The department is committed to recruiting a talented and diverse group of residents. All factors are taken into account with no one factor taking precedence. We are interested in recruiting residents who are willing to work as a part of team and are committed to academic neurosurgery. Grades, board scores, and research are important factors but we are as interested in a candidate’s future potential as we are in their previous accomplishments. Medical students interested in neurosurgery are encourage to arrange for a rotation through the Harvard Medical School.

Medical Student Rotation / Externship

Please contact the program director’s office at 617-726-3887. For information call 617-432-1515 or visit the HMS website at:http://medcatalog.harvard.edu

Select clinical neurosurgery number SU509M.3A to ensure you are assigned to Massachusetts General Hospital Neurosurgery.

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Each year the Boston Pops concert along the Charles River marks the celebration of the Fourth of July. The Boston area is home to four major league sports franchises - the Celtics, Bruins, Red Sox, and Patriots. Each team has a huge tradition and a loyal following. Watching a game live or with friends at a club is a unique experience in Boston. The Boston area offers unparalleled opportunities for sports and for outdoor activities. Near the hospital, the Esplanade is a great location for jogging, bicycling, or sailing on the Charles.

The Boston Marathon attracts the world’s elite runners at this annual world class event.

The Boston area has four distinct seasons although the weather is tempered by the city’s proximity to the ocean. There are limitless opportunities for outdoor recreation throughout the seasons. During the summer months Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and other area beaches provide beautiful getaways. Ferries can take you to Provincetown from downtown Boston. The White Mountains of New Hampshire and the Berkshire Mountains of western Massachusetts are within one-two hours by car and have hundreds of areas for hiking, camping, and fishing. During the summer the Boston Symphony moves to its summer home of Tanglewood, west of the city in the Berkshires. The fall foliage in New England is spectacular and attracts millions of so-called leaf peepers annually. During the winter months skiing and snowboarding are available at dozens of resorts, all within one-two hour drive.

 

Robert L. Martuza, M.D., Chief

The goal of the residency training program at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) is to train neurosurgeons who will become leaders in academic neurosurgery. The program has a long and proud tradition of training surgeons who have made major clinical and scientific contributions to the field of neurosurgery. More recently, the program has undergone a significant expansion with appointment of Dr. Robert Martuza as Chairman of the department, the hiring of new staff members, and a doubling of the department’s laboratory space. The program is dynamic, growing, and strongly positioned to continue this tradition of leadership into the 21st century.

The philosophy of the program is to expose residents to a large number of high-quality cases spanning the entire range of neurosurgery. The Massachusetts General Hospital is a tertiary referral center for the entire New England area as well as for many parts of the United States and the world. Accordingly, the program benefits from access to an excellent variety and quantity of cases. As training progresses, residents gain more responsibility in performing surgery and in managing cases. This process reaches its culmination when the trainee becomes a full attending of the North service at the MGH for a six-month period at the end of the program. During this period the North attending has full admitting and operating privileges and runs his or her own service with the support of the faculty.

In addition to excellent clinical training, the program also has a strong emphasis on research. Residents spend two years in a laboratory of their choice as part of the residency training. The research opportunities in the Boston area are unrivaled and include the MGH (the largest recipient of NIH funding among US hospitals), Harvard Medical School, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The MGH residents have historically been extremely productive during this research period and many have converted their research experience into successful scientific and academic careers.

The program is designed to allow residents to concentrate on neurosurgery and to still have time for personal growth. The hospital has excellent ancillary staff in nursing, hematology, radiology, and other services so that residents can focus their energies. In addition, we have a dedicated seventeen-bed Neuroscience ICU that is staffed continuously. Finally, there is a tradition in the program of respect and camaraderie among the residents, and between the residents and staff which leads to an exceptionally supportive and stimulating educational environment. The combination of excellent clinical training, superb research, and the many outstanding opportunities available at the MGH allows graduating residents to successfully pursue the career track of their choice.

