Monument Valley in Arizona

Clinical and DBS Movement Disorders Fellowship

About Our Fellowship

The Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center at Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Arizona offers two, two-year fellowships in movement disorders. The Center has more than 10,000 patient visits a year, drawing a wide range of patients from Arizona, all of the Western and Midwestern States, and international patients.

Clinical and DBS Movement Disorders Fellowship Program Description

Training is offered in:

  • Parkinson’s disease
  • Parkinson- plus disorders
  • Essential tremor
  • Dystonia
  • Hyper-kinetic movement disorders
    • Huntington’s disease
    • Tourette’s syndrome

Training emphasizes the diagnosis, classification, management, recognition, differential diagnoses, and treatment of these disorders. The Ali center has five fully trained movement disorder specialists, a neuro-otologist, and an active program in the recognition and treatment of gait and balance disorders including training utilizing vestibulonystagmograpy and a balance master.

The MAPC has a large and active program in Botox injection utilizing EMG guidance and treats more than 1000 patients a year with Botox. BNI has active collaboration with T-Gen, a major genetic institute in Phoenix, with Arizona State University in nearby Tempe, Arizona, and with the University of Arizona. Fellows participate in all clinical trials of the National Institutes of Health and the Parkinson Study Group, in which we are currently conducting more than 15 trials on a number of new drugs. We have our own speech, physical and occupational therapy including state-of-the art therapeutic equipment.

The center has an active and large program in DBS working with world-class Neuroradiologists and Neurosurgeons at the Barrow Neurological Institute, a premier center for training in Neuroradiology and Neurosurgery. Fellows participate in the evaluation of the patients and in the intra-operative monitoring of the 100+ surgeries per year. Upon completion of their fellowships, candidates will be fully competent in evaluating, recommending, and monitoring patients for DBS.

Eligibility

  • A current valid and unrestricted license to practice medicine in the United States or Canada or its territories
  • Graduate status from a ACGME-accredited residency program
  • Board certified, or eligible for certification, in a primary ABMS or RCPSC specialty (as specified by the Subspecialty)
  • Completion of USMLE steps I, II, and III.

Foreign medical graduates with equivalent qualifications are also eligible to apply provided the following criteria are met:

  • Graduate status from an ACGME accredited residency program
  • Completion of all three of the USMLE examinations
  • Completion of a CSA exam
  • ECFMG certificate (if applicable) – Foreign applicants must have ECFMG certification. We only accept J1 Visa; we do not sponsor H1 visa.

How to Apply

Application process for all applicants applying to the BNI Clinical and DBS Movement Disorders Fellowship:

Apply online through SFMatch: www.sfmatch.org

The following documents are required of all applicants:

  • Barrow Application (application will be forwarded to you after you apply through SFMatch)
  • Medical school diploma
  • Letter of good standing
  • ECFMG certificate (if applicable)
  • Prelim Certificate of Completion (if applicable)

Additional required documents obtained through SFMatch:

  • Curriculum vitae
  • Personal statement
  • Three letters of recommendation, may include PD letter (waived rights to view/must be sent by letter writer or program coordinator)
  • Medical school transcript
  • USMLE/COMLEX results

Program Director

Naomi Salins, MD
Director, Clinical and DBS Movement Disorders Fellowship

Learn More about the Clinical and DBS Movement Disorders Fellowship Program