Program Overview
The Vascular Neurology Fellowship provides comprehensive training in clinical care, research, and administrative leadership in cerebrovascular disease. The fellowship is designed to develop expertise in acute stroke management, stroke recovery, rare cerebrovascular conditions, and leadership of a Comprehensive Stroke Center.
Clinical Training
Fellows gain extensive experience managing patients with cerebrovascular disease in both inpatient and outpatient settings, with a strong focus on acute stroke care and stroke recovery. The program offers exposure to a wide spectrum of cerebrovascular disorders, including rare conditions such as moyamoya disease, or CADASIL.
Additional clinical opportunities include:
• Development of proficiency in botulinum toxin injections for post-stroke spasticity.
• Participation in multidisciplinary stroke recovery clinics.
• Exposure to pediatric vascular neurology cases.
Fellows have the opportunity to continue their training through a two-year endovascular fellowship in collaboration with the Neurosurgery Department.
Research Opportunities
Fellows are encouraged to actively participate in clinical and translational research:
• Lead enrollment of patients for StrokeNet and industry-sponsored clinical trials
• Fellows are completing an investigator-initiated research project under faculty supervision. Historically strong areas of research are stroke biomarkers using multiomics studies and noninvasive brain stimulation for rehab.
The program serves as a StrokeNet hub and offers the opportunity for a second-year StrokeNet-focused fellowship for candidates interested in deeper research involvement and academic career development.
Administrative and Leadership Training
Fellows gain experience in leadership and administration of a Comprehensive Stroke Center. Training focuses on developing skills necessary to operate and lead a center toward achieving and maintaining Gold Plus status.
The institution has a strong track record as a Comprehensive Stroke Center, having received the first Comprehensive Stroke Center designation in the state of Oklahoma in 2012. Fellows will participate in quality improvement initiatives, certification processes, and stroke systems of care development.
Facilities
The fellowship provides training in a state-of-the-art environment with dedicated neurocritical care infrastructure, including:
1. Comprehensive Stroke Center with 800 stroke admissions per year, including a large volume of subarachnoid hemorrhage and intracerebral hemorrhage cases, serving as a major regional referral center.
2. 24-bed Neurocritical Care Unit (Neuro ICU).
3. 8-bed Neuro Step-Down Unit.
4. Advanced neuroimaging and endovascular capabilities with artificial intelligence–supported imaging triage using Viz.ai
5. Epic electronic medical record (EMR).
6. Pulsara communication platform for streamlined coordination with Emergency Medical Services (EMS).
7. Rapidly growing Telestroke program with an expanding regional network.
Fellowship schedule
20 weeks of stroke service, neurocritical care rotation, vascular ultrasound, neuroradiology, angiography, neurorehabilitation, research
How to Apply
Vascular Neurology Fellowship applications can be completed through ERAS for the ACGME-approved year. We participate fully in the NRMP ("match").
You must be a United States citizen, permanent resident (green card holder), or have a J-1 visa sponsored through ECFMG. We do not sponsor any other visas. For more information about the fellowship, please contact Virginia Bek Mullenix at Virginia-mullenix@ou.edu or Dr. Evgeny Sidorov Evgeny-sidorov@ou.edu, or Dr. Faddi Saleh Velez at Faddi-salehvelez@ou.edu.