MGH / Harvard Neurosurgical Service Brain Tumor Center at MGH Research @ MGH Neurosurgery

www.Neurosurg.Info History of Neurosurgery at MGH Neurosurgery Grand Rounds

The residency program is structured into three-to-six-month blocks. All residents proceed through the various rotations sequentially, gaining experience and responsibility as they progress. The structured nature of the program allows the trainees to plan their time, studies, and research efforts. This organization leads to a more predictable and productive training experience. Current, the following is the basic rotation schedule.

Neurology Service - MGH (three months)

During this rotation the resident shares clinical responsibilities with MGH Neurology residents taking part in the activities and conferences of that service. This includes familiarization with MRI, CT, EEG and other diagnostic techniques.

West Team Junior - MGH (three months)

 

North Team Junior - MGH (six months)

This rotation is the resident’s initial exposure to clinical neurosurgery. He or she assists the recently graduated North Service Attending. Clinical responsibilities include Emergency Ward and ICU coverage and a significant operative experience under the supervision and guidance of senior residents and staff. During this period residents gain tremendous diagnostic and operative skills.

East Team Junior - MGH (three months)

The resident shares clinical responsibilities with the East Senior Resident to care for patients on the East Team. The East Team includes staff members with interests in vascular, functional, and pediatric neurosurgery. The East Junior has a significant operative experience and shares in the clinical management of the patients.

Children’s Hospital Junior - Boston Children’s Hospital (three months)

Every year, MGH residents exchange with residents at the Boston Children’s Hospital. During this period, the residents gain additional experience in the clinical and surgical management of pediatric patients.

Interventional Radiology - MGH (three months)

Year Three - Research [Residents at MGH are currently doing research in.... ]

Year Four - Research / Fellowship

Years three and four are dedicated to research. Residents are encouraged to immerse themselves in one of the many excellent neuroscience labs. Clinical responsibilities are proportionately decreased. Residents take the written portion of the neurosurgery boards.

Residents can work with the program director and Chief of Neurosurgery to make the program as flexible as possible. Dr. Brian Hoh said “I came to Mass General for the excellent clinical experience, wide range of neurosurgical specialization, excellent mentoring from leaders and experts in their respective fields, and excellence in laboratory and basic science research. I knew early on from my research experience and interest in the pathophysiology of cerebrovascular disease that I wanted to pursue a career in cerebrovascular. I knew that in order to pursue [this career] I would like to do a two-year fellowship in endovascular neurosurgery and interventional neuro-radiology and Dr. Martuza and Dr. Chapman allowed me the flexibility to complete that full training within my residency.”

East Team Senior - MGH (six months)

The East Senior assumes a large role in the operative and clinical management of complex cases under the supervision of the staff neurosurgeons on the East Team. The East Senior works closely with the East Junior and plays an important teaching role. Operative experience is extensive with a special emphasis on vascular problems including aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations, and occlusive cerebrovascular disease.

West Team Senior - MGH (six months)

The West Chief Resident plays a large role in the operative and clinical management of complex tumor and spine cases under the supervision of the staff neurosurgeons on the West Team . There is a special emphasis on technically difficult tumors of the skull base. The West Chief resident is also in charge of the call schedule, the operating room assignments, and has considerable responsibility for the teaching and supervision of other residents.

 

South Team Senior - MGH (six months)

The South Chief Resident manages the South Team and works closely with the Chief of Service, Dr. Robert Martuza. The clinical emphasis is on brain tumors and on learning the issues involved in managing a busy academic practice. In addition, there is a significant experience with the transsphenoidal approach to pituitary tumors.

North Attending - MGH (six months)

The North Attending is appointed as full member of the neurosurgery staff. The North attending has his or her own office, secretary, and clinic. In addition, the North attending has full admitting and operating privileges. The North Attending is assisted by the North Junior Resident, a physician assistant, and residents. During this period, the North attending performs a wide spectrum of cases including brain tumors, aneurysms, trauma and a variety of spinal cases. Most graduates feel that this period is the highlight of the training because they are performing a large and varied number of major cases while still having the support of the other attendings for particularly unusual or challenging cases. Formal teaching rounds are held on a weekly basis and with the Attending neurosurgeon of the week.

