Quality Awards
Conferences and Rounds
A strength of the neurology residency curriculum here at St. Luke’s is the various teaching conferences throughout the year. Ranging from didactic lectures of distinguished faculty to board reviews, neuroradiology teaching conferences and practical case conferences, residents gain the knowledge to help practice neurology. A more detailed summary of the various lecture series at St. Luke’s is outlined below.
Neurology Department Grand Rounds: The typical format is lecture-based instruction by either internal faculty or guest speakers knowledgeable in their field of expertise. This series is designed to enhance knowledge of up-to-date therapies and advances in the Neuroscience field, including interventional radiology, neurosurgery, neurocritical care and AAN practice guidelines. This conference is run monthly. PGY-4 residents will provide one grand round lecture before graduation from the program.
M & M Conference: Residents prepare a presentation of cases with potentially avoidable adverse outcomes (death, hospital-acquired infection and more). Working with our Inpatient neurohospitalists and advanced practitioners, residents review the salient features of each case and compare them with standards of care from the literature. at the end of the conference, neurohosptialist faculty and residents recommend improvements to our practice in quality and patient safety. This conference is run quarterly.
Case Report Conference: Every week, a resident will present an interesting or overnight case to their co-residents and a core-faculty or neurohospitalist moderator. All residents, rotators and medical students on the inpatient services attend this conference. Case discussion involves localization along the neuraxis, differential diagnosis development and review of diagnostic testing (MRI, EEG, angiogram and more).
Residency Lecture Series (Wednesday Afternoons): The Program Evaluation Committee and Program Director prepare the resident lecture series to cover all critical areas required of residents. Lectures in these areas cycle every 1.5 years so that each resident can hear each lecture twice during their training. This series includes core curriculum topics in areas of neuroanatomy, behavioral neurology, neurochemistry, neuropathology, neuroimmunology, neurophysiology, neuroimaging, neuropharmacology, neuro-ophthalmology, neural development, statistics and epidemiology. The conferences include the incorporation of basic neuroscience lectures, with clinical correlation of associated neurological diseases. This series is run weekly as protected education time every Wednesday afternoon.
Bootcamp Series: This series is offered in the first month and is personalized for PGY-2 junior-year residents. It focuses on the importance of learning the essentials of clinical neurology, including detailed neurological history and examination skills, neurological emergencies, including stroke evaluation and management, spinal cord emergencies, status epilepticus, neuro-critical care management, neuromuscular emergencies, cerebral hemorrhage management and elevated intracranial pressures and CNS infections. This is done by providing trainees with a combination of didactics, stimulation lab sessions and in-person experiences.
Resident In-service exam (RITE)/ABPN Board Review: This six-week lecture series held annually in January/February encompasses topics considered “high-yield” for the standardized exams. Residents will encounter this during their training. Leaders in each subspecialty provide lectures and incorporate practice exam questions into the curriculum.
Journal Club: Senior residents (PGY-3’s) prepare Journal Club presentations related to a topic of their interest. The resident is expected to use appropriate research strategies to locate relevant articles, critically appraise the research methodology and clinical utility and provide a summary of the article for all the residents. St. Luke’s Research and Quality Improvement Project Manager (Parampreet Kaur) helps prepare and review the literature. Also, he attends the presentation to provide additional help in interpreting statistical data. This conference runs quarterly.
Pediatric Neurology Conference: Teaching and morning report conferences are mandatory during the resident’s Pediatric Neurology Rotation at Geisinger Hospital, Janet Weiss Children’s Hospital.
Neuroradiology Conference: Directed by our neuroradiology faculty, this conference focuses on the interpretation of normal and abnormal neuroimaging studies. Recent and interesting neuroimaging studies are reviewed and learning points for individual cases are emphasized. Particular attention is paid to the identification of neuroradiographic representation of neuroanatomic structures. Modalities studied include MRI, MRA, MRV, CT, CTA, Myelography, Ultrasound, SPECT and PET.
Neurocritical Care Conference: Trainees will attend the conference twice weekly from 7-8 a.m. when rotating on the neuro-critical care service. The neurocritical care faculty runs this conference for rotators and midlevel providers working in the Neurocritical care service line. Trainees are excused from other didactic responsibilities while on this rotation.
