Neurology Residency

76

Active Clinical Trials

71

Peer-Reviewed Publications in 2023

76

Employed Neurologists Across 7 Hospitals

10

Specialized Centers & Programs

About Our Residency

The Houston Methodist Stanley H. Appel Department of Neurology offers a four-year accredited adult neurology residency program. The program is developed to provide well-rounded training in clinical neurology and mentorship in the clinical and basic sciences that provides a strong foundation for the practicing neurologist and physician-scientist. The program has a high faculty-to-resident ratio, which allows residents access to training yet also challenges them to be autonomous with a commitment to lifelong learning.

Our Team

Message from the Program Director


Dear Applicants, 

I am pleased to welcome you to the Neurology Residency Program at Houston Methodist Hospital. We are proud of the quality training that is provided and the caliber of our current resident trainees. Much of what makes Houston Methodist ranked among the top institutions for neurology training is the patient population, the faculty, and its leading role in making advances in translational research and treatment.

Houston Methodist Hospital is located in the world’s largest medical center in one of the most diverse cities in United States. Based on its location, its collaborative reach extends far beyond the limit of its walls. There is an extensive collaborative network between physicians, researchers, and institutions that provides great opportunities for trainees in all aspects of neurology, including medical care, research, and academics. 

The departmental faculty has over fifty cumulative years of experience training and mentoring residents, fellows, and post-doctoral graduates who have become heads of departments, industry, and research worldwide. Under the legacy of leaders and giants in neurology, our residents  excel beyond the standards of core knowledge and clinical practice. Our program is strengthened by a cadre of diverse faculty who cover the breadth of neurology including neurodegenerative diseases, vascular neurology, epilepsy/sleep medicine, neuromuscular medicine, movement disorders, and spasticity, pain/headache, language disorders, and neuroimmunology. Trainees also have formal experiences with other noteworthy faculty in neurosurgery, neuro-oncology (University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center), neuro-ophthalmology, neuro ICU, physical medicine and rehabilitation, psychiatry, pediatric neurology, and a host of formal and non-formal elective experiences. Thus, our residents experience a well-rounded training at Houston Methodist which establishes a strong foundation in neurology and opportunities to build upon that foundation in specific area(s) of interest.

The mission of the Neurological Institute is to not only push advances in patient care and education but also translational research. The institution is committed to supporting and sponsoring independent and collaborative research in a wide variety of areas. This has led to the granting of opportunities for faculty, fellows, and residents to build careers in research as independent investigators and even develop novel tracks in training to meet unmet needs in care.

This mission is not limited to faculty but is incorporated into the structure of the residency program. Residents are required to participate research during their training to enhance their ability to critique and apply data as well as develop and scientific approach to their practice and patients. Residents are provided certified training in research methods and ethics and gain valuable experience and exposure to the scientific method, data analysis, and grant and paper. It also provides a starting point for those residents who are interested in academic-research career paths. In accord, our graduates have an outstanding first-time neurology board pass rate and have been very successful in obtaining the practice or fellowship of choice upon graduation.

In conclusion, the Houston Methodist Neurology Residency program provides a training experience that fully encompasses all aspects of neurology in an atmosphere that supports and encourages initiative, scholarship, and success.

Thank you for your interest in our program. For those planning to apply, please refer to the Eligibility & Application section of our website for specific information. Interviews will be offered to those applicants with an impressive record of academic performance and recommendations which clearly affirm the candidate’s caliber.

I wish you the best in your future endeavors.

Sincerely,
Bing Liao, MD, MSc
Neurology Residency Program Director


ALS / Neuromuscular diseases 

Cognitive neurology / memory disorders

Epilepsy and seizures

General Neurology

Movement disorders

Curriculum

The Houston Methodist Neurology Residency Program is a four-year categorical program. The PGY1 year is made up of 13 four-week block rotations. The resident rotates in general inpatient and outpatient internal medicine and related specialty services, including an elective block of rotations for rheumatology, geriatrics, endocrinology, and pulmonology. PGY1 residents will also spend three months on neurology services during this year to allow exposure and orientation to neurology prior to the PGY2 year.

