Neurology Residency
Mission & Vision
Our mission is threefold—to provide unparalleled patient care; to develop a deeper understanding and expanded knowledge of neurological disease, including epidemiology, pathophysiology and therapeutics and to foster the development of the next generation of neurologists and neuroscientists into competent and exemplary independent practitioners and academicians.
Mission & Vision
Our mission is threefold—to provide unparalleled patient care; to develop a deeper understanding and expanded knowledge of neurological disease, including epidemiology, pathophysiology and therapeutics and to foster the development of the next generation of neurologists and neuroscientists into competent and exemplary independent practitioners and academicians.
Program Director’s Welcome
We would like to thank you, on behalf of the Department of Neurology at the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, for your interest in our program. As part of the University of Miami/Jackson Health System, we are one of the largest neurology residency programs in the United States, with 44 residents and 23 fellows, providing training in a nationally and internationally utilized referral center, with 100+ clinical and research faculty serving Miami, South Florida, the Caribbean, Latin America, and beyond. All clinical subspecialties of neurology are well represented in our department, providing exposure to our residents, fellows, and, medical students, and mentorship from world-class teachers and clinicians across the spectrum of neurology.
Residents, fellows, and rotating medical students train across three hospitals, Jackson Memorial Hospital, UHealth Tower, and the Bruce W. Carter Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The strategic location and diverse patient population of South Florida, as well as the preponderance of unique neurological conditions seen at Jackson Memorial Hospital, home to Ryder Trauma Center – the leading adult and pediatric Level I trauma center in Miami-Dade County, provides our trainees with the full range of nervous system pathologies from bread-and-butter cases to “zebras.” The large spectrum of cases as well as large patient volumes provide ample learning opportunities. Our neuroscience intensive care unit has 27 beds and is housed in the state-of-the-art Jackson Critical Care Pavilion at Jackson Memorial Hospital. The unit cares for many neurological diagnoses; including, cerebral and spinal trauma; cerebrovascular disease; neuromuscular emergencies; severe demyelination, and status epilepticus. Upon completion of our training program, graduating neurologists will be well equipped to tackle any clinical challenge. The depth and breadth of clinical exposure make our hospital system an ideal place to train.
Program Director’s Welcome
We would like to thank you, on behalf of the Department of Neurology at the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, for your interest in our program. As part of the University of Miami/Jackson Health System, we are one of the largest neurology residency programs in the United States, with 44 residents and 23 fellows, providing training in a nationally and internationally utilized referral center, with 100+ clinical and research faculty serving Miami, South Florida, the Caribbean, Latin America, and beyond. All clinical subspecialties of neurology are well represented in our department, providing exposure to our residents, fellows, and, medical students, and mentorship from world-class teachers and clinicians across the spectrum of neurology.
Residents, fellows, and rotating medical students train across three hospitals, Jackson Memorial Hospital, UHealth Tower, and the Bruce W. Carter Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The strategic location and diverse patient population of South Florida, as well as the preponderance of unique neurological conditions seen at Jackson Memorial Hospital, home to Ryder Trauma Center – the leading adult and pediatric Level I trauma center in Miami-Dade County, provides our trainees with the full range of nervous system pathologies from bread-and-butter cases to “zebras.” The large spectrum of cases as well as large patient volumes provide ample learning opportunities. Our neuroscience intensive care unit has 27 beds and is housed in the state-of-the-art Jackson Critical Care Pavilion at Jackson Memorial Hospital. The unit cares for many neurological diagnoses; including, cerebral and spinal trauma; cerebrovascular disease; neuromuscular emergencies; severe demyelination, and status epilepticus. Upon completion of our training program, graduating neurologists will be well equipped to tackle any clinical challenge. The depth and breadth of clinical exposure make our hospital system an ideal place to train.
Educating neurology residents and medical students is one of the pillars of our program. We are recognized annually by the medical school, voted for by the students, for the quality of education provided by our medical student clerkship. We provide a formalized teaching curriculum, which includes a weekly “morning report” where residents are given the opportunity to present difficult cases to senior faculty renowned for their teaching style and clinical pearls, bimonthly “neuromuscular conference” where a neuromuscular case is presented with the entire neuromuscular faculty in attendance for teaching and discussion, bedside teaching with incredible clinician-educators, a didactic academic half day paradigm where junior and senior residents have parallel lecture series throughout the year, plus numerous additional learning opportunities and conferences throughout the workweek. We are proud of the work our entire team contributes to the program, which shows in our consistent excellent board pass rate and fellowship match records.
The greater metropolitan area including Miami and surrounding Miami-Dade County has a population of more than 2.75 million. The area has all the cultural and sporting facilities one expects to find in large population centers and much more. These include symphony, ballet, opera, theaters, concert venues, and museums, as well as zoological and botanical centers. There are professional teams in baseball, basketball, football, ice hockey, and soccer. The University of Miami also has outstanding college teams in baseball, basketball, and football. Abundantly diverse restaurants, stores, and services of all types are to be found throughout the area. There are many places to visit and shop, such as Bayside Market Place, Coconut Grove, Coral Gables, the Miami Design District, South Beach, and Wynwood. You are just a car ride away to top vacation areas such as Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, the Florida Gulf Coast, the Florida Keys, Orlando-Walt Disney World and more.
