Institution/Department Address (with email/phone/fax): 12631 East 17th Ave, B 185, Aurora, CO 80045 ph 303-724-2187 fax 303-724-0985
Primary contact for training information (name, address, fax (if different than above) and email): Marcia.sabo@ucdenver.edu
Brief information on program: The fellowship will be performed at four sites: the University of Colorado Hospital; the Denver Veterans Affairs Medical Center; the Denver Health Medical Center; and Metro Care Providers Network in Aurora, Colorado. Clinical activities for the fellow will consist primarily of consulting on patients with MS, possible MS, and related disorders at the four sites. Clinical preceptors include Tim Vollmer, Augusto Miravalle, Enrique Alvarez, Teri Schreiner (Peds MS), and John Corboy; neuro-ophthalmology Jeff Bennett; neuro-urology, Brian Flynn; physical medicine and rehabilitation, Jeffrey Hebert PhD; neuroradiology, Justin Honce; Neuro-Otology, Carol Foster; and neuropsychology Brian Holt, PhD. Dr. Schreiner runs a NMSS-supported Peds MS clinic, part of the national Peds MS network, and the fellow will go to that multidisciplinary clinic once each month. The fellow will also will also participate in the lumbar puncture clinic and learn how to refill and program baclofen pumps. The fellow will be offered access to our outpatient Palliative Care Neurology Clinic which has been so useful to many MS patients. The fellow will perform and interpret bladder ultrasounds, visual evoked potentials, ocular coherence tomography and other tests, and become expert in the radiological interpretation of MS and related disorders. They will also become expert in the use of immunotherapy of MS, including use of steroids, plasma exchange, all FDA-approved disease modifying therapies, several off-label uses and experimental therapeutics. A substantial amount of time will be dedicated to symptomatic care, especially with progressive MS patients, using medications (eg dalfamridine) and lifestyle interventions. Co-Morbidity management is stressed.
Types of training programs: Fellowship
How many fellows/residents per year: 1
Area/s of Training: Multiple Sclerosis; Neuroimmunology
What aspects: Demyelinating diseases (MS, NMO, Etc.); Neuro-rheumatology; Paraneoplastic; Encephalitis; Vasculitis
Fellowship program structure: Clinical
Percentages of clinical and research-based components: 60% Clinical and 40% Research-based
Is On-call duty and/or general clinic participation required?: No
Additional Training: Required/Offered? Pathology, Neuro-ophthalmology, Neuro-urology; Neuro-radiology; Neuro-rehabilitation; Other
Visa sponsorship? No
Approved by Institution’s ACGME office?: No
Is independent funding required for Fellows?: No
Additional information: Our MS program at the University of Colorado, the Rocky Mountain MS Center at University of Colorado, has grown to become not only one of the largest multidisciplinary MS clinics in the US, but also one with significant clinical and basic science enterprises. We service consult requests from a 500 mile radius around Denver in at least five surrounding states, and quite a few from much farther distances, seeing over 8000 total visits per year. We are one of only a dozen NMSS-designated and funded Peds MS centers. We have a unique and mutually beneficial affiliation with the Rocky Mountain MS Center, an educational and service-oriented non-profit which has been providing support to MS patients and their families for over 35 years. We have had several MD trainees in the last 10 years, and all remain actively involved in MS care at this time. We typically have 30-40 different clinical research projects open at one time, including clinical trials, investigator-initiated trials, biorepositories, MRI projects, biomarker projects, and others. This is typically a one year fellowship focused on clinical care, but the fellow may wish to stay a second year focusing on research. Basic research might also be incorporated if the fellow desires. We have a School of Public Health, and the fellow might wish to take advantage of this as well. Access to basic immunology classwork is also available. Finally, we have collaborations with numerous clinical and basic science departments, enhancing the education of the fellow and offering opportunities for research and training.