The neurology curriculum has been designed to assure professional maturation of residents. The PGY2 year has more months of inpatient rotations than the PGY3 or PGY4 resident. With each year of training, the resident has fewer general neurology rotations and more specialty and elective rotations. This schedule assures that residents gain increased specialty training with one-on-one faculty teaching and that they are able to design a schedule of electives that broadens their educational experience or focuses on areas of evolving interest.

The inpatient teams at Houston Methodist include at least one junior and one senior neurology resident. This design provides the junior resident with supervision and, at the same time, offers the senior resident increased responsibility and opportunity for mentoring and teaching. The night-call schedule provides increased patient responsibility, as residents progress in their training. Senior residents provide back-up call for the junior night-call resident. Again, the junior resident has supervision, while the senior resident is able to supervise and instruct the junior resident. Third, one senior (PGY4) resident will be elected to serve as administrative chief resident each year. The administrative chief resident will assist directly in program development and work as a liaison between staff and residents. This experience will provide the resident with the opportunity to gain additional supervisory and administrative skills. Duty hour requirements and restrictions are enforced at institution and departmental levels.

Eligibility and Application

To be eligible for the neurology residency, an applicant must meet certain criteria:

Application Criteria
  • Have fewer than five years since medical school graduation
  • Be of good professional character with at least three letters of recommendation attesting to their academic and personal qualifications
  • Be a graduate of a U.S. or Canadian medical school accredited by the Liaison Committee for Medical Education (LCME), or a college of osteopathic medicine in the U.S. accredited by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), or a medical school outside the U.S. and Canada with a current valid certificate from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) prior to appointment, or have completed a Fifth Pathway program through an LCME-accredited medical school
  • Be licensable in the State of Texas and obtain before beginning training a postgraduate resident permit or a valid Texas medical license from the Texas Medical Board
  • Every non-citizen applicant selected for appointment must have permanent resident status or a J-1 visa as a condition of appointment to a resident position at Houston Methodist. Read more

Nearly all selected applicants to the program will have scored between 220-245 on first time Step 1 and/or  Step 2 USMLE examinations, although exceptions will be made for individual applicants with otherwise exceptional applications.


Institutions

skyline of texas medical center

Houston Methodist Neurological Institute is one of the six Houston Methodist Centers of Excellence. Houston Methodist Hospital Neurology & Neurosurgery has been ranked top of nation by U.S. News & World Report for many years. In 2023, it was ranked No. 11 in the nation.

The inaugural creation of the Houston Methodist Neurological Institute at Houston Methodist Hospital in 2005 was the result of a commitment and mission to pioneer the translation of advances in basic science into meaningful therapies for neurological conditions while providing an environment that fosters the education and training of post-doctoral fellows, residents and students to develop into preeminent physicians and scientists of tomorrow.

