Neurosurgery

Outstanding clinical training and surgical experience

The Neurosurgery Residency Program at Tufts Medical Center in downtown Boston provides outstanding clinical training and surgical experience to residents.

Attending physicians focus on teaching bedside and operating room techniques, while encouraging progressive independence in clinical decisions and the performance of surgery.  At the end of their training, residents are familiar with a wide range of surgical procedures. In addition, we increasingly emphasize the interaction between clinical and the basic sciences and ask that all residents participate in research activities.

Although the neurosurgical service at Tufts Medical Center is very busy, with over 1700 annual procedures performed, attending and house staff have a close and collegial relationship. Physician assistants and nurse practitioners are closely collaborating with attendings and residents to make sure we meet our clinical demands.

The Tufts Medical Center Neurosurgery Program is a seven-year program and includes:

• Fifty-one months of clinical neurosurgery
• Twelve months of research or enfolded fellowship
• Six months of elective time (neuropathology, neuroradiology, neuro-opthalmology)
• Three months of radiosurgery and interventional neurosurgery and outpatient clinics
• Residents have two off-site rotations: 3months of functional and deep brain simulation at Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts and six months of dedicated pediatric neurosurgery at Boston Children's Hospital

Physician extenders (eight physician assistants) help with inpatient discharge paperwork, progress notes, inpatient and ED consults and day-to-day patient management. Four nurse practitioners and one physician assistant work in the outpatient clinic and also help with notes, phone calls and outpatient patient management.

Weekly:

Rotates between: Martin neuroanatomy review, Rhoton review, Ellenbogen Principles of Neurological Surgery chapter presentations, and Journal Club- Thursday a.m.

• Senior resident case presentation conference - Thursday a.m.
• Grand rounds (Neurology/Neurosurgery) - Thursday a.m.
• Neuroadiology/Neurosurgery conference - Thursday a.m.
  
  

Monthly:

• Journal club
• Neuroanatomy review
• Department meeting with faculty and residents- Thursday p.m. (week one)
• Mortality and morbidity conference/ patient safety and quality improvement - Thursday p.m. (week two)
• Invited lecturer
• Rhoton 3D-anatomy - Thursday p.m.

Residents are actively involved in teaching Tufts medical students including first-year Neuroscience course, neuroanatomy lab, and rotating students from medical schools in the United States and abroad.

The department will cover the cost of attending one of the national society meetings (e.g. American Association of Neurological Surgery, Congress of Neurological Surgery) or another educational session per year.

Residents are given progressive clinical responsibility both in and out of the operating room. Mentors are assigned in the research areas to facilitate residents’ research goals. The resident may develop his or her own project or participate in ongoing projects. The medical school core neuroscience group and the basic scientists in the neurosurgery department serve as teachers and consultants for this research.

Annual Intern Boot Camp

The Department of Neurosurgery at Tufts Medical Center has hosted the Annual SNS Intern Boot Camp Fundamental Skills Course since its inaugural year 2010.

This course, sponsored by the Society of Neurological Surgeons (SNS), the oldest neurosurgical society in the world, brings together approximately thirty interns from nineteen neurosurgical residency programs from the northeast region for two days of lectures and hands-on procedural and simulation sessions.

The course curriculum includes lectures given by Tufts faculty and faculty from other institutions including Yale, Rutgers, Mount Sinai Medical Center, Montefiore Medical Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Lahey Hospital and Columbia University.

The lectures and hands-on procedural and simulation sessions introduce important principles of neurosurgical care to entering PGY-1 residents. The Department of Neurosurgery at Tufts Medical Center is honored to be the annual host of this unique educational experience for incoming neurosurgery residents of the Northeast region.

Residents complete their training at Tufts Medical Center, a world-class academic medical center located in Boston and the principal teaching hospital for Tufts University School of Medicine. It also sponsors nineteen specialty ACGME-accredited clinical training programs.

Tufts Medical Center is a 415-bed robust organization, providing everything from routine medical care to treating the most complex diseases affecting adults.

Tufts Medical Center provides heart, kidney and bone marrow transplants, is a level I trauma center, provides comprehensive neurological and neurosurgical care, and offers cutting-edge cancer treatments.

Tufts Medical Center is also home to The Boston Gamma Knife Center, the first and only Gamma Knife Center in Massachusetts and northern New England.

