Education

The Comprehensive Epilepsy Center offers two types of fellowships: one in Epilepsy and one in Clinical Neurophysiology. Both fellowships are ACGME accredited. Each fellowship has two positions per. Epilepsy fellows who wish to complete a two-year fellowship are provided with that option.

The training is provided by seven adult, board-certified epileptologists, and two pediatric neurologists, one neuropsychologist and two neurosurgeons. Fellows rotate at the University of Miami Hospital and Clinics, Jackson Memorial Hospital [and review the EEG studies from its Children’s Hospital (Holtz Children’s Hospital) and at the Miami Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Inpatient diagnostic and presurgical evaluations are carried out at the six-bed Epilepsy Monitoring Unit at the University of Miami Hospital and Clinics, its four-bed adult Epilepsy Monitoring Unit at Jackson Memorial Hospital, and the two-bed pediatric Epilepsy Monitoring Unit at Holtz Children’s Hospital.

Outpatient EEG studies are obtained from the outpatient laboratories at all three institutions.

The training of fellows includes:

1. Interpretation of routine and prolonged video-EEG studies in all age groups, including premature and neonates babies, children and adolescents, adults, and geriatric patients.
2. Interpretation of prolonged video-EEG monitoring studies as part of diagnostic evaluations.
3. Interpretation of prolonged video-EEG monitoring as part of presurgical evaluations, using scalp and intracranial electrodes, including subdural strips, grids, and stereo-encephalography with depth electrodes.
4. Training in interpreting neuroimaging studies (PET, SPECT, MRI, functional MRI) and neuropsychological evaluations as part of the presurgical evaluation.
5. Mapping of eloquent cortex with stimulation of intracranial electrodes and intraoperative electrocorticography.
6. Training in the selection of the various epilepsy surgery types, including resective surgery, laser ablation, and neuromodulation therapies, including vagal nerve stimulation (VNS), responsive neurostimulation (RNS), and deep brain stimulation (DBS) of anterior thalamic or centro-medial nuclei
7. Training in intra-operative monitoring for spinal surgery (elective).

Two neurology residents (a PGY2 and a PGY4) rotate through the epilepsy center for four-week periods. During their rotation, they are trained in evaluating and managing epilepsy, imitators of epileptic seizures, and introduction of EEG.

For information, please contact:

Andrea (Andy) Ruiz (She/Her/Hers)
Program Manager
Phone: 305-243-2742
Email: aruiz2@med.miami.edu