Clinical Training

Neurological surgery residents at Indiana University School of Medicine are responsible for the care of adults and children with neurological surgery needs, including epilepsy surgery, frame and frameless stereotactic surgery, functional neurosurgery, gamma knife radiosurgery, intracranial and carotid vascular surgery, neuroendoscopy, neuro-oncology, Level 1 cranial and spinal neurotrauma, skull base surgery, and spinal instrumentation and peripheral nerve surgery.

At IU Health Methodist Hospital, the addition of the Synaptive Robot and BrightMatter technology is advancing the care and training of surgery for brain tumors and intracerebral hemorrhages. Residents train at leading medical facilities in Indianapolis: IU Health Methodist, Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health, Eskenazi Health and Roudebush VA Medical Center. These varied hospital settings allow residents to experience a diverse patient population that includes the underserved and a case mix that exceeds the case minimums required by the Neurological Surgery Residency Review Committee (RRC).

Several opportunities are available at IU School of Medicine for neurological surgery residents to volunteer and train in resource-limited communities outside of the United States. Residents have participated in the AMPATH consortium in Eldoret, Kenya through the Global Neurosurgery Exchange through AMPATH at Moi University in Kenya. AMPATH—a partnership between Moi University, Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, North American universities led by Indiana University and the Kenyan Government—is among the largest collaborative health care efforts in the world. At any given time, dozens of IU School of Medicine faculty physicians from various specialties are practicing medicine in Eldoret, Kenya.

Clinical Facilities

During the program, each resident rotates through neurological surgery services at hospitals affiliated with IU School of Medicine in Indianapolis, which include IU Health University and Methodist Hospitals (large quaternary care teaching hospital with Level 1 trauma), Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health, Sidney & Lois Eskenazi Hospital (county hospital), Richard L. Roudebush Veterans Affairs Hospital, the IU Health Neuroscience Center and other various outpatient surgery centers. The variety of health care settings exposes residents to the full breadth and depth of patient diversity, socioeconomic classes, race and ethnicity. 

Clinical experience varies at the different sites, but residents have substantial operative involvement and are responsible for monitoring pre- and post-operative care. In some locations, residents may encounter a concentration of tertiary-care problems and procedures with opportunities to follow patients over time and assess outcomes of various interventions.