What’s it like to live in Boston? It’s an epicenter for health, science and medical research – where visions are born and discoveries are made. With universities on every corner, intellectuals, scientists and artists mingle to create an exceptional culture.

It’s also a fun city that takes its sports teams seriously, but not much else. In the spring and summer, you can enjoy festivals, outdoor concerts and cultural gatherings. Plus, many neighborhoods are booming with art, restaurants and music. Need to get away? Boston is a short trip from beautiful beaches, mountains and lakes.

It’s the perfect mix of urban culture, a small town feel and outdoor beauty.

Learn more about what it’s like to live in Boston

About the Department of Neurosurgery

The Department of Neurosurgery has recently completed a renovation and expansion program supported by the Cam Neely Foundation. The hospital is located in the center of a rapidly changing area of Boston. The center abuts the theater district and Chinatown near the financial district. The medical center campus is adjacent to the Jean Mayer Regional Nutrition Center and the Tufts Dental School. The Tufts Medical School is also in the same campus facilitating research and interdisciplinary conferences.

PGY-7

Shane Burke, MD, MBA

Medical School: Tufts University School of MedicinUndergrad: University of California, Irvine

Pubmed >

PGY-6

Michael Yang, MD

Medical School: University of Colorado School of Medicine

Undergrad: University of Colorado

PGY-4

Jacob Kosarchuk, MD

Medical School: Eastern Virginia Medical School of the Medical College of Hampton Roads

Undergrad: University of California Santa Cruz

PubMed >

Alper Dincer, MD

Medical School: Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine

Undergrad: Bucknell University

PubMed >

PGY-3

John Herendeen, MD

Medical School: Rutgers New Jersey Medical School

Undergrad: Boston College

M. Harrison Snyder, MD

Medical School: University of Virginia School of Medicine

Undergrad: Brigham Young University

PubMed >

PGY-2

Anthony Yu, MD

Medical School: Tufts University School of Medicine

Undergrad: Case Western Reserve University

PGY-1

Scott Flynn

Medical School: Tufts University School of Medicine

Undergrad: Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

Omar Sorour

Medical School: University of Massachusetts Medical School

Undergrad: Harvard University

*= Tufts Medical Center Faculty

Application materials should be submitted no later than October 1^st. The following information must be submitted to ERAS by the deadline in order for your application to be considered complete:

• ERAS Application form
• Curriculum Vitae, including any honors, publications and presentations
• Medical School Performance Evaluation (MSPE) or Dean’s Letter
• Official medical school transcript
• USMLE scores (Step I required, Step II and III if available). COMLEX scores are accepted.
• A minimum of three (3) letters of recommendation; two (2) should be from Neurosurgeons. It is recommended that the letters be written by someone who is very familiar with your clinical work and who is accustomed to writing letters of recommendation (Clerkship Director, Program Director, Director of Service or a senior clinician)
• Personal Statement
• Photograph
• ECFMG certificate (for foreign medical grads)

To initiate your application and obtain information regarding dates and other key details, visit:

• Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS)
• National Residency Matching Program (NRMP)
• Society of Neurological Surgeons (SNS)

Interviews this year will take place virtually over Zoom/Thalamus, details to come later. The application is standardized with SNS recommendation letters including letters from surgery rotation chairman or program director letter.

We will work with applicants in selecting an interview date that is most convenient and best coordinated to accommodate multiple Boston or nearby interview sites.

International Medical Graduates

We accept foreign graduates who are highly qualified and have competitive USMLE scores. Please see the Frequently Asked Questions section for more information regarding requirements for IMGs.

For more information, visit:

• http://www.usmle.org
• http://www.ecfmg.org

Graduate Medical Education (GME) stipend levels for Academic Year 2023 – 2024

As of July 1, 2023
PGY1 $75,423.00
PGY2 $78,494.00
PGY3 $81,700.00
PGY4 $85,635.00
PGY5 $90,301.00
PGY6 $94,878.00
PGY7 $98,927.00

To learn more, contact:

Kiara Matier
Residency Coordinator, Neurosurgery
Email: kmatier@tuftsmedicalcenter.org
Phone: 617-636-2637

Maddie Cornell, MEd
Education Manager, Neurosciences
Email: Madison.L.Cornell@tuftsmedicine.org
Phone: 617-636-2605