The Neurological Institute is a cornerstone of Houston Methodist Hospital's strategic vision for its future as a top-ranked academic medical center. It supports a collaborative atmosphere for senior and young investigators in various fields. The Institute’s co-directors Gavin W. Britz, MD and Jun Li, MD, represent a broad spectrum of expertise. They lead a core group of more than 50 neurologists, neurosurgeons and dozens of neuro-specialist staff, all collaborating to make the Neurological Institute the nation’s model for neurological diagnosis, treatment, clinical trials, and research.
Our Residents
Kathryn Boylan, MD - PGY4
Chief Resident
Medical School: Texas Tech U HSC-Lubbock
Angela Salemi Milanes, MD - PGY4
Chief Resident
Medical School: Ohio State University
Chao-Hsien ‘Alex’ Chen, MD - PGY4
Medical School: National Taiwan University
Mehmet Kadipasagolu, MD - PGY4
Interim Chief Resident
Medical School: UT Houston McGovern
Marco Pares, MD - PGY4
Medical School: Baylor College of Medicine
Matthew Yanus, MD - PGY4
Medical School: Tufts University School of Medicine
Anza Zahid, MD - PGY4
Medical School: Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan Medical & Dental College
Jemynna Haley Chua, MD - PGY3
Medical School: Texas A&M School of Medicine
Keelie Denson, MD - PGY3
Medical School: Medical College of Georgia
Rija Ghazanfar, MD - PGY3
Medical School: Dow Medical College
Sanjiti Mirmire, MD - PGY3
Medical School: Employees’ State Insurance Corporation Medical College
Zabreen Tahir, MD - PGY3
Medical School: King Edward Medical University
Will Tanigaki, MD - PGY3
Medical School: UT Health Houston
Brandon Wei, MD - PGY3
Medical School: Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine
Ashwin Achuthaprasad, MD - PGY2
Medical School: Tbilisi Medical University
Ashwin Achuthaprasad, MD - PGY2
Medical School: King Edward Medical University
Sahithi Avva, MD - PGY2
Medical School: Kurnool Medical College
Niti Dharwadkar, MD - PGY2
Medical School: UT Rio Grande Valley
Ada Oguejiofor, MD - PGY2
Medical School: UT Rio Grande Valley
Saisree Ravi, MD - PGY2
Medical School: UT Rio Grande Valley
Jorge Akira Valdivia Moriyama, MD - PGY2
Medical School: Technologic of Monterrey
Jorge Akira Valdivia Moriyama, MD - PGY2
Medical School: Technologic of Monterrey
Michael Meriano, MD - PGY1
Vitor Parente de Matos, MD - PGY1
Harris Rosenblad , MD - PGY1
Nisreen Shiban, MD - PGY1
Mustafa Subhi, MD - PGY1
Ishant Yadav, MD - PGY1
Alumni

 

Year

Position Post-Residency


Class of 2024

Sara Benitez, MD Neuromuscular Medicine Fellowship, Houston Methodist
Riya Bhavsar, MD Vascular Neurology Fellowship, Houston Methodist
Zane Foster, MD Private Practice
Amulya Gottiparthy, DO

Neuro-Oncology Fellowship, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center

 

Osman Ozel, MD Private Practice
Beatriz Thames, MD Movement Disorders Fellowship, Houston Methodist

Class of 2023

Akhil Shivaprasad, MD Neuromuscular Medicine Fellowship, Duke University
Himanshu A. Patel, MD Vascular Neurology Fellowship, University of Maryland
Syed A. Gillani, MD Endovascular Surgical Neuroradiology, Univ. of Missouri
Sanaa A. Karim, DO Pain Fellowship, Oklahoma University
Danish Kherani, MD Vascular Neurology Fellowship, UT Houston
Tony J. Zhang, MD Vascular Neurology Fellowship, Houston Methodist

Class of 2022

Meryim Poursheykhi, MD Neurohospitalist, Vanderbilt
Andy Lin, MD Clinical Neurophysiology Fellowship, Mayo Clinic
Melody Badii, MD Neuromuscular Fellowship, UC Irvine
Abdulmunaim Eid, MD Neuroimaging Fellowship, Houston Methodist
Ahmed Khalafalla, MD Vascular Neurology Fellowship, Houston Methodist
Nishath Naseem, MD Vascular Neurology Fellowship, Mayo Clinic

Class of 2021

Shruti Agashe, MD  Clinical Neurophysiology Fellowship, Mayo
Harsh Patel, MD Vascular Neurology Fellowship, Emory
Destiny Hooper, MD Vascular Neurology Fellowship, University of Cincinnati
Vindhya Koneru, MD Movement Disorder Fellowship, Houston Methodist
Ilya Dubovoy, MD Private Practice, Williamsburg

Class of 2020

Hina Aslam, MD Private practice
Jillian Heisler, MD, PhD Private practice, Houston Methodist
Rajeel Imran, MD Stroke Fellowship, Emory University
Jon Toledo, MD Movement Disorder Fellowship, University of Florida

