Pediatric Neurology Program

Welcome to the Wake Forest University Pediatric Neurology Residency Program! 

We invite you to explore the unique opportunities our training program has to offer. Housed within the Department of Neurology, the Child Neurology Section is currently in an exciting time of active growth, with three new faculty members aboard and additional faculty being actively recruited.

We offer one residency slot for each of the five years in our combined pediatrics/pediatric neurology program, and currently have a full slate of residents.  Our program is fully ACGME accredited; and while our primary focus is clinical pediatric neurology, you will have plenty of opportunities for clinical and basic science research.

As you probably know, child neurology training typically involves two years of pediatrics, one year of adult and two years of child neurology training.  We offer a categorical program that allows you to complete all of the required training here at Wake Forest.  Thus you don’t have to move twice, and you don’t have to interview separately with our Pediatrics Residency Program.  

Although ours is a small program, we offer exceptional breadth and depth in terms of patient population and clinical experience. Wake Forest University Medical Center was recently ranked by US News and World Report among the country’s top hospitals for its Department of Neurology.  It serves the local population of Winston-Salem and the surrounding area known as the Piedmont Triad, but also functions as a major referral center for patients from the entire the western part of North Carolina, southern Virginia, northern South Carolina and indeed from throughout the United States.  The Brenner Children’s Hospital is a new state-of-the-art 160-bed facility with more than 70 faculty members representing every major pediatric subspecialty.  The Department of Neurology features world-renowned specialists in Movement Disorders, Multiple Sclerosis and Stroke, and a Level 4 Comprehensive Epilepsy Center dedicated to the treatment of refractory epilepsy in children and adults. 

Our faculty includes four board certified pediatric neurologists, three of them with specialty training in pediatric epilepsy. The team is rounded out by two pediatric nurse practitioners, a neuropsychologist, three other epileptologists, as well as close cooperation with the general neurology, neurosurgery and pediatrics faculty.  All of our faculty members are dedicated to teaching.  The current section head not only serves as residency training director but is also a member of the Core Teaching Faculty, a select group fostering medical student teaching and medical education in general.  

You’ll find exceptional camaraderie among the residents here. The adult residency program has just expanded from four residents a year to five residents every other year.  Both the adult and senior child neurology residents will work very closely with you to make sure the transition from general pediatrics to child neurology is as smooth as possible.  A senior adult resident will be on call with you during the first four months of in-house call.  All the residents have traditionally formed a close-knit, fun-loving group with many extra-curricular get-togethers.  

As an added plus, all of your training will take place on one campus, with the exception of one rotation at Amos Cottage, a comprehensive outpatient facility dedicated to developmental pediatrics, and occasional clinics at Comp Rehab, a modern outpatient rehabilitation clinic. 

Come visit our program, explore lovely Winston-Salem, meet the faculty, get to know the residents and find out why we think ours is the best little Pediatric Neurology Program anywhere! 

We look forward to meeting you. 

Annette Grefe, MD
Chief, Section of Pediatric Neurology
Director, Pediatric Neurology Training Program

   

Criteria for appointment as a pediatric neurology resident include:

• Candidates must have received a doctorate in Medicine from an accredited medical school and must be eligible to take Step 3 of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE)
• Candidates must have successfully completed their required prerequisite training in programs approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (2 or more years of residency training in pediatrics in the US or Canada) OR one year of pediatrics and one year of internal medicine OR one year of pediatrics and one year of ABPN-approved basic research.

Pediatric Neurology residency is 5 years in duration with 2 years in pediatrics followed by 3 years in pediatric neurology.

As a 5-year categorical program, we have a dedicated position for our residents in the Department of Pediatrics at Wake Forest School of Medicine for the 2 years of pediatric training. 

Candidates invited for interview for the pediatric neurology position will also meet informally with the Pediatric faculty, but there is no requirement to match through ERAS for the pre-requisite pediatric training. However, you will need to apply separately through ERAS for Pediatrics and AUPN for Pediatric Neurology.

By taking advantage of this opportunity, a candidate who successfully competes for the pediatric neurology position is able to have 5 successive years of continuous training at Wake Forest, completing all pediatrics and pediatric neurology requirements for board certification in Neurology with Special Qualifications in Pediatric Neurology and Pediatrics.  

If you have any questions regarding the program, please contact Diann Holland, Residency Program Assistant, at dholland@wakehealth.edu.