Neuromuscular Medicine Fellowship

In 2014, the Clinical Neurophysiology Fellowship, EMG track, in continuous existence since 1986, was transitioned into the Neuromuscular Medicine Fellowship at Montefiore Medical Center and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine (AECOM). The fellowship emphasizes excellence in diagnosis and management of neuromuscular disorders, and the performance and interpretation of electrodiagnostic studies, neuromuscular ultrasounds, and neuromuscular pathology.  The Neuromuscular faculty exhibits a broad range of interests in clinical research. The program is ACGME-accredited, and fellows can sit for the ABPN-AQNM (Neuromuscular Medicine), ABEM (EMG) and ABEM NMUS CAQ (Ultrasound) board exams. Trained fellows are prepared for either academic or private practice opportunities.

The fellowship position is a one-year program focusing on inpatient and outpatient electrodiagnostic testing, and clinical neuromuscular evaluation and management. Fellows evaluate patients and are trained to perform EMG/NCS under direct supervision of the attending staff. Their work is monitored and guided from the initial patient evaluation to the final interpretations and clinical recommendations, with increasing independence as the year progresses. Fellows spend one afternoon weekly at the Muscular Dystrophy Association clinic, where a large range of adult and pediatric neuromuscular diseases, in particular muscle disorders, present for diagnosis and ongoing management. In addition, we have a weekly Myasthenia Gravis Clinic with a large cohort of patients. Fellows prepare cases for presentation at our weekly Neuromuscular Rounds clinical conference. At weekly EMG conferences we present didactic material and review recent publications of interest. There are ample opportunities for participation in clinical research.

Dr. Steven Herskovitz is Director of the Neuromuscular Medicine Division and EMG Laboratory, and head of the Neuromuscular Medicine/EMG fellowship training program. Faculty involved in the training program are listed below. In addition, the fellows have access to over sixty full-time neurology faculty, a large Neurosurgery department, an active neuroscience faculty, a large neuroradiology department, and the broader resources of a major medical school and several academic medical centers.

The prerequisites for fellowship training include excellence in an ACGME-accredited residency training program in Neurology and board eligibility.

View our program slides.

View our AAANEM Neuromuscular Fellowship Fair Presentation.

Adult and Pediatric Inpatient and Outpatient EMG/NCS/Ultrasound and EMG/NCS are provided at the Montefiore EMG Laboratory. Fellows see a large and diverse population of inpatients and outpatients with a broad spectrum of neurologic diseases. These patients are referred from other adult or pediatric neurologists, internists, rheumatologists, orthopedists, plastic surgeons, neurosurgeons, ENT or primary care practitioners. Between two to three thousand patients are seen annually in the lab.

In addition to standard electromyography and nerve conduction studies, fellows have exposure to EMG-guided chemodenervation (Botox), tremor studies, laryngeal EMG, single fiber EMG, phrenic nerve studies, blink reflex studies,  sympathetic skin response and R-R interval variation testing, skin biopsy for small-fiber neuropathy, and extensive experience with neuromuscular ultrasound.

Fellows see patients in the MDA clinic once a week under the supervision of Neuromuscular attendings. The MDA clinic serves a large population of adult and pediatric patients with diagnostically or therapeutically challenging neuromuscular diseases; fellows can participate in the care of these patients and follow them longitudinally. Fellows frequently see patients in the MDA clinic, perform EMG/NCS testing on the same patients in the EMG laboratory, if clinically indicated, and complete the diagnostic evaluation with genetic testing or neuropathologic examination.

Fellows see patients in the Myasthenia Gravis Clinic once a week under the supervision of Neuromuscular attendings. The clinic provides an opportunity to learn the evaluation and management of patients with disorders of the neuromuscular junction.

Muscle and nerve pathology is supervised by Dr. Steven Chin, and incorporated into the Neuromuscular conferences presented by the fellows. Skin biopsies for small-fiber neuropathy are performed in the EMG lab.

Weekly Neuromuscular Rounds: Fellows present interesting or diagnostically challenging cases involving neuromuscular disease to neurology attendings, residents, other fellows, and medical students. These presentations are detailed and involve review of the current literature.

Weekly EMG fellow conference: This conference begins with essential principles of EMG and nerve conduction studies and continues with topics covered in the AANEM mini-monographs. Waveform recognition, technical issues and uncommon techniques continue throughout the year. Fellows present interesting recent papers in a Journal Club format. Other times unusual diagnostic cases are presented to the fellows for discussion of differential diagnosis and management.  

Weekly Neurology Department case conference: Fellows take part in the weekly Neurology Department case conference and often discuss diagnosis or management of these cases.

Weekly Neurology Department Grand Rounds: Fellows attend this conference series that occurs at the MMC site.

The faculty members have a broad range of research interests providing many opportunities for involvement.