In addition to formal rounds, the North Attending meets informally with other attendings for case management and teaching discussions. The North Attending does not take part in the in-hospital call rotation.

“ I think what initially drew me to Mass. General and what is still the most attractive aspect of the residency here is the North Chief-ship which gives you the opportunity to operate as an independent surgeon for an outstanding number and variety of cases, yet with the full advantage of the neurosurgery staff here for advice and guidance when necessary, ” said Joseph Neimat, who joined the clinical faculty in the North Attending position in June 2004. “I think as the Chief Resident in most programs you are afforded some responsibility; you get your choice of cases but you still are not operating independently, not making your own decisions, and that I think is the biggest leap forward that you make as a surgeon. I think everybody does this during their first year of practice, but the opportunity to do it while still with the ability to fall back on experts in every area of the field is a real advantage, and is a nice way to take that first step.”

Graduates of the program are heavily recruited both by academic and private practice.

see: http://alumni.neurosurgery.mgh.harvard.edu

There are currently six laboratories within MGH Neurosurgery — the Molecular Neuroscience Laboratory, the Molecular Neuro-Oncology Laboratory, Laboratory of Molecular Neurophysiology, The Howard Hughes Cellular Neurobiology Laboratory, the Center for Nervous System Repair and the Laboratory for Cellular Engineering and the Laboratory for Sensorimotor Integration. Residents can develop research projects in conjunction with the Neurosurgery research faculty, in collaboration with other MGH departments and throughout Harvard community.

The clinical faculty, most of whom have a significant research interest, are joined in the department by basic researchers covering a broad spectrum of neurobiology, neurophysiology, and neuropathology. For example, Dr. Manish Aghi, a third -year resident is working in Dr. Robert Martuza’s molecular neurosurgy laborary. Dr. Aghi, who was awarded a basic research fellowship from American Brain Tumor Association, is researching glioblastoma multiforme (astrocytoma grade IV). “I’ve always been interested in cancer and the opportunity to do benchwork that could potentially translate into clinical trials, “ said Aghi. This fits neatly with Dr. Martuza’s research interests which are in the area of the development of gene transfer techniques and the use of viral vectors for tumor therapy. Dr. Martuza has been involved with both basic and pre-clinical studies including translational studies and clinical trials. He was the first to demonstrate that intravascular herpes simplex vectors could effectively transduce tissue systemically.

The newly created, Center for Nervous System Repair headed by Dr. Jeffrey Macklis, Director offers exciting new opportunities. “We are focused in the general fields of CNS repair, neural precursor / “stem cell” biology, and adult neurogenesis. We are working toward the cellular repair of cerebral cortex output neuron circuitry lost in neurodegenerative diseases and damaged by spinal cord injury (in particular, corticospinal motor neurons and the corticospinal tract). We are especially focused toward induction of adult neurogenesis; elucidating the molecular controls over the development of corticospinal motor neurons and other important lineages of cortical projection neurons; directed differentiation of replace ment neurons; and functional integration of replacement neurons derived from adult neural precursors, also called “adult neural stem cells”

Facilities - The Neurosurgical Service operates roughly 15,000 square feet of laboratory space. One floor of the Edwards Research Building is dedicated to neurosurgical research. It houses the newly renovated Center for Nervous System Repair. This center is dedicated to exploring the rapidly emerging technologies of stem cell transplants, gene therapy, deep brain stimulation and translating those technologies into clinical applications. This area houses the labs of Drs. Carter, Eskandar, and Macklis. In the adjacent Wellman Building, 2,000 square feet houses the laboratory of cellular neurobiology headed by Dr. Richard Masland, who is also an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Approximately 8,000 square feet are located in the hospital’s MGH East research center at the Charlestown Navy Yard where the tumor laboratories of Drs. Martuza and Rabkin and others are located. There is also space, on White 5, used for large animal surgery and for activities preparatory to cases, notably for computerized imaging equipment. New research space in the Charles River Plaza building adjacent to the MGH main campus, is expected to begin operating in 2005. (see http://btrc.mgh.harvard.edu)