Class of 2019

Keerthana Akkineni, MD Clinical Neurophysiology Fellowship, Harvard Medical School
Chih-Chun Lin, MD, PhD Movement Disorder Fellowship, Columbia University
Shyam Panchal, MD Stroke Fellowship, Vanderbilt University
Kishan Patel, MD Stroke Fellowship, Emory University

Class of 2018

Mahnaz Entezaralmahdi, MD Pain Fellowship, University of Southern California
JaMÍs MonÉt Jackson, MD Transition Fellowship, Pediatrics to Adult Neurology, UT Houston
Nicholas Rome, MD Private Practice, New Orleans
Crystal J. Yeo, MD, PhD Neuromuscular Fellowship, Harvard Medical School

Class of 2017

Alireza Faridar, MD Neuroimaging Fellowship, Houston Methodist 
Eva Mistry, MD Vascular Neurology, University of Cincinnati
Haseeb Rahman, MD Vascular Neurology, Emory University


Class of 2016

 
Rajan Gadhia, MD Vascular Neurology Fellowship,  Harvard Medical School
M. Obadah Nakawah, MD Neuroimaging Fellowship, Houston Methodist

Class of 2015
 
John Eatman, MD Neuromuscular Fellowship, Houston Methodist
Umair Saeed, MD Stroke and Neurocritical Care Fellowship, UT Houston
Stacy V. Smith, MD Neuro-ophthalmology Fellowship, Houston Methodist 
Headache Medicine Fellowship, UT Southwestern
Jason Thonhoff, MD, PhD Neuromuscular Fellowship, Houston Methodist 

Class of 2014
 
Hristelina Ilieva, MD Neuromuscular Fellowship, Johns Hopkins
Sepideh Mokhtari, MD Neuro-oncology Fellowship, MSK Cancer Center
Brooke McQueen, MD Neurophysiology Fellowship, Houston Methodist 

Class of 2013
 
Xuan Wu, MD Clinical Neurophysiology Fellowship, University of Pittsburgh

Class of 2012
 
Kathleen Alfuth, DO Private Practice, Dallas
Ashkan Mowla, MD Vascular Neurology & Stroke, University of Michigan
Usha Thapalia, MD Epilepsy/EEG, Cleveland Clinic

Class of 2011
 
Mohammad Al Baeer, MD Neurophysiology Fellowship, Houston Methodist 

Class of 2009
 
Snehi Sehgal-Kapur, MD Neurophysiology Fellowship, The State University of New York


From Our Graduates

 

"I wanted to share some news that you may have heard about already from Vicky. I accepted a neurohospitalist/inpatient epilepsy position at Vanderbilt. They asked me during my interview if I could handle a busy inpatient service. I thought back to our own teaching service and how busy we were but still learned to lead a team efficiently. That training was invaluable and though slightly intimidated, I feel surprisingly well prepared for this next step. Warm regards." Keerthana Akkineni, MD

 

"I am humbled and delighted to inform you that I am starting my first job as an assistant professor at the University of Florida Jacksonville NeuroICU next week. Thank you for the excellent education, training, and guidance in building my career. Please remember me in your prayers." Umair Saeed, MD


"Those billing and coding lectures were SO helpful.  One suggestion I have though is to do one on billing for common procedures like EMG and EEG. I hope everything is going well, I miss working with all of you!" Nicholas Rome, MD

 

"I hope all is well.  I just wanted to share a recent patient that I saw that my training at Methodist was critical in my ability to diagnosis and give her family answers. The training at Methodist 1) allowed me to learn pattern recognition in neuromuscular disease, 2) taught me to trust my exam over others’, 3) taught me EMG skills (even if this was the most trying part of the fellowship; it was worth it), and 4) completing the fellowship there made me a more confident clinician. Thank you for the all you did for me during fellowship.  As I have said before, you all do amazing work." Lamar Davis, MD

 

