Epilepsy Fellowship

Overview

The George Washington University Epilepsy fellowship is a one-year ACGME accredited epilepsy position. The GW comprehensive epilepsy center is a NAEC designated level IV epilepsy center located in the heart of the nation’s capital. The fellows gain structured clinical experience at GW University Hospital and Children’s National Medical Center. 

Applicants interested in a second-year fellowship may pursue it on the clinical neurophysiology/EEG track.

Find out more about the GWU Comprehensive Epilepsy Center.

Goals

We are highly committed to foster the development of well-rounded, competent clinical and academic epileptologists.

Our fellows will become competent in:

1. Outpatient routine and ambulatory EEGs
2. ICU EEGs and LTMs
3. Presurgical EEG/EMU
4. Presurgical evaluation of patients with medically refractory epilepsy
5. Intracranial invasive EEG monitoring  
6. Managing patients with epilepsy
7. Neurostimulation devices

Although not a requirement, our fellows are encouraged to select research and quality improvement projects and other scholarly activities with faculty support and supervision. In addition, our fellows are involved in resident teaching.

Curriculum 

The epilepsy fellowship is composed of three main rotations:

1. The adult inpatient epilepsy service at the GWUH which includes our EMU and the ICU/LTM prolonged EEG services.
2. The outpatient rotation which includes reading outpatient EEGs (routine and ambulatory) as well as evaluating and managing epilepsy patients in the outpatient clinic with assigned epilepsy faculty.
3. Pediatric epilepsy rotation (Pediatric EMU and outpatient clinic) at Children’s National Medical Center (CNMC).

Our fellows are eligible for the ABPN epilepsy board certification.

Didactics 

We offer diverse and extensive didactics:

1. Epilepsy Board Review Course, which is a 3-day comprehensive course designed to prepare physicians planning to certify in the ABPN Epilepsy Board Examination. The course is free of charge for our fellows. Find out more about the GW epilepsy board review course.
2. Monthly epilepsy seminar series which features world renowned speakers. Find out more about the GW epilepsy seminar series. 
3. Epilepsy/EEG lecture series, which is a series of lectures that cover the EEG basics, anti-seizure medication, neuroimaging in epilepsy and other clinical epilepsy topics.
4. Journal club (every other Thursday). Find more about the GW epilepsy journal club. 
5. Weekly epilepsy management conferences (joint conference with CNMC).
6. EEG teaching sessions (every other Tuesday, for both residents and fellows)
7. Weekly epilepsy lecture series in collaboration with the John's Hopkins University Epilepsy Center (every Friday at noon).

Our fellows are encouraged to attend the annual American epilepsy society meeting or other epilepsy related conferences.

Application process

Applicants interested in applying for the epilepsy fellowship should have completed an ACGME accredited neurology residency by the start of fellowship and should be board eligible. Our program is participating in the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP). Please complete the application through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS).

Find out more by visiting NRMP and ERAS websites. 

For additional inquiries about the program, applicants may contact our fellowship coordinator Ms.Shardae Pierce (spierce@mfa.gwu.edu).

Our Faculty 

 

	Mohamad Koubeissi Interim Chair, Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine Director, GW comprehensive epilepsy center Residency: New York University  Fellowship: - Johns Hopkins University- Epilepsy
	Yamane Makke Program director, epilepsy fellowship Residency: The George Washington University-Neurology Fellowship: - Mayo Clinic, Rochester MN- Epilepsy - Vanderbilt University- Clinical Neurophysiology/EEG
	Andrew Becker Residency: North Shore University Hospital - Neurology
	Alexandra Eid Residency: University of Chicago hospitals, Chicago, IL Fellowship:  - George Washington University- Epilepsy - George Washington University- Clinical Neurophysiology/EEG
	Victoria Vinarsky Residency: Children's National Hospital, Washington DC Fellowship:  - George Washington University- Epilepsy

 

 

Current Fellow

• Omar Nofal, MD
  
  Residency: American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon, 2020

Former Fellows

• Victoria Vinarsky
  
  Residency: Children's National Hospital, Washington DC, 2022
  
  Current: Assistant Professor of Neurology-The George Washington University

• Alexandra Eid 
  
  Residency: University of Chicago hospitals, Chicago, 2021 
  
  Current: Assistant Professor of Neurology-The George Washington University

• Shweta Varade 
  
  Residency: Lehigh Valley Health Network, Allentown, Pennsylvania. 2020

• Asfi Rafiudin 
  
  Residency: The George Washington University, 2018 ​​​​​​

• Alex Andrews 
  
  Residency: Children's National Hospital, 2019 
  
  Current: Assistant Professor - Georgetown University Medical Center

• Yongxing Zhou 
  
  Residency: Howard University, 2017
  
  Current - Neurologist, MedStar St Mary's Hospital, Leonardtown, MD

• Daniel Birnbaum 
  
  Residency: The George Washington University, 2016
  
  Current: Assistant Professor - Einstein Medical Center (Philadelphia, PA)