Epilepsy

Epilepsy Fellowship Program

Overview

Our ACGME-accredited Epilepsy fellowship has been training outstanding clinicians and academic leaders in the practice of Epilepsy since 2016 (and for more than 15 years prior to that as an ACGME-accredited Clinical Neurophysiology Fellowship). We accept up to 4 clinical fellows each year, and fellowship training may last from one to three years depending upon individual career plans and needs of the fellow.

The Penn Epilepsy Center (PEC) is a member of the National Association of Epilepsy Centers and our fellowship program provides training to individuals interested in specializing in the evaluation and management of patients with epilepsy or concern for epilepsy.

The Penn Epilepsy Center is a Level 4 Epilepsy Center (National Association of Epilepsy Centers) currently serving a growing network of 7 hospitals, with >20 faculty members, including 13 epileptologists, 3 epilepsy nurse practitioners and 4 functional neurosurgeons. We also have active clinical and academic participation by neuroradiology and neuropsychology faculty members. We have active programs in:

Epilepsy Surgery (>100 procedures last year, including phase II monitoring with stereo EEG and subdural electrodes, implantable devices, resections and laser ablations)
Outpatient epilepsy, including specialty clinics for epilepsy genetics, neuromodulation, transitioning care from pediatrics to adult, tuberous sclerosis and others
Clinical trials - medications, devices, and diagnostic procedures
Implantable devices, including RNS, DBS and VNS
International medicine
Quality of care in collaboration with the Wharton School of Business

Fellows have the option for additional training beyond the one-year Epilepsy fellowship. This can include additional clinical training in our ACGME-accredited Clinical Neurophysiology fellowship or our non-accredited Intracranial EEG fellowship (registered as NST program with ACGME). Additional training options include in-depth research experience supported by NIH-funded T32 training grants and other potential funding mechanisms. Optional training in secondary degrees (Master's in Translational Research, Epidemiology, or Bioengineering) is available. Finally, Fellows may opt for a third year of research, leading to application for an NIH K-award. Those interested primarily in clinical careers can also take advantage of a wide variety of augmented training in our network in Philadelphia and abroad, and extended training at the instructor/entry faculty level, to solidify their clinical skills.

Fellowship Curriculum

Clinical fellows in our program evaluate and care for epilepsy patients in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Our Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (currently 8 beds) and our active epilepsy surgical program provide a means for fellows to learn how to evaluate and refer patients for epilepsy surgery and device implantation. This includes very active intracranial EEG program, including functional brain mapping. In addition, there is an active long-term monitoring/ICU EEG program which covers 4 hospitals in downtown Philadelphia, including advanced techniques such as quantitative EEG and intracranial depth electrodes for traumatic brain injury. Fellows also participate in the outpatient management of patients with epilepsy (or concern for epilepsy) by co-managing patients in attending clinics as well as their own longitudinal clinic. The outpatient EEG laboratory is very active and offers routine EEG, prolonged and ambulatory EEG studies, and clinical evoked potentials at multiple locations. Electives (approximately 6-8 weeks) offered include Research/Quality Improvement, Neurophysiologic Intraoperative Monitoring, Neuroradiology, Neurosurgery Clinic, Neuropsychology Clinic, Sleep, and EEG Technology.

In addition to the above, fellows rotate at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia for pediatric epilepsy (4 weeks required) and at the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

A critical aspect of our program is the active integration of clinical, translational and basic research with the clinical programs. This includes active research projects related to intracranial EEG, neuromodulation, neuroimaging, genetics, ICU EEG monitoring and others. Fellows have the opportunity to participate in these projects based on their interests.
Dedicated didactic sessions include a month of core lectures on epilepsy and EEG followed by weekly conferences on EEG/Neurophysiology, Surgical Epilepsy and Clinical Epilepsy. Active participation by fellows is encouraged including case presentations, journal clubs and presentation of projects. There is also a weekly Epilepsy Surgery conference where the fellows present the vast majority of patients for discussion, with active participation by neurosurgery, neuroradiology and neuropsychology. Joint conferences include the monthly conferences with the NeuroICU and neurodiagnostic technologists and weekly multidisciplinary conference on neuroprognostication (with the ICU team).

Alumni

Penn’s fellowship has a long track record of training candidates for successful careers as clinicians, clinician-educators and clinician-scientists, including world leaders in epilepsy research and clinical care. Fellows are invited to augment clinical training with in-depth research, education and extended clinical experiences, including internationally.

Allan Azarion, MD (2013): Epileptologist, Mid-Atlantic Permanente Group, Gaithersburg, MD
Mesha-Gay Brown, MD (2014): Neurologist AdventHealth Medical Group
Stephanie Chen, MD (2016): Neurologist, Baltimore area
Kathryn Davis, MD (2009): Associate Professor of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania
Simon Glynn, MD (2008): Clinical Associate Professor, University of Michigan
Michael Gelfand, MD, PhD (2015): Clinical Associate Professor, University of Pennsylvania
Sonia Krish, MD (2016): Neurological Institute of New York, NYP, New York
Ram Mani, MD (2011): Associate Professor, Robert Wood Johnson Univ Hospital Douglas
Maus, MD, PhD (2008): Dept. of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston Brian
Oommen, MD (2011): Pinnacle Health Neurosurgery and Neurosciences Inst, Harrisburg
Jonathan Pollard, MD (2006): Neurologist, Christiana Care Health System
Mijail Serruya, MD, PhD ( ): Assistant Professor, Thomas Jefferson University
William Stacey, MD, PhD (2010): Professor of Neurology, University of Michigan
Stephen Wong, MD (2008): Director of Epilepsy, Atlantic Health System, New Jersey
Adam Greenblatt, MD (2022): Assistant Professor, Washington University in St. Louis
Catherine Kulick, MD (2023): Assistant Proessor, University of Pennsylvania
Kristie Bauman, MD (2024): Assistant Professor, University of California Davis
Jacob Korzun, MD (2025): Assistant Professor, University of Rochester Medical Center

As William Stacey, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Neurology and Bioengineering at the University of Michigan, explains,

“Penn provided an ideal environment for diverse training in clinical epileptology, leading the cutting edge on many aspects of EEG and patient care. In addition, there were tremendous opportunities for funded translational research, which were instrumental in establishing my own academic career.”

Application Process

The Penn Epilepsy fellowship is now recruiting fellows starting training on July 1, 2026. The fellowship is participating in the new Epilepsy and Clinical Neurophysiology Fellowship Match The New Epilepsy and Clinical Neurophysiology Fellowship Match with applications accepted through ERAS.

The expected timeline for this year is as follows: