The Department of Neurological Surgery provides medical education in a wide variety of forums through the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. The faculty also contributes to undergraduate and graduate-level education in other schools at the university and to the continuing education of their professional colleagues.

Residency Program

The department offers a six-year (PGY 2-7) residency program that is internationally renowned as a training ground for exceptional neurosurgeons. Accredited by the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education, the program accepts three residents a year. More info.

Medical Students

Requests for Fourth Year Visiting Elective Applications from students attending LCME accredited medical schools will be accepted beginning in March of your fourth year through December. Assignments will be made after our fourth year students finalize their schedules at the end of May. More info.

Conferences

In addition to daily teaching rounds, led by individual members of the department faculty, the department holds a series of weekly resident conferences and review lectures to discuss specific neurosurgical concepts, techniques, problems, and solutions. Both faculty and residents are regular participants in these programs, many of which include formal didactic presentations. Also, the department presents a Visiting Professor Series where world renown physicians lecture on their topics of expertise.

Post-Graduate Training

Neurosurgical- focused training is possible in PGY 5th or 6th year or after residency training. Training internships range from from six months to two years. Programs currently include:

• basic science research
• image-guided neurosurgery (stereotactic and functional, radiosurgery)
• pediatric (clinical instructor level)
• spine (clinical instructor level)
• endoscopic and skull base surgery (clinical instructor level)
• endovascular surgery

Professional Courses

Department faculty offer advanced level training for professionals in several areas. Courses currently offered include:

• Principles and Practice of Gamma Knife Surgery
• Gamma Knife Radiosurgery Training for Nurses
• Endoscopic Endonasal Surgery Course

(Note: Gamma Knife nurses training is also available anytime throughout the year upon request. Please contact Jonet Vacsulka at (412) 647-9992, for more information )

Online Courses

The department currently sponsors two online course through the University of Pittsburgh Department of Continuing Education for CME credit:

• Comparing Options for Patients with Acoustic Neuromas
• Gamma Knife Radiosurgery for Brain Metastases

Continuing Medical Education

Department faculty take an active role in national and regional continuing education programs. Course presentations are given every year at the annual meetings of both the Congress of Neurological Surgeons and the American Association of Neurological Surgeons. In addition, physicians of several department centers provide institutional training to other physicians throughout the world. For more information, please contact us at (412) 647-3685

Speakers Bureau

Department of Neurological Surgery offers a speakers bureau service for regional hospitals, physician groups and other organizations interested in keeping abreast with the latest advances and techniques in the field of neurological surgery. More info.

Other Postgraduate Education

The Department of Neurological Surgery participates in the education of house staff of other departments, including Surgery, Neurology, and Emergency Medicine. Educational endeavors include neuroscience conferences, general lectures on neurosurgical topics, and grand rounds. In addition, our faculty takes part in the Department of Surgery's Vascular Surgery Conference and provides speakers for the Critical Care Medicine Lecture Series.

Finally, our faculty members present lectures to the UPMC nursing staff and to the medical staff of other regional hospitals. For more information, please contact us at (412) 647-6250.