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UCI-CHOC Pediatric Epilepsy and Clinical Neurophysiology Fellowship Program

Contact Us

Program Coordinator

Nicole Santos
[email protected]

Program Leadership

Maija Steenari, MD
Program Director,
Epilepsy Fellowship

Lilit Mnatsakanyan, MD
Program Director,
Clinical Neurophysiology Fellowship

Brian Jung, MD
Associate Program Director for Epilepsy and Clinical Neurophysiology

John Crawford, MD
Division Chief,
Child Neurology

Welcome, and thank you for your interest in the University of California, Irvine, and Children’s Hospital Orange County (UCI-CHOC) Pediatric Epilepsy and Clinical Neurophysiology Program!

We’re proud to train the next generation of pediatric epilepsy leaders in a collaborative and supportive environment.

Please click below to learn more about our fellowship, our team and training at UCI-CHOC.

Program Overview

This pediatric position is open to trainees who will complete a Child Neurology residency program prior to starting the fellowship

For more information on both fellowships, please visit UCI’s website:

Our Hospitals

Both CHOC and UCIMC and have active epilepsy surgery programs, with capabilities to perform Stereo-EEG monitoring using ROSA and a full range of surgical interventions, including VNS, LITT, RNS and DBS.

Rady Children’s Health in Orange County

Rady Children’s Health in Orange County (formerly CHOC) is part of a pediatric health care system that includes two hospitals in Orange County, a hospital in San Diego, and a growing network of primary and specialty care centers spanning six counties. Uniting the trusted expertise of CHOC and Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego, Rady Children’s Health builds on a combined legacy of more than a century of clinical excellence and is dedicated to advancing children’s health through leading-edge research, innovative treatments and compassionate care.

Rady Children’s Hospital in Orange is an academic, community-based hospital that serves as the main training site for the fellowship. It has 386 beds, a Level I Trauma Center, Level 4 NICU and Level 4 Pediatric Epilepsy Center. Rady Children’s Health delivers care through more than 825,000 healthcare visits annually.

For virtual tours of Rady Children’s Hospital in Orange: choc.org/about/virtual-tour

University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine and the UCI Medical Center (UCIMC)

UCI School of Medicine is ranked among the top 50 medical schools in the nation for research by U.S. News & World Report. UCI School of Medicine has 24 departments, ranging from basic science research to clinical, medical and surgical specialties, and research, clinical, and teaching. UCI School of Medicine is the sponsoring institution and serves as a primary site for basic science and translational bench research opportunities. The UCI Medical Center in Orange serves as the main clinical site for the UC Irvine School of Medicine, integrating teaching, research, and patient care.

UCI Medical Center is a 459-bed acute care hospital providing tertiary and quaternary care, ambulatory and specialty medical, behavioral health and rehabilitation services. It is the primary teaching location for the UC Irvine School of Medicine.

Curriculum

Eight months are spent at CHOC for primary emphasis on pediatric epilepsy and EEG, two months are spent at UCIMC on the adult epilepsy/EEG service (with clinical research opportunities available) and months for electives.

At CHOC, the Epilepsy program is a consulting service, with rotations divided into:

Epilepsy monitoring unit (EMU) A; including phase 1 and phase 2 (intracranial) studies, epilepsy surgery patients.
Epilepsy monitoring unit (EMU) B; shorter phase 1 studies including infantile spasm follow-ups, evaluation for DEE-SWAS, as well as complex inpatient epilepsy consults.
Inpatient EEG studies.
Outpatient EEG and ambulatory studies, epilepsy subspecialty clinics.

There are also weekly didactic lectures, a weekly epilepsy surgery conference, and a monthly journal club.

How to Apply

Applications are accepted through the Electronic Resident Application System (ERAS). Our fellowship program participates in the National Residency Match Program (NRMP). Applicants must have completed an adult or child neurology residency and be American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology board-eligible, with a California medical license, before the July 1 program start date.

Important Dates

Apply on ERAS