Headache Medicine Fellowship Program

A Promising Path to a Headache Medicine Fellowship

The Headache Medicine Fellowship at SwedishAmerican provides advanced training in the pathophysiology, recognition and management of headache and associated disorders. After completion of a one-year fellowship, fellows will attain the skills and knowledge needed to launch careers in headache medicine. Our curriculum has three main components: clinical experience, education, and research.

• Clinical experience includes extensive patient exposure at the SwedishAmerican Neuro and Headache Center, a community-based headache specialty clinic. Fellows will see patients with a wide variety of primary and secondary headache and craniofacial pain disorders. The fellow will become proficient in advanced procedures such as botulinum toxin administration, nerve blocks, trigger point injection and sphenopalatine ganglion blocks. Additional clinical experience in the acute care hospital, pain clinic, neurology, neuroradiology, neurosurgery, and otolaryngology clinics are integrated throughout the year.

• Education is formalized with regular didactic sessions and special conferences, such as grand rounds and interprofessional sessions offered by UICOMR Family Medicine residencies and fellowships, videoconferences and self-study. Fellows are encouraged to present educational sessions on headache medicine topics to medical students, residents, and other multidisciplinary professionals involved in the care of patients with headache pain.

• Research is encouraged early in the fellowship to allow fellows to select projects of their interests. Projects may include studies currently underway with core faculty members. The goal is to foster an appreciation of clinical investigation and quality improvement in the practice of headache medicine.

The goals of this fellowship program are to teach fellows skills needed to offer headache medicine care for ambulatory and inpatient patients; to create an understanding of factors that impact patients with headache disorders; and to foster the skills needed to improve patient care.

Neuro & Headache Center
Mile Square Health Center L. P. Johnson Rockford
Miller Eye Center

The health and well-being of our fellows is important to us. We offer a competitive salary and benefits package and perks to keep you and your family happy and healthy.

The University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford, welcomes applicants who are enrolled in or have completed a relevant residency program (Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Neurology, Anesthesiology) accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). If you are interested in applying for a fellowship position, please complete the following:

1. Cover letter outlining your career goals and interest in the fellowship
2. A current curriculum vitae, including all USMLE Step exam results
3. Letters of recommendation from Program Director and two other faculty

Program academic year begins in July.

Visa policy: Our program does not sponsor visas.

Submit your application to Betheny Kopera, fellowship coordinator by October 1 preceding the desired academic year of matriculation, at [email protected] or to UICOMR Administrative Office, 1601 Parkview Ave. Rockford, IL 61107.