Jason Margolesky, MD
Program Director
Erika Marulanda-Londono, MD
Assistant Program Director
Leticia Tornes, MD, FAAN
Assistant Program Director
Description
The greater metropolitan area including Miami and surrounding Miami-Dade County has a population of more than 2.75 million. The area has all the cultural and sporting facilities one expects to find in large population centers and much more. These include symphony, ballet, opera, theaters, concert venues, and museums, as well as zoological and botanical centers. There are professional teams in baseball, basketball, football, ice hockey, and soccer. The University of Miami also has outstanding college teams in baseball, basketball, and football. Abundantly diverse restaurants, stores, and services of all types are to be found throughout the area. There are many places to visit and shop, such as Bayside Market Place, Coconut Grove, Coral Gables, the Miami Design District, South Beach, and Wynwood. You are just a car ride away to top vacation areas such as Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, the Florida Gulf Coast, the Florida Keys, Orlando-Walt Disney World and more.
Jason Margolesky, MD
Program Director
Erika Marulanda-Londono, MD
Assistant Program Director
Leticia Tornes, MD, FAAN
Assistant Program Director
Fast Facts
Accreditation
Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education
Total Residents
45
Duration of Residency?
4 years
(Year 1 is an internship in internal medicine)
Dr. Walter Bradley
Prior chair of department was Dr. Walter Bradley author of “Bradley’s Neurology in Clinical Practice”
Program Curriculum
Throughout residency, regularly scheduled educational conferences are held. A neuroradiology conference is held three times per week. During “Morning Report” (weekly) and biweekly “neuromuscular conference” residents formally present interesting and difficult cases to senior faculty renowned for teaching clinical reasoning and providing clinical pearls. Didactics are presented in an “academic half-day” (AHD) paradigm. Junior residents have their AHD Monday afternoons and Senior residents on Thursday afternoons. We have journal club once per week and on Fridays, we have “Grand Rounds,” a “QA” conference (our version of a surgical M&M) or a “Clinicopathological Case Presentation.”
Year 1 (Internship)
Trainees will predominantly rotate with our internal medicine colleagues through inpatient and outpatient settings. Two months will be spent on Neurology rotations including the inpatient consult service, the inpatient stroke service and the neuroscience intensive care unit. During this year, trainees should develop a strong foundation in internal medicine which is very important in being a successful neurology resident.
Year 2
The second-year represents your first year as a full-time neurology resident. Residents rotate through the Jackson Memorial Hospital’s stroke service, inpatient general neurology service and neuroscience intensive care unit as well as through UHealth Tower and the Miami VA Healthcare System general neurology services. Focused subspecialty exposure will begin this year with Epilepsy, both an inpatient (EMU) and outpatient experience as well as a 1-month block of Neuromuscular. Residents will start working in their outpatient continuity clinics at the Jackson Memorial Hospital Ambulatory Care Center and at Miami VA Healthcare System outpatient clinics.
Year 3
This year is dominated by the Jackson Memorial Hospital neurohospitalist consult service. Residents will complete 2-weeks Neuro-oncology and 2-weeks Cognitive Neurology rotations. Most residents will have their first exposure to pediatric neurology in the clinic and hospital setting, and most residents will have eight weeks of elective time. Residents will continue to see patients in the Jackson Memorial Hospital Ambulatory Care Center and Miami VA Healthcare System outpatient clinics.
Year 4
Fourth-year residents serve as chief residents with a greater degree of independence in formulating plans for patients encountered and have a primary responsibility for the education of the junior residents and students on the team. Residents will complete their pediatric neurology rotations, a rotation in psychiatry, neuro-oncology, and epilepsy; they will have approximately 12 weeks of elective rotations. Residents will continue to see patients in the Jackson Memorial Hospital Ambulatory Care Center and Miami VA Healthcare System outpatient clinics.
Your Faculty
Professor and Interim Chairman
Jason Margolesky, MD
Associate Professor, Clinical Neurology
Director, Neurology Residency Program
Erika Marulanda-Londono, MD
Assistant Professor, Clinical Neurology
Associate Director, Neurology Residency Program
Letica Tornes, MD, FAAN
Associate Professor, Clinical Neurology
Chief, Neurology, Miami VA
Associate Director, Neurology Residency Program
Terry Crugnale, C-TAGME
Program Manager
Residency Program
305-243-4323
Andrea Ruiz, BGS, C-TAGME
Program Manager
Fellowship Program
305-243-2742
Your Faculty
Professor and Interim Chairman
Jason Margolesky, MD
Associate Professor, Clinical Neurology
Director, Neurology Residency Program
Erika Marulanda-Londono, MD
Assistant Professor, Clinical Neurology
Associate Director, Neurology Residency Program
Letica Tornes, MD, FAAN
Associate Professor, Clinical Neurology
Chief, Neurology, Miami VA
Associate Director, Neurology Residency Program
Terry Crugnale, C-TAGME
Program Manager
Residency Program
305-243-4323
Andrea Ruiz, BGS, C-TAGME
Program Manager
Fellowship Program
305-243-2742
Notable Alumni
Joseph R. Berger, MD
1981
Chief, Multiple Sclerosis Division, Perelman School of Medicine
Professor, Neurology, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
Alejandro A. Rabinstein, MD
2001
Professor, Neurology, Mayo Clinic
Leticia Tornes, MD, FAAN
2010
Neurology Chief, VA Medical Center
UM/JMH PD 2012-2022
Karlo Lizarraga, MD
2016
Chief, Movement Disorders Division
University of Rochester
Joseph R. Berger, MD
1981
Chief, Multiple Sclerosis Division, Perelman School of Medicine
Professor, Neurology, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
Alejandro A. Rabinstein, MD
2001
Professor, Neurology, Mayo Clinic
Leticia Tornes, MD, FAAN
2010
Neurology Chief, VA Medical Center
UM/JMH PD 2012-2022
Karlo Lizarraga, MD
2016
Chief, Movement Disorders Division
University of Rochester