Program Overview

Introduction to the Movement Disorders Fellowship Program

The Columbia Movement Disorders Fellowship Program, founded by Stanley Fahn, has been training movement disorders fellows since 1980. A total of 129 fellows have been trained, including many current and former chairmen and Movement Disorders Division heads. About 80% of fellowship graduates are in academic and industry research positions.

Description of the Training Program

The Movement Disorders Fellowship is a 2-year program that offers a unique combination of superb clinical training and intensive research opportunities. While the fellowship design is individualized to the academic goals and background of each fellow, there are two broadly defined tracks for training:

• The clinician track emphasizes clinical training, ensuring coverage of all relevant skills, including DBS and botulinum toxin injection.
• The research track aims to provide fellows with the foundations for a research-centered career in academic neurology.

Clinical Training

The clinical goal of the fellowship program is to train neurologists to become experts in the diagnosis and treatment of Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders. The core component of their clinical education consists of evaluating outpatients and hospitalized patients at Columbia University Medical Center. The fellows perform clinical evaluations of patients under the faculty's direct supervision, review management decisions, and write up the evaluation letter.

Academic Core

The division has a robust series of academic lectures and conferences. Fellows play a primary role in these activities, which are scheduled to avoid clinical duties. The core conference is the weekly “video rounds,” where division cases, including videotaped exams, are reviewed regarding phenomenology, differential diagnosis, diagnostic evaluation, and management.

Research Opportunities

Our division, and the larger Columbia community, provide an extensive array of potential research training opportunities. This breadth of resources is a unique strength of our program. On the clinical side, we have initiated and participated in several industry- and government-sponsored clinical trials. On the basic science side, our faculty has explored several facets of autophagy in the pathogenesis of PD.

How to Apply for the Fellowship Program

The subspecialty of movement disorders is not an ACGME accredited program. Applicants must have successfully completed a neurology residency program before entering this fellowship. In their letter of intent, applicants are required to specify their career goals and research interests. We accept international applicants and support their J1 visa.

Current Fellows

• Divya Palanisamy, MD: Postdoctoral Clinical Fellow & Assistant in Clinical Neurology, Department of Neurology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY
• Mevish S. Siddiq, MD: Postdoctoral Clinical Fellow & Assistant in Clinical Neurology, Department of Neurology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY

Program Details

• Program Director: Christine Y Kim, MD
• Program Length: 2 years
• Tracks: Clinician track, Research track
• Clinical Training: Evaluation of outpatients and hospitalized patients, DBS, botulinum toxin injection
• Research Opportunities: Clinical trials, basic science research, epidemiology training
• Academic Core: Weekly video rounds, monthly journal club, bimonthly research conferences
• Application Requirements: Letter of intent, career goals, research interests
• Eligibility: Completion of neurology residency program, J1 visa support for international applicants
• Location: Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY
• Faculty: Experienced movement disorder specialists, researchers, and clinicians
• Alumni: Many current and former chairmen, Movement Disorders Division heads, and academic and industry research positions.