Lectures and Conferences

Yale University
School of Medicine
Department of Neurology
P.O. Box 208018
New Haven, CT
06520-8018

Lectures and Conferences
A rich variety of conferences are available to residents at Yale University School of Medicine. Neurology residents attend Clinical Neuroscience Grand Rounds, YNHH morning report, a bi-weekly lunchtime core didactic series, weekly VA ambulatory conference, and weekly neuroradiology conference.

Grand Rounds
Every Wednesday morning, Neurology and Neurosurgery meet for Grand Rounds, where world-renowned physicians and scientists present the latest advances in our field. Each resident is also required to present at Grand Rounds in the PGY3 and/or PGY4 year.

Morning Report
Each morning at 7.30, except for Wednesdays, all neurology house staff at Yale-New Haven Hospital meet for morning report. Here, admissions and consults are presented to senior neurology faculty by the on-call or night float resident. Diagnoses and management are discussed in detail, and it provides an opportunity for everyone to learn from cases seen overnight. Morning report was designed to help residents fine-tune their oral presenting skills.

Core Didactic Series
Throughout the year, all neurology residents meet for noon conference on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This conference is designed to provide broad coverage of all aspects of neurology and basic neuroscience that a resident should be expected to be familiar with during their training. The schedule is arranged to cover the most common neurological problems and basic sciences relevant to neurology once a year, and to cover other less common issues once every two or three years. Lectures are given by Yale neurology faculty, as well as faculty from other departments such as radiology and neuropathology. Lunch is provided. Lunch is provided.

VA Conferences
Every Wednesday at noon there are board review lectures at the VA. This is a year long series of lectures that cover the most pertinent basic science and clinical aspects needed for the neurology boards. Each resident is assigned 3 lectures throughout the year and are expected to create multiple choice questions similar to those seen on the neurology board exam. Residents are expected to read appropriate resources prior to the lectures and come prepared to answer the questions. Attendings are present to foster discussion and learning opportunities during the review session.

Each Friday at noon, neurology residents at the VA meet for ambulatory conference. It is designed to provide residents with practical knowledge of how to approach the most common neurological problems encountered in an outpatient setting. Each week a resident is selected in advance to lead the discussion on a topic of their choice. The format is variable, and can include case discussions, multiple choice questions, or Jeopardy. It can also include discussion of papers such as the American Academy of Neurology Practice Parameters, NEJM review articles, or other general reviews. The facilitator leads a discussion of the neurological problem and its management. Lunch is provided.

Journal Club
The importance of critically reviewing journal articles to make clinical decision is of utmost importance. Therefore, every first Monday of the month at noon there is a Journal Club where residents are expected to present and analyze recent academic articles. A healthy discussion is then had between the residents and attendings regarding study design, validity of the results and possible application to clinical scenarios.

Morbidity & Mortality
M&M conference meets every 3rd Monday of the month at noon. At these sessions, residents are expected to present a case where management decisions are evaluated and reviewed. A discussion then focuses on possible avenues of care where adverse reactions could have been avoided and potential change in future management of similar cases. The conferences are multi-disciplinary with representation of medical and surgical specialties that were involved in management of the case.

Neuropathology Conference
Once a month on Wednesdays there is a multi-disciplinary neuropathology lecture given by the Pathology Department at noon for residents and fellows from Neurology, Neurosurgery, Pathology and Neuroradiology. It provides a basic understanding of neurological disease from a pathological point of view and also aids in the preparation for board exams. The lectures are case-based with both gross anatomy pictures and histology slides. There are also brain-cutting sessions every Wednesday at 1:30 PM open to Neurology residents. These sessions allow the residents to examine gross anatomy and pathology in close supervision with a Neuropathology attending.

Neuroradiology Conference
Every Tuesday at 5:00 PM, faculty and residents from interventional neuroradiology, neurosurgery, and neurology meet to discuss cases and their neuroimaging. This is a unique opportunity to get expert opinions on difficult cases, and to get comfortable with the more challenging aspects of CT scans, MRIs, and angiograms.

Ancillary Conferences
There are many other conferences, lectures and meetings held at Yale every day. It would not be possible for anyone to attend all of them. However, residents can choose to go to any of them, time permitting, that are of particular interest or that are important for their career goals.