Epilepsy Fellowship

Dr. David Spencer works with a patient in OHSU’s epilepsy monitoring unit.
David Spencer, M.D., leads OHSU’s Epilepsy Fellowship and directs the OHSU Comprehensive Epilepsy Center. Fellows train in Oregon's only Level 4 epilepsy center, including a state-of-the-art epilepsy monitoring unit.

Complete advanced training with national leaders in epilepsy

OHSU’s two-year Epilepsy Fellowship offers you training in epilepsy care and monitoring. You’ll learn from experts in many neurology disciplines as you care for patients in our state-of-the-art epilepsy center. 

In your second year, you’ll get advanced clinical training and contribute to clinical or basic science research.  

You will train at OHSU and the Portland VA Medical Center, caring for both adult and pediatric patients. Our ACGME-accredited program will prepare you for certification in epilepsy by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. 

Fellowship objectives

Our goal is to prepare you for board certification in your first year, then advance your skills in your second year. You will learn and work alongside neurosurgeons, neuropsychologists, faculty certified in epilepsy, and experts in neuroimaging.  

You will gain experience with: 

  • Conducting and reading adult and pediatric EEGs (electroencephalograms), in both routine outpatient and critical care settings
  • Diagnostic and presurgical evaluation of patients
  • Intracranial EEG monitoring
  • Epilepsy surgery
  • Intraoperative monitoring and broad-based training in clinical neurophysiology
  • Neurostimulation and neuromodulation devices 

We can offer exceptional training because we offer exceptional care in the OHSU Comprehensive Epilepsy Center. You’ll train in a center that includes: 

  • A state-of-the-art epilepsy monitoring unit (EMU)
  • Oregon’s only minimally invasive robot-MRI-laser system
  • Advanced neuroimaging, such as PET/MRI and Ictal SPECT

Curriculum

First year: You’ll gain the experience you need to become certified in epilepsy by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. 

Your training will include: 

  • Clinical practice in all areas of the OHSU Comprehensive Epilepsy Center
  • Extensive practice reading adult and pediatric EEGs
  • Management and monitoring of epilepsy in adults and children   

Rotations  

  • Epilepsy monitoring unit (EMU)
  • EEG service
  • Portland VA Medical Center EMU/EEG service
  • 1-month experience in pediatric epilepsy and EEG plus a 1-month elective 

Elective options:  

  • Research
  • Additional pediatric epilepsy/EEG
  • Intraoperative monitoring
  • Neuropsychiatry 

Second year: During this accredited year in clinical neurophysiology, you’ll get advanced training in diagnosing, treating and monitoring complex epilepsy and seizure disorders. You will help conduct basic science research or clinical trials. Current research topics include: 

  • Innovative medications and drug therapies
  • Electrical stimulation to stop seizures
  • Using MRI to make surgery safer
  • 2-month intraoperative monitoring
  • Didactic training in sleep and EMG/nerve conduction studies
  • Electives you choose 

How to apply

Apply through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). The position will be filled through the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP).

To qualify, you must first complete an accredited residency program in neurology. 

Follow the application requirements on ERAS, which include:  

  • ERAS application and CV
  • A personal statement
  • Medical school transcript
  • Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE)
  • Three or four letters of recommendation
  • Certified USMLE/COMLEX scores
  • Photo (required before an interview)

International medical graduates must also submit:

  • Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) certificate
  • Documentation of U.S. Clinical Experience 

Important dates

  • Applications close Jan. 31 for the following year.
  • Fellowship training starts in July the year after applications close. 

Interview process

All interviews are virtual and conducted on Thalamus. You will meet with the program director, the associate program director or VA epilepsy center director, and two other faculty members. Interviews usually take place on Mondays and Fridays. 

Fellowship leaders

David Spencer, M.D., leads the Epilepsy Fellowship and the Division of Epilepsy. He also directs the OHSU Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, Oregon's only Level 4 epilepsy center. Dr. Spencer has deep expertise in treating seizure disorders and in video EEG monitoring. 

Other program leaders

Apply now

Apply through ERAS. 

Questions?

Email Elrike Shaw, program coordinator, at shawelr@ohsu.edu. 

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