Professional Training Programs
Rotator Program
Please email Dr. Gil Rabinovici to obtain your orientation materials.
Behavioral Neurology Training Program (BNTP)
Program Overview
The UCSF Behavioral Neurology Training Program (BNTP) is
a two-year program designed to prepare neurologists to
pursue a research career in behavioral neurology. The BNTP
is certified by the United Council on Neurologic Specialties
(UCNS). Fellow supervision and evaluation is provided by
the Program Director (Bruce Miller, MD) and Co-Director
(Howard Rosen, MD), in addition to a research advisor chosen by the trainee.
The Environment
Training occurs primarily through the UCSF Memory and Aging
Center (MAC), a multidisciplinary group dedicated to improving
diagnosis and treatment of cognitive and behavioral disorders
resulting from neurological disease, in particular neurodegenerative
disease. As part of the UCSF Department of Neurology, which
has over 80 faculty members, the MAC maintains strong collaborative
relationships with other clinical programs (including the
epilepsy and neuromuscular disease subspecialty groups) and
with basic scientists ranging from molecular biologists to
cognitive neuroscientists both at UCSF and other Bay Area
institutions. Research conducted through the MAC utilizes
many techniques including extensive clinical assessments,
experimental paradigms gleaned from neuroscience and psychology,
functional and structural neuroimaging, gene expression studies
and proteomics. These techniques are applied to many clinical
populations including patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment,
Alzheimer’s disease, Frontotemporal dementia and Parkinsonian
dementias. This stimulating, diverse clinical and research
environment gives trainees a broad exposure to current research
relevant to Behavioral Neurology and access to a wide variety
of research mentors.
Year 1
The first year focuses on building expertise in three areas:
- Principles of brain-behavior correlation
- Clinical manifestations of brain disorders affecting cognition
and behavior, in particular neurodegenerative diseases
- Development of clinical skills for evaluation of cognitive and
behavioral abnormalities, including interpretation of
neuropsychological and behavioral data.
Clinical experience at the MAC Clinic is supplemented with weekly didactic
conferences and rotations through the major clinical
research venues at the MAC.
Year 2
During the second year, minimal clinical exposure continues
(about 1 day per week), with the rest of the time being
devoted to conduct of research. The participating mentors
are listed below.
Application Process
Applicants are asked to fill out the following prior
to being considered for an interview:
- Program Application
- CV
- One-Page description of their research interests
- Three letters of support
After review of the application, suitable candidates will be invited to interview
with members of the training program and learn more about the clinical and
research environment at UCSF.
Mentors
- Mark D’Esposito, MD. Neural basis of higher order cognition.
- Nina Dronkers, PhD. Neural basis of speech and language disturbances.
- Steven Finkbeiner, MD, PhD. Mechanisms of neural degeneration.
- Ying-Hui Fu, PhD. Genetics of neurodegenerative disease.
- Michael Geschwind, MD, PhD. Movement disorders, rapidly progressive dementia and prion disorders.
- Maria Luisa Gorno-Tempini, MD, PhD. Neural basis of speech and language.
- Richard Ivry, PhD. Neural basis of sensorimotor control and learning.
- William Jagust, MD. Mechanisms of cognitive change associated with aging and dementia.
- Robert Knight, MD. Role of the frontal lobes in cognition.
- Joel Kramer, PsyD. Cognitive dysfunction in dementia and aging. Executive dysfunction.
- Robert Levenson, PhD. Psychology and physiology of emotion.
- Bruce Miller, MD. Differential diagnosis and management of dementia. Neuroimaging in dementia.
- Lennart Mucke MD. Biological mechanisms of neurodegeneration.
- Stanley Prusiner, MD. Biological mechanisms leading to neural degeneration. Prion diseases.
- Louis Ptacek, MD. Genetic mechanisms underlying ion channel dysfunction in neurons.
- Katherine P. Rankin, PhD. Neurodegenerative disease and personality, social behavior and cognition.
- Howard Rosen, MD. Imaging in neurodegenerative disease, neurodegeneration and emotion.
- Michael Weiner, MD. Structural and functional imaging in neurodegenerative and psychiatric disease.
- Kristine Yaffe, MD, MPH. Risk factors for neurodegenerative diseases, aging and women’s health.
For More Information
Please call (415) 476-6880 or email us.
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Neuropsychology Training Program (NTP)
Program Overview
The UCSF Neuropsychology Training Program in the Department of Neurology
provides both postdoctoral and pre-doctoral training in neuropsychology.