Other Conferences: (Monthly)
Complicated Epilepsy Case Conference: This conference reviews cases of medically refractory epilepsy with neurosurgery, neuropsychology, neuroradiology and epilepsy Faculty. Treatment decisions are made based on discussion and include placement of neuromodulatory devices (VNS, DBS, RNS), stereotactic EEG placement planning and surgical resection. Residents are expected to attend this conference when on EEG/Epilepsy or Epilepsy Monitoring Unit rotations.
Multiple Sclerosis Center Conference: This conference is held monthly and attended by the MS team, including the attending neurologist, mid-levels, designated MS Social worker and allied health professionals, including PT, OT and Speech Therapists. This conference presents the multidisciplinary approach to treating patients with MS and the inter-professional collaboration of multiple specialties. New advances in MS medications are also presented during these conferences.
Neurovascular Conference: Neurovascular specialist Daniel Ackerman, MD, runs this conference, during which attendees review vascular cases that involve arteriovenous malformations, aneurysms, ischemic/hemorrhagic strokes and intravascular dissections. The conference is presented in the clinical case format with corresponding imaging and intervention discussion, plans for further surveillance of any instrumentation and medication management.
Neuromuscular/ EMG Conference: Neuromuscular staff and residents on their Neuromuscular elective attend this conference. Attendees review interesting cases from the previous month. Case pathology will include peripheral neuropathy, motor neuron disease, neuromuscular junction diseases, myopathies and plexopathies.
Neuro-oncology Conference: This is a Multidisciplinary Conference with Neuroradiology, Neurosurgery, Oncology and Neurology that reviews neuro-oncological cases and makes shared decisions on treatment. Residents are encouraged but not required to attend these conferences throughout the year.
Medical Education Grand Rounds: Topics include but are not limited to Residents as Teachers, Burnout and Wellness, Patient Experiences, Changing Healthcare Landscape, Career Strategies and Planning, Research Symposium, Culture of Safety Surveys and Quality Improvement. Residents are encouraged but not required to attend this lecture series.
A strength of the Neurology Residency Curriculum here at St. Luke’s is the various teaching conferences throughout the year. Ranging from didactic lectures of distinguished faculty to board review, neuroradiology teaching conferences and practical case conferences, residents gain the knowledge to help practice neurology. A more detailed summary of the various lecture series at St. Luke’s is outlined below:
Neurology Department Grand Rounds: The typical format is lecture based instruction by either internal faculty or guest speakers knowledgeable in their field of expertise. This series is designed to enhance knowledge not only on up-to-date therapies, but also on advances in the Neuroscience field including Interventional Radiology, Neurosurgery, Neurocritical Care and AAN practice guidelines. This conference is run monthly. PGY-4 residents will provide one grand round lecture before graduation from the program.
M & M Conference: Residents prepare a presentation of cases with potentially avoidable adverse outcomes (death, hospital-acquired infection, etc.). Working with our Inpatient Neurohospitalists and advanced practitioners, residents review the salient features of each case and compare them with standards of care from the literature. At the end of the conference, Neurohosptialist faculty and residents make recommendations for improvements to our practice in quality and patient safety. This conference is run quarterly.
Case Report Conference: On a weekly basis, a resident will present an interesting or overnight case to their co-residents and a core-faculty or neurohospitalist moderator. This conference is attended by all residents, rotators and medical students on the inpatient services. Case discussion involves localization along the neuroaxis, differential diagnosis development and review of diagnostic testing (MRI, EEG, angiogram, etc.).
Residency Lecture Series (Wednesday Afternoons): The resident lecture series is prepared by the Program Evaluation Committee and Program Director to achieve the goal of covering all critical areas required of residents. Lectures in these areas cycle every 1.5 years, so each resident will have the opportunity to hear each lecture twice during their training. This series includes core curriculum topics in areas of neuroanatomy, behavioral neurology, neurochemistry, neuropathology, neuroimmunology, neurophysiology, neuroimaging, neuropharmacology, neuro-ophthalmology, neural development, statistics and epidemiology. The conferences include the incorporation of basic neuroscience lectures, with clinical correlation of associated neurological diseases. This series is run weekly as protected education time every Wednesday afternoon.
