Child Neurology and Neurodevelopmental Disabilities Residency Training Programs | Neurodevelopmental Disabilities Program

Elizabeth Barkoudah, MD

Vast, limitless, wide-spectrum, and varied are some of the descriptions that one might apply to a career centered in a neurodevelopmental disabilities education. Factor in the ever-growing need for physicians to be trained in this field and you are looking at a very exciting opportunity. At Boston Children’s Hospital, residents in NDD learn from some of the best neurological and developmental medicine practitioners and researchers in the nation.

Continuing in the same tradition as the Child Neurology Residency and Developmental Medicine Training Programs, the Neurodevelopmental Disabilities Program strives to educate future leaders in this field. Resident selections are based on a combination of characteristics, which includes academic credentials, interpersonal and intrapersonal relationship skills, dedication, and selflessness. The ability to work cohesively with others is central to our program and for the care of each patient.

The Neurodevelopmental Disabilities Program is a four-year curriculum that follows successful completion of two core pediatric training years in an ACGME-accredited program. Upon completion of the Neurodevelopmental Disabilities Program, trainees will have fulfilled:

  • adult neurology (12 months)
  • clinical child neurology and neurodevelopmental disabilities (18 months)
  • clinical and basic sciences (18 months)

Throughout the four years of their Neurodevelopmental Disabilities Program training, residents train in both child neurology and developmental medicine. This integrated training approach expands and broadens one’s knowledge base and weaves the disciplines into a cohesive curriculum. Residents participate in structured blocks including, but not limited to, inpatient child neurology and epilepsy services, child neurology ICU and inpatient consults teams, outpatient child neurology and developmental clinics, and adult inpatient consult teams. Residents also participate in multispecialty clinics and weekly continuity clinics. Neurodevelopmental disabilities residents can participate in the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) Program honing their interdisciplinary care skills beyond their medical training.

Requirements

  • Two years of training in pediatrics are required for entry into the Neurodevelopmental Disabilities Program.
  • The Neurodevelopmental Disabilities position includes a linked preliminary position at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Mass.

Interested candidates should obtain an application from ERAS. For further information on the application process, please review the how to apply section. Boston Children’s Hospital offers an advanced match in the Neurodevelopmental Disabilities residency for a four-year position. Applicants apply separately at the same time for the two-year preliminary position at Baystate Medical Center via ERAS. Matching occurs through the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP) and will occur simultaneously with the match for general pediatrics. Potential candidates may also wish to explore the Boston Children’s Hospital Neurology and Developmental Medicine sites.

For further information regarding this residency program, download our brochure or contact:

Elizabeth Barkoudah, MD
Director, Neurodevelopmental Disabilities Residency Training Program
Co-Director, Cerebral Palsy and Spasticity Center
Department of Neurology, Boston Children’s Hospital
617-355-6388
elizabeth.barkoudah@childrens.harvard.edu

Miya Bernson-Leung, MD, EdM
Director, Child Neurology Residency Training Program
Department of Neurology, Boston Children’s Hospital
Miya.Bernson-Leung@childrens.harvard.edu

Molly Senn-McNally, MD
Pediatric Residency Program Director
University of Massachusetts Medical School-Baystate Children’s Hospital
50 Wason Ave, 1st Floor, Springfield, MA 01199
Molly.Senn-Mcnally@baystatehealth.org

“Since early on in my education, I’ve been fascinated by the nervous system and the genetic processes underlying its development. Through my medical education and early clinical experiences, I found that I was especially drawn to the developmental aspects of pediatric medicine — finding the greatest satisfaction through helping families with their child’s unique developmental needs. When I discovered the field of neurodevelopmental disabilities, I knew that I found a specialty that would perfectly foster my desire to become an expert in neurology and to use this expertise in helping patients with what I would argue is one of the most important facets of pediatrics-development.”

Michael Oanea, MD, Neurodevelopmental Disabilities Resident, Class of 2022, Boston Children’s Hospital