The Environment
Training occurs primarily through the UCSF Memory and Aging Center (MAC),
a multidisciplinary group dedicated to improving diagnosis and treatment
of cognitive and behavioral disorders resulting from neurological disease,
in particular neurodegenerative disorders. In addition to a large clinical
service, we have research programs that focus on healthy aging, mild
cognitive impairment, frontotemporal lobar disorders, and Alzheimer’s
Disease. As part of the UCSF Department of Neurology, which has over
80 faculty members, the MAC maintains strong collaborative relationships
with other clinical programs and with basic scientists in areas ranging
from molecular biology to cognitive neuroscience at UCSF and other
Bay Area institutions. The Neuropsychology Training Program shares
resources with the Behavioral Neurology Training Program, a certified
program designed to prepare neurologists for research careers in behavioral
neurology.
Postdoctoral Training
The Neuropsychology Postdoctoral Training Program is a two-year
program designed to provide research and clinical training
in Neuropsychology in a behavioral neurology setting.
Most Postdoctoral Fellows divide their time evenly between
research and clinical activities, although the program is
flexible enough to adapt to each individual trainee’s
needs. Research conducted through the MAC utilizes comprehensive
clinical assessments, experimental paradigms gleaned from
neuroscience and psychology, functional and structural neuroimaging,
gene expression studies, and proteomics. This stimulating,
diverse clinical and research environment gives trainees
a broad exposure to current research relevant to academic
and clinical Neuropsychology. An extensive research infrastructure
provides statistical and database support and considerable
access to well-characterized patient populations. Trainees
have the opportunity to work collaboratively within an established
research studies or carry out individually-initiated research.
Additional information regarding potential research topics
can be found in the Research
section.
The MAC sees over 600 new patients per year, and follows
hundred of patients annually through clinic and an NIH-funded
Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. Postdoctoral Fellows
receive extensive clinical training carrying out brief neuropsychological
evaluations in a multi-disciplinary setting, and are exposed
to a broad spectrum of adult behavioral neurology disorders.
Cases are reviewed in detail at the multi-disciplinary clinical
case conferences. An optional rotation in a general neuropsychological
assessment clinic in the Department of Psychiatry is also
available for additional clinical training.
Didactic training includes a weekly Neuropsychology Seminar,
weekly MAC Journal Club, weekly MAC Research Seminar, weekly
Cognitive Neuroscience Seminar, monthly Pediatric Neuropsychology
Seminar, monthly Huntington’s Disease Teaching Case,
monthly Frontotemporal Dementia Teaching Case, monthly Clinical-Pathological
Case Conference, Neurology Grand Rounds, and several other
UCSF seminars of potential interest. Postdoctoral Fellows
are also invited to provide supervision for pre-doctoral
Neuropsychology trainees rotating through the MAC.
Application Process
Applicants are asked to provide a CV, a one-page description of
their research interests and three letters of support
prior to being considered for an interview. After review
of the application, suitable candidates will be invited
to interview with members of the training program
and learn more about the clinical and research environment
at UCSF. Materials can be sent by mail to Dr.
Kramer at:
UCSF Memory and Aging Center
350 Parnassus
Ave., Suite 905
San Francisco, CA 94143-1207
Dr. Kramer can also be reached by email or phone at (415) 476-7561.
Pre-Doctoral Training
The UCSF Department of Neurology offers a part-time pre-doctoral practicum placement
for Clinical Psychology graduate students. The practicum
typically involves 16 hours per week of clinical training,
although additional hours are available. An additional 8
hours per week as a paid research assistant can also be negotiated.
The pre-doctoral training is divided evenly between two
rotations, with 5-6 months at the Memory and Aging Center
(Supervisor: Joel Kramer, PsyD, ABPP) and 5-6 months at the
UCSF Epilepsy Center (Supervisor: Deborah Cahn-Weiner, PhD).
Clinical training opportunities and didactics at the Memory
and Aging Center are the same as those offered in the Postdoctoral
Training Program. In the Epilepsy Center, students gain experience
carrying out in-depth neuropsychological evaluations with
a broad range of patients with seizure disorders, including
pre- and post-surgery assessments, Wada procedures, and intra-operative
brain mapping.
Application Process
Applicants are asked to provide a CV, a brief description
of their professional goals and interests, and three
letters of support prior to being considered for an interview.
After review of the application, suitable candidates
will be invited to interview with Drs. Cahn-Weiner and
Kramer. Materials should be sent by mail to Dr. Kramer
at:
UCSF Memory and Aging Center
350 Parnassus
Ave., Suite 905
San Francisco, CA 94143-1207
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