Residency Program

Welcome from the Program Directors

Thank you for your interest in the Boston University Neurology Residency Program at Boston Medical Center! We at BU are delighted that you have chosen a career in neurology. There is no better time to go into this exciting field given the ever-changing landscape in new diagnostics, treatment options and research opportunities.

We believe that residency training should be rigorous, fulfilling and also enjoyable. Our goal is to help shape the future leaders of neurology by creating a supportive, collaborative environment in which to grow and learn. The chairperson, program leadership and faculty are uniformly committed to excellence in education, research and neurological patient care, and to providing residents and fellows with a dynamic training experience. We take pride in giving residents an expansive clinical foundation with exposure to diverse patient populations at not only Boston Medical Center, but also the West Roxbury Veterans Administration Medical Center and the Jamaican Plains Veterans Administration Medical Center.

We are proud of our legacy of residents who are motivated and driven to achieve excellence in clinical skills and scholarly activities. Our program takes into consideration the specific academic and research interests of each of our residents and helps to channel their career growth and development. The faculty-resident mentorship program is designed to help foster individual academic interests, addressing the unique goals of each resident. Our curriculum starts each year with a PGY2 week-long boot-camp in our state-of-the-art Solomont Simulation Center, which is run by our chief residents. Our protected didactic time takes place every Tuesday afternoon, during which residents from all campuses converge and learn from our faculty representing all neurological subspecialties. The first two months of didactics are dedicated to the basics of common neurological diseases. In addition to our neurology curriculum, we have several ongoing curricula in basic science/research, wellness, quality improvement, and interactive simulations in the fields of epilepsy, neuromuscular, interventional pain, neurocritical care, and live patient encounters.

All residents are encouraged to participate in scholarly activities, and many residents celebrate their scholarly achievements at the end of the year at the Neurology Kase Research Symposium, named after our previous chairperson in neurology, Dr. Carlos Kase, as well as by giving grand rounds as a senior resident. Residents also have ample opportunity to teach medical students, contributing to a medical student clerkship that is highly rated in the medical school. For the last few years, we have had more than ten medical students inspired to enter the field of neurology annually. Our residents also help to run the CORTEX club, a medical student interest group devoted to career development and research. Residents interested in a career that incorporates teaching are encouraged to enter the clinician-educator certificate program.

In addition, residents interested in global health are encouraged to join the neurology-led global health program, which allows residents to participate in an annual international mission to Haiti. With ample opportunities in research, education and global health, it is not surprising that our graduates usually get their first choice in fellowships and go on to become world-class academicians. We were recently ranked as one of the top producers of academic neurologists.

Our faculty and residents consider themselves a family. From our annual off-campus residency retreat, “Soups, Stews and Pies” get-together, our summer BBQ at our chairperson Dr. Greer’s house, to our monthly “End of Block” celebration and Women in Neurology dinners, there are always social events and get-togethers among faculty and residents that create a wonderful collegial environment.

We seek highly motivated, inquisitive, compassionate applicants who will be actively engaged in their graduate medical education at the Boston University Medical Center. We strongly value applicants who come from diverse backgrounds, as we believe that this enhances the educational experience for all residents and faculty. Please feel free to contact us with questions!

Pria Anand, MD
Assistant Professor of Neurology, BU School of Medicine
Director, Neurology Residency Program, BUMC

Sunali Shah, MD
Assistant Professor of Neurology, BU School of Medicine
Associate Program Director, Neurology Residency Program, BUMC