Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology Fellowship

The Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology Fellowship is dedicated to training exceptional physicians in the care of patients with MS and other immune system processes affecting the nervous system. We present a diverse, experienced faculty, state-of-the-art facilities, and a comprehensive curriculum. Our program provides training over the full spectrum of care from the acute presentation to long term management of these disease processes.

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About the Program

Director: Jon Williams, D.O., Ph.D.

Our multiple sclerosis and neuroimmunology fellowship program is designed to provide trainees with a comprehensive understanding of multiple sclerosis (MS) and other immune-mediated disorders of the nervous system through rigorous clinical training. The fellow works closely with accomplished mentors both in the hospital and in the clinic to develop clinical diagnostic and management skills.

We are part of the Clinical Neuroscience Institute (CNSI) at Miami Valley Hospital. CNSI partners with Wright State University to operate the neurology residency program as well as vascular neurology, headache medicine, neurocritical care, and neurointerventional surgery fellowship programs. Miami Valley Hospital’s main campus in downtown Dayton is the busiest Level I Trauma Center in the state of Ohio and a Comprehensive Stroke Center. The hospital is consistently rated as number one in the region and within the top ten in the state of Ohio in national and local rankings. Additional campuses in Centerville, Middletown, and Englewood facilitate service to a regional catchment population of over 1 million residents of southwest Ohio. The main hospital hosts a wide range of specialists and facilities, including a state-of-the-art 36-bed neurological ICU, an epilepsy monitoring unit, exceptional neurosurgical support, a 40-bed medical ICU, and a 36-bed cardiac ICU. As a result, Miami Valley hospital is the preferred site for transfer of critically ill patients in the region. This high clinical volume ensures a steady supply of neuroimmunology patients, for which the fellow assists with inpatient management and transition to the outpatient clinic.

Our outpatient Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Center is recognized as a Center of Excellence and Partner in Care by the National MS Society, and is the region’s only MS center. We work closely with inpatient and outpatient neurorehabilitation experts to guide and optimize patient outcomes. Our dedicated, on-site neurology infusion center staff is experienced with all available treatments for MS and non-MS neuroimmunology conditions. Additionally, the fellow will have hands-on training in management of spasticity including botulinum toxin injections and baclofen pump management.

Our training program includes exposure to both central and peripheral nervous system disorders. The fellow will gain expertise in diagnosing and treating multiple sclerosis, neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder, myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease, acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, paraneoplastic and idiopathic neural autoantibody associated syndromes, and neurosarcoidosis. Additionally, we provide training in the diagnosis and management of immune-mediated peripheral neuropathies and myasthenia gravis. An important focus of training is developing critical interpretation of neurodiagnostic tests, including neuroimaging and blood and cerebrospinal fluid assays. The fellow will gain experience and comfort with the applicability, mechanism of action, and monitoring of the entire range of immunotherapies available to the modern neuroimmunologist.

Our program encompasses one-on-one development of the fellow in a positive and supportive environment. The fellow will be closely mentored by experts in the field, both in the hospital and in the clinic setting. The fellow will work closely with a multidisciplinary team of nurse practitioners, pharmacists, nurses, physical therapists, and social services. Neurology residents and medical students participate in hospital and clinic management. The fellow will engage in the teaching and mentoring of these trainees through formal didactics and informal teaching on hospital rounds and in the clinic. The fellow will have the opportunity to customize the training year to personal interests through elective rotations.

Key Features

Comprehensive Training: Our program covers a spectrum of diseases and conditions, including multiple sclerosis, NMO, MOGAD, ADEM, Autoimmune encephalitis, Sarcoid, AIDP, CIDP, Myasthenia gravis.
Unique Responsibilities: Fellows will mentor and teach neurology residents and students in both formal and informal settings.
Unique procedural skills. Fellow will learn and perform procedures including LPs, Botox injections, baclofen pump management.
Research: The fellow will be involved in clinical research trials. The fellow may participate by evaluating research patients and performing EDSS ratings. Opportunity to participate in investigator initiated trials and grant proposals will be available.
Contribution to growing literature in the field: Time and support will be available for the fellow to write and submit articles and case studies to journals in the field of neuroimmunology.

Curriculum

Fellows will spend a total of 12 months in training. Up to 4 two week electives will be granted. The electives may include research, quality improvement project, away rotation in preselected outside MS/immunology center, neurorehabilitation. Other electives may be requested by the fellow and will be approved if pertinent to the training program. All electives will be selected and scheduled by the end of the first month of the fellowship. CME opportunities will be available and may be virtual or in person, though funding for travel is not guaranteed. Up to four weeks of vacation are allowed and are to be scheduled by the end of the first month of training.

The fellow will develop and present six formal lectures through the academic year. One of these will be a grand rounds presentation. The others will be for presentation to residents as medical students. They may include one RITE review lecture, disease specific didactic presentations, and case presentations.

Current Fellow