"I have been away for not even a month and I could not help but write an email.  I have settled in Cincinnati and absolutely love working here. I feel like I am in the Mecca for stroke research and opportunities seem to be endless. You helped me make the right decision. I have been involved in patient care here and my peers and faculty think that I was trained very well. I simply wanted to say Thank You, for all that you have done! Please do share my gratitude with the faculty at Methodist. I miss you all!" Eva Mistry, MD


" I am really honored and humbled to be trained at Houston Methodist with you all. The strong foundation during my residency has certainly helped me in my future career. I passed by vascular neurology (Stroke) boards last year and currently in my last year of neuro-critical care fellowship." Umair Saeed, MD

 

"I was thinking about Methodist today. I saw a patient with a tauopathy stare and another with hammertoes and high arches. It made me glad that I trained at a program that emphasized learning physical exam well and not just ordering tests. A few of my patients here are challenging, but I learned from you Dr. Simpson (as well as Dr. Appel and Dr. Smith) that any case no matter how difficult can be teased apart, analyzed and figured out with enough time and effort. This gives me comfort even when confronted with the most complicated problems. I hope everything is well at Methodist. I hope we can catch up soon, I am really curious how my patients are doing." John Eatman, MD

"I am thankful for my year in Houston. It has given me a different perspective on medicine and on how I choose to practice it. Before, I had no desire to be remotely involved in research; now I have a great interest in it. I have one patient that I am trying to get included in a trial for COL6 patients (I must thank Hristelina for her assistance in getting in contact with the lead investigator), and I may be a part of a treatment trial with kids with DMD (although, it appears that rank will be pulled on me and a more senior person may take the lead). Dr. Veda is teaching me to do muscle biopsies. I must honestly say that I hear Dr. Pleitez's voice each time; I don't say that in a negative fashion. Her standards on closing are something that I now appreciate. Again, I hope all is well. I really enjoyed my year at Methodist. It challenged me and made me a better doctor.  Please tell everyone I said hello." Lamar Davis, MD

"I am really loving it here in New York!!! The fellowship program is amazing, so many opportunities to grow as a clinician and a researcher. I really think your training in Methodist is paying off now. I am forever grateful for all the teaching and mentoring you have given me. I will keep you posted with my progress here. I just can't get enough of the city. I will be coming to Houston for a visit after Christmas. I would love to meet you and give you a big hug before I go back. Thanks for everything" Sepideh Mokhtari, MD

"I started my new job yesterday, received a badge as assistant professor, and was assigned a nice office on the 18th floor of Smith Tower. How lucky I am. But I also felt scared. I will start to work independently. I keep encouraging myself that I will treat the patients the way you do, work the way you do. I was trained by the best teachers; I have the best examples to follow. I should be fine. Best Regards" Xuan Wu, MD

"I really feel comfortable handling neurological and stroke patients independently and also teaching medical students and residents. Gil Wolfe, MD, my chairman, got a very good feedback from the residents about how I am doing only after being here for 2 months.
I owe you a lot for training me. Just wanted to say THANK YOU!" Ashkan Mowla, MD

Get In Touch

Program Contact

Ka’Lynde Smith, MBA
Residency Coordinator
713.441.0135
neurologyresidents@houstonmethodist.org

Program Directors

Bing Liao, MD, MSc
Program Director

Rajan R. Ghadhia, MD
Associate Program Director

Upcoming Academic Events

Grand rounds, tumor boards, regularly scheduled series and case presentations are offered in multiple clinical disciplines and Houston Methodist locations.
Center for Neuroregeneration Visiting Lecture Series - Jeannie Chin, PhD
Houston Methodist Hospital

Jeannie Chin, PhD

Nov 12 @ 10AM

See Details
NIH Biosketch/CV Development Workshop

Dorothy E. Lewis, PhD, Faculty Development Manager, Houston Methodist

Nov 12 @ 11AM

See Details

55

Grand Rounds conducted in 2023
These educational events are held according to varying schedules by departments and divisions within the Houston Methodist Academic Institute

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