Letter from the Chief Residents
Welcome to the University of Washington (UW) Neurology Residency Program! We are excited that you are interested in learning more about us and the unique training that we offer. Our program produces highly skilled and compassionate neurologists, prepared to care for patients in any clinical environment. With the guidance of expert and approachable faculty, we can access and explore the specialized resources that UW offers to develop our own unique passions within the field. Our graduates consistently matriculate to competitive fellowships and positions throughout the world.
Clinical training: learning from 4 unique bedsides
At UW Neurology, we value most the unparalleled learning that occurs through direct patient care. We learn at four different and unique hospitals spread across Seattle: Harborview Medical Center (the county hospital, only level 1 adult and pediatric trauma center in the region, and, most importantly for us, an award-winning comprehensive stroke center), the University of Washington Medical Center (the region’s premier tertiary referral hospital), Puget Sound Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center (a designated Center of Excellence for epilepsy), and Seattle Children’s Hospital. By serving patients at these distinct sites, we are immersed in all aspects of neurology, both inpatient and outpatient. We learn from some of the world’s foremost experts in neurovascular disease, neuroinfectious disease, hydrocephalus, neurocritical care, and neurogenetics, among others. With graduated responsibility and independence as we progress through our training, we become highly confident and competent neurologists ready to go into clinical practice in any setting.
Career development: mentorship through the years, onward to unique paths
In addition to broad clinical exposure, our program provides abundant opportunities to carve out our own unique career paths. Ever since its humble beginnings by Dr. Fred Plum (of “Plum and Posner’s Diagnosis and Treatment of Stupor and Coma” fame!) in 1952, the UW Neurology residency program has helped trainees explore and support diverse clinical and non-clinical interests.
Faculty are eager to involve residents in clinical care through elective rotations and through research and other scholarly work in their areas of expertise. In addition to clinical electives, our program offers optional professional tracks to help prepare residents interested in pursuing a career in research, clinical education, or a career as a neuro-hospitalist. These pursuits are supported and guided by individualized, multi-layered mentorship; our program assigns both a specific faculty mentor as well as a mentorship house system that encompasses neurologists at different stages of their careers (attendings, fellows, and residents of all years). Our residents are also able to take advantage of external support and resources by working with other world-class institutions in Seattle, such as the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and Allen Institute for Brain Science, on interdisciplinary projects. With these abundant resources, our residents can pursue a personalized career suited to their interests and long-term goals.
Life in the Pacific Northwest
Any description of UW would be incomplete without touching on the wonders of the Pacific Northwest. Seattle is a beautiful city to live in and the daily views of the waterfront and Mt. Rainier never fail to take your breath away – especially during busy inpatient months! Residents are spread among Seattle’s varied neighborhoods, each with their individual character and charm. Seattle offers plenty of accessible parks, trails and bike paths, delicious and diverse restaurants, world-class museums and galleries, a thriving live music scene, quirky festivals, creative microbreweries, distilleries, and wineries, endless pet-friendly activities, six professional sports teams, every outdoor winter and summer sport imaginable, and your pick of cozy coffee shops (naturally). The Pacific Northwest is an amazing place to live and work. We promise that here you will never be lacking in things to do or people to do them with.
The absolute best part of our program, though, is our stellar resident colleagues. Our program attracts residents from diverse backgrounds and interests from all over the world who are a joy to learn from and grow with. We are a tight-knit group and enjoy spending time with one another in and out of the hospital. We get together to try eateries and breweries, go hiking, kayaking/paddleboarding and take trips to explore some of the gems of the Pacific Northwest. We are friends, celebrating each other’s successes in and out of work and providing support during more challenging times, and that makes all the difference. You can check out what our residents are up to on Instagram @champagne.tap.
We hope that you will consider us in your application process, and we look forward to meeting you during interview season this fall! If questions arise about our program, neurology residency, or life in the Pacific Northwest, please feel free to send us an email at neuro_chiefs@uw.edu.
We wish you the best of luck with the upcoming application season!
Sincerely,
Ian Coulter, MD
Nick Karagas, MD, PhD
John Sanderson, MD