Multiple Sclerosis Fellowship at The Mount Sinai Hospital

Our two- or three-year fellowship trains fellows to become clinicians with expertise in the diagnosis and management of patients with demyelinating disease. Fellows learn about designing clinical trials, analyzing the results, and implementing the studies. Our graduates typically have many employment offers, including academic, private practice, and other research opportunities.

Fellows gain exposure to a large number of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients of varying ages, disease courses, and severity. Typically, fellows provide one of the disease-modifying therapies. Fellows follow patients over the course of their illnesses, monitoring their response to treatments for acute exacerbations and to disease-modifying therapies. Currently, we see approximately 6,000 follow-up patients and 500 new patients each year.

In addition to doing the initial work-up and following patients, fellows are the principal physician for these patients, under the supervision of the attending faculty, with fellows taking on increasing independence as appropriate. Fellows are also responsible for educating other house staff including neurology residents, interns, and medical students.

Fellows work with an interdisciplinary team of neuroradiologists, advanced practice MS nurse practitioners, a neuropsychologist, social workers, a clinical trial coordinating team, senior MS fellows, and a neuroimaging group. We have affiliations with members of the Neuroradiology, Rehabilitation, Urology, Psychiatry, Oncology, Neurophysiology, and Neuro-ophthalmology Departments as well. We also enjoy state-of-the-art magnetic resonance imaging facilities, including a 7T research magnetic resonance imaging scanner.

 The fellowship has a strong research component. We participate in many clinical trials of new agents or new approaches to multiple sclerosis, including trials of disease-modifying agents for various forms of MS and clinically isolated syndrome, as well as trials of symptomatic therapies and treatment of acute exacerbations. Not only do we take part in multi-center clinical trials, but we also design and implement major studies and serve as the coordinating center for several more.

By working on a clinical trial, fellows learn all aspects of clinical trial design, implementation, and analysis. You gain an understanding of the regulatory requirements of clinical trials (e.g., interactions with the Institutional Review Board, obtaining an investigational new drug exemption from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration) and have direct experience using the Kurtzke Expanded Disability Status Scale, the Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite, and other scales often required by various protocols. You can expect to work with clinical trial coordinators and three monitors who comprise our clinical research team.

While this is a clinical fellowship, you do have access to neuroimmunology and glial cell basic science laboratories at The Mount Sinai Hospital, including those of Drs. Sam Horng and Patrizia Casaccia, both of whom have appointments within the Corinne Goldsmith Dickinson Center. Fellows acquire a thorough grounding in the basic neuroscience of demyelinating disease and a framework for translating basic science insights into clinical paradigms.

In addition, the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai now has a program leading to a Master’s Degree in Clinical Research that is available to MS Fellows as part of the Clinical Curriculum Research Training Grant.

Amit Kohli, MD - PGY 6

Elizabeth Daphne Verter, MD - PGY 6

Daniel E. Gratch, MD - PGY 5

Jennings Gyedu, DO - PGY 5

Marwa Baalbaki, MD - PGY 5

The Icahn School of Medicine selects 2-3 Multiple Sclerosis fellow each year. To be considered, you should have completed an approved neurology residency or equivalent and be eligible for licensure in the State of New York. Fellows must be licensed to practice in New York State before beginning.

We participate in the Neuroimmunology/Multiple Sclerosis SF Match Program. Applications can be submitted from September 1st to December 1st. We will conduct interviews with selected candidates January to February. The rank list submission deadline is March 1st, and the match results will be made available on March 15th.

Please feel free to contact our Program Coordinator if you have any questions: Jennifer Munoz, jennifer.munoz@mssm.edu.

 

20th Annual MS Center Gala from Mount Sinai Health System on Vimeo.