Jobs
Clinical Fellowship in Dementia
Posted 08 Nov 2024
Employer
Massachusetts General Hospital
Location
Boston, Massachusetts
Principal Investigator
Contact
Applicants are required to submit the following documents to the program director for consideration: Cover letter, research statement (optional: two pages maximum), CV, and three letters of recommendation from past or current faculty members or mentors who are familiar with the applicant’s potential and aptitude for pursuing an academic, industry, or related scientific field.
Please submit to the fellowship program directors - Dr. Teresa Gomez-Isla - at tgomezisla@partners.org and Dr. John Dickson – at John.Dickson@mgh.harvard.edu.
For administrative questions, please contact Antonette Jarvis at - ajarvis2@mgb.org.
Description
The objective of this paid, two-year, non-degree program is to introduce exceptionally-qualified individuals to the challenges and rewards of a clinical career in the dementias and related neurodegenerative diseases, and is intended to provide an unparalleled foundation for potential leadership roles in academic medicine, industry, or related fields.
The main goal of this clinical fellowship is to gain advanced clinical skills to diagnose and treat patients with dementing disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, frontotemporal disorders, vascular dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies, and other related disorders. This includes clinical training in the clinical exam, diagnosis, treatment and management of dementia; educating families and caregivers on these diseases, as well as didactic and experiential training in research methods and the ethical conduct of clinical research. Fellows will not be involved in teaching or supervising residents in the program.
Recipients of the fellowship are also expected to develop advanced knowledge in clinical (including clinical trials and drug development) basic and/or translation research, enhance their clinical proficiencies in managing complex neurologic cases typically seen in tertiary settings, and demonstrate effective competencies in teaching and communication skills to medical professionals and the lay public.
The clinical aspects of the program will include comprehensive training in all practical and theoretical aspects of diagnosis, evaluation and clinical management of patients with dementias (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease, frontotemporal disorders, dementia with Lewy bodies, vascular dementia, cerebral amyloid angiopathy). The fellow will deliver care to patients of the MGH’s Memory Disorders Unit (MDU), (and/or Frontotemporal Disorders Unit, Lewy Body Dementia Clinic or Movement Disorders Unit) on one half-day per week supervised by an assigned clinical mentor. He/she is expected to see a mix of new patients and follow-up patients; participate and present cases at the weekly MDU conference, attend weekly departmental Grand Rounds, and meet with his/her assigned clinical mentor once a week to review cases. Fellows will also participate in the Alzheimer Therapeutics Program, which focuses on anti-amyloid therapy, on a rotating basis. Fellows will not have admitting/billing privileges nor will they be providing any coverage responsibility for attending physicians throughout the program.
The Fellowship will also include a research component that will complement the advanced clinical training aspect of the program. The research aspects of the fellowship will include in-depth training in state-of-the-art inquiries in clinical, translational and/or basic science research, including the following: Biomarker/genetic research; novel drug/vaccine/biologics/medical devices development; interventional trials; observational studies; neuroimaging studies; animal models research. Each fellow will be required to develop and conduct an independent research project or clinical trial under the weekly supervision of an identified mentor. Under the guidance of the mentor, the fellow will be expected to present his research at local, national and/or international conferences approximately 1- 4 times per year, and publish findings in leading journals. In addition to the independent research project, fellows are expected to participate in activities in the Clinical Core of the Massachusetts Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center to gain additional experience in clinically oriented research related to dementia.
With the approval of the fellowship program director, fellows may receive supervised clinical training at affiliated Mass General Brigham System, Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) divisions.
Requirements
The Fellowship is open to U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents or foreign nationals. Candidates must possess at least an M.D. or a foreign-equivalent basic medical degree (e.g., MBBS) and have successfully completed a recognized residency training program in neurology or a related field. They must be eligible to apply for a limited license in the State of Massachusetts and have documentation of the USMLE Step 1, Step 2 CK, and Step 2 CS.
International medical graduates may apply and submit ECFMG certification as well and are expected to be fluent in English. Individuals who will add diversity to the medical sciences and with foreign language skills are considered a plus.