-art approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of all major CNS diseases.

Education of our neuroradiology fellows revolves around our excellent case material that accrues continuously, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. MGH is exceptionally strong in the clinical neurosciences and is consistently rated among the top three hospitals in this arena. In addition, we provide a series of specialized teaching conferences designed for the education of our fellows. Numerous joint conferences are co-hosted by Neuroradiology and other clinical divisions, designed for patient management and excellent for educational purposes.

First-Year Schedule

• MGH daily schedule with several assignments including 4-6 weeks of MGH pediatric neuroradiology (8 months)
• Cerebral Angiography/Vertebral Augmentation with MGH Interventional Neuroradiology (2 weeks)
• Pediatric Neuroradiology at Children’s Hospital of Boston (4 weeks)
• Head and Neck Radiology at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (4 weeks)
• Global Health elective in Rwanda (2-4 weeks)

Second-Year Schedule

• MGH daily schedule with several assignments (8.5 months)
• Electives in Head and Neck (MEEI), Pediatric Neuroradiology (CHB), Cerebral Angiography/Vertebral augmentation, spine procedures or research (11 weeks)
• Global Health elective in Rwanda (2-4 weeks)

During the second year, fellows have Junior Attending Status and are responsible for reading out cases at MGH with senior attendings available for consultation.

Call Duty

• Evening Shift
  • Six (6) consecutive nights during the first year and seven (7) consecutive evenings during the second year.
  • The number of overnight weeks depends on the total number of fellows; however, it has averaged to three-to-four (3 – 4) weeks per year for the last two years.
  • Each shift begins at 10:30 p.m. on Friday and lasts through the following Thursday
  • The fellow is in-house until 7:30 a.m., reading out all neuroradiology cases from the ER and any inpatient cases for which a reading is requested.
• Weekend Call
  • Both Saturday and Sunday from 7:30 AM to 4:30 PM or 10 AM to 7 PM.
  • The number of weekends depends on the total number of fellows; however, it has averaged 6 weekends per year for the past 2 years.
  • Two fellows are on call with one attending for the entire weekend (Saturday and Sunday).

Overnight and weekend call responsibilities are the same during both the first and second year of the fellowship.

• LP/Myelogram Evening Call
• Second Year fellows provide coverage for any urgent lumbar puncture or myelogram requests after hours on weekdays from 4:30 PM to 7:30 AM.
• ED Back-Up Call
• Fellows are assigned to ED back-up on weekdays and weekends to help provide coverage for ED if the originally assigned fellow is unable to cover.
• On weekends, the back-up fellows also cover any emergent lumbar puncture or myelograms.
• First and Second Year fellows share the same number of weeks.

Education

• Introduction to Neuroradiology Lecture Series
  • An introduction to Neuroradiology lecture series for the neuroradiology fellows (Monday through Friday at 12 PM) is presented by the neuroradiology attending staff from the beginning of July to the end of August.
• Physics Lecture Series
  • A month-long series of physics lectures for the neuroradiology fellows occurs in the fall.
• Mass General / Harvard Neuroradiology and Head and Neck Radiology Course
  • Every year, the Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital and Massachusetts Eye and Ear hosts a week-long Neuroradiology and Head & Neck Radiology course.
  • Each fellow is invited to attend at least two days.
• Radiology Resident Neuroradiology Mini-Course
  • Each year, a month-long noon-time mini-course is held for the MGH radiology residents.
  • Each fellow is expected to attend.
• Fellow Case Conferences
  • The fellows present case conferences on Tuesdays (12 PM) and Wednesdays (12 PM).
  • Case material is from MGH, Mass Eye and Ear, and Boston Children’s Hospital.
• Neurointerventional Conferences
  • The neurointerventional service gives conferences on Fridays (7:15 AM) which include quality assurance conferences, didactic lectures, and journal clubs.
• Neuroradiology Teaching File
  • Each Thursday afternoon (4:30 pm), the interesting cases of the week are discussed by the neuroradiology section over pizza.
• Guest Lectures and Journal Clubs
  • Once a month, journal clubs and guest lecturers from other sections within MGH and other institutions occur on Fridays at noon.
  • Guest lecturers include clinical subspecialty talks as they pertain to neuroradiology;
  • Includes practice quality improvement lectures and lectures on research methodology and grants.
• fMRI Conference
  • The second-year fellows are invited to attend the 3-day intensive fMRI course at Weill Medical College of Cornell University.
  • The department covers the attendance cost.
• Additional Lecture Series
• Additional lecture series are offered throughout the year covering various topics such as quality and safety, translational imaging, and leadership.

Research Experience

Research in neuroradiology at Mass General is at the forefront, including clinical applications of functional MRI (diffusion and perfusion MRI). We are also active in developing clinical applications of MR spectroscopy. Our close working relationship with the MRI team makes possible these cutting-edge research efforts. In addition, active research programs in functional brain mapping, PET studies of neoplasms and several projects in the interventional area are available for participation by fellows.

How to Apply

Our program is a two-year ACGME-accredited diagnostic neuroradiology fellowship. We will begin to accept applications for AY 2026-2028 in December 2024. We currently use ERAS (Electronic Residency Application Service). Please submit all application materials on the ERAS website. If you have questions about your eligibility or the program, please contact Karen Wood, Fellowship Coordinator, at KWood17@mgh.harvard.edu.

We participate in the neuroradiology fellowship match administered by the National Residency Match Program (NRMP). All applicants must register for the match. Applicants can start applying to the program on December 7, 2024. The application to the program should be made no later than March 1, 2025.

We will begin downloading and screening applications from ERAS in early December 2024. Invitations to interview will be sent out starting in December 2024, and possibly January 2025. We recommend that all candidate data is submitted as early as possible to ensure inclusion in screening. Incomplete applications may not be considered. If you are missing something from your application, please contact Karen Wood (kwood17@mgh.harvard.edu) and let her know when the missing document will be uploaded to ERAS.

ERAS Applications must include the following in order to be considered complete:

• Application form
• CV
• Personal statement detailing your choice of Neuroradiology Fellowship
• Three letters of recommendation from faculty members
• USMLE scores
• Copy of medical school transcript
• A recent photo

For more information, please contact:

Karen Wood
Neuroradiology Fellowship Coordinator
Department of Radiology, Division of Neuroradiology
Gray 273A
Massachusetts General Hospital
55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA 02114

Phone: 617-726-8320
Fax: 617-724-3338
Email: kwood17@mgh.harvard.edu