The clinical faculty, most of whom have a significant research interest, are joined in the department by basic researchers covering a broad spectrum of neurobiology, neurophysiology, and neuropathology

Boston offers the best of a large, cosmopolitan city, coupled with a small-town neighbood style of life. Virtually all attractions are within walking distance or are a short trip away as are several world-famous institutes of higher learning and numerous high-tech and bio-tech companies. This combination results in Boston being a vibrant and dynamic citiy in which to live. The Boston area has a tremendous wealth of cultural, educational, athletic, and recreational opportunities. What follows is only a brief synopsis of some of the offerings available in the Boston and New England area.

The Boston area is home to more than 50 colleges and universities, with a young, educated, and international population. The city center is surrounded by neighborhoods. Each has its own flavor, style and attractions and are well-worth exploring. A walking tour of Boston’s Freedom Trail is a great way to learn the history of the city which prides itself on being the seat of the American Revolution.

Some of the better-known areas where MGH residents have lived include Harvard Square / Cambridge, Beacon Hill, Back Bay, South End, North End, and Coolidge Corner. There are many dance clubs, live music venues, ethnic, and avant-garde restaurants catering to all tastes. Boston also has a rich cultural tradition and is home to the world-famous Boston Symphony Orchestra, Boston Ballet Company, and Boston Opera. as well as the Museum of Fine Arts, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and the Museum of Science.

[...more Living in Boston ]

Paul H. Chapman, MD,
Nicholas T. Zervas Professor of Neurosurgery,
Director of MGH Neurosurgery Residency Training Program

Department of Neurosurgery
Massachusetts General Hospital
55 Fruit Street - White 50 2
Boston, Massachusetts 02114
617.726.8583

APPLICATIONS

Applications can be downloaded and submitted to the Neurological Surgery Matching Program in San Francisco at http://sfmatch.org

Applicants must be graduates of a medical school accredited by the American Association of Medical Colleges.

Medical Student Rotation / Externship

Please contact the program director’s office at 617-726-3887. For information call 617-432-1515 or visit the HMS website at:http://medcatalog.harvard.edu

Select clinical neurosurgery number SU509M.3A to ensure you are assigned to Massachusetts General Hospital Neurosurgery.

Please feel free to contact our office with any questions.

Residents are regularly exposed to lectures, informal group discussions and symposiums with leading national and international researchers, clinicians and neurosurgeons. The department sponsored a two-day symposium in September 2003 which included more than 20 leaders in the field of oncolytic viruses. In addition, the department has joined with neurology, psychiatry and the departments of otolaryngology and opthalmology from the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary to organize a year-long neuroscience lecture series. MGH residents have presented at the AANS annual meeting, meetings of subspecialty groups, the Academy of Neurological Surgeons, the Society of Neurological Surgeons, Congress of Neurological Surgeons and at local and regional meetings as well.

Some of the fellowships and awards received by in
2003-4 are:

• American Brain Tumor Association Basic Science Research Fellowship
• NREF (Neurosurgery Research and Foundation) 2 year fellowship
• Daman Runyan Cancer Research Foundation (3 year fellowship)
• Congress of Neurological Surgeons Resident Award, Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery
• CIMIT (Center for Integration of Medicine and Innovative Technology) Neurotechnology Grant
• Annual Award of the American Academy of Neurological Surgery for Resident Research (Honorable Mention) (2)
• Annual Award of the American Academy of Neurological Surgery for Resident Research (Invited to present) (2)
• William Scoville Resident Award for Best Paper Presented at the New England Neurosurgical Society (Scientific)
• Annual Award of the American Academy of Neurological Surgery for Resident Research
  (Honorable Mention)