Bootcamp Series: This series is offered in the first month and is personalized for the PGY-2 junior year residents. It focuses on the importance of learning the essentials of clinical neurology including detailed neurological history and examination skills, neurological emergencies, including stoke evaluation and management, spinal cord emergencies, status epilepticus, neuro-critical care management, neuromuscular emergencies, cerebral hemorrhage management and elevated intracranial pressures and CNS infections. This is done by providing trainees a combination of didactics, stimulation lab sessions and in-person experiences.
Resident In-service exam (RITE)/ABPN Board Review: This six-week lecture series in held annually in January/February encompasses topics that are considered “high-yield” for the standardized exams. Residents will encounter during their training. Lectures are provided by leaders in each subspecialty and incorporate practice exam questions into the curriculum.
Journal Club: Senior residents (PGY-3’s) prepare Journal Club presentations related to a topic of their interest. The resident is expected to use appropriate research strategies to locate relevant articles, make a critical appraisal of the research methodology and clinical utility and provide a summary of the article for all of the residents. St. Luke’s Research and Quality Improvement Project Manager (Parampreet Kaur) helps in the preparation and review of the literature and also attends the presentation to provide additional help in the interpretation of statistical data. This conference runs quarterly.
Pediatric Neurology Conference: Teaching conferences and morning report conferences are mandatory when on your Pediatric Neurology Rotation at Geisinger Hospital, Janet Weiss Children’s Hospital.
Neuroradiology Conference: This conference is directed by our neuroradiology faculty and focuses on interpretation of normal and abnormal neuroimaging studies. Recent and interesting neuroimaging studies are reviewed and learning points for individual cases are emphasized. Particular attention is paid to identification of neuroradiographic representation of neuroanatomic structures. Modalities studied include MRI, MRA, MRV, CT, CTA, Myelography, Ultrasound, SPECT and PET.
Neurocritical Care Conference: When rotating on the Neuro-critical care service, trainees will attend Neurocritical care conference that occur twice a week from 7-8 a.m. This conference is run by the Neurocritical care faculty for rotators and midlevel providers working in the Neurocritical care service line. Trainees are excused from other didactic responsibilities while on this rotation.
Other Conferences: (Monthly)
Complicated Epilepsy Case Conference: This conference reviews cases of medically refractory epilepsy with Neurosurgery, Neuropsychology, Neuroradiology and Epilepsy Faculty. Treatment decisions are made based on discussion and include placement of neuromodulatory devices (VNS, DBS, RNS), stereotactic EEG placement planning and surgical resection. Residents are expected to attend this conference when on the EEG/Epilepsy or Epilepsy Monitoring Unit rotations.
Multiple Sclerosis Center Conference: This conference is held monthly and attended by the MS team including the attending neurologist, mid-levels, designated MS Social worker and allied health professionals including PT, OT and Speech Therapists. This conference presents the multidisciplinary approach to treating patients with MS as well as the inter-professional collaboration of multiple specialties. New advances in MS medications are also presented during these conferences.
Neurovascular Conference: This is a conference that is run by neurovascular specialist Dr. Daniel Ackerman. During this conference, attendees review vascular cases that involve arteriovenous malformations, aneurysms, ischemic/hemorrhagic strokes and intravascular dissections. This is presented as clinical case format with corresponding imaging and intervention discussion as well as plans for further surveillance of any instrumentation and medication management.
Neuromuscular/ EMG Conference: This conference is attended by Neuromuscular staff and residents on their neuromuscular elective. Attendees review interesting cases from the previous month. Case pathology will include peripheral neuropathy, motor neuron disease, neuromuscular junction diseases, myopathies, plexopathies, etc.
Neuro-oncology Conference: This is a multidisciplinary conference with neuroradiology, neurosurgery, oncology and neurology that reviews neuro-oncological cases and makes shared decisions on treatment. Residents are encouraged, but not required to attend these conferences throughout the year.
Medical Education Grand Rounds: Topics include but are not limited to: residents as teachers, burnout and wellness, patient experiences, changing healthcare landscape, career strategies and planning, research symposium, culture of safety surveys and quality improvement. Resident are encouraged, but not required to attend this lecture series.
