Message from the Chair

Welcome to the Department of Neurology at the University of Minnesota, in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, birth place and headquarters of the American Academy of Neurology. Our mission is to advance the care and treatment of patients with neurological disorders.  To do so we believe we must be leaders in taking discovery from the bench to the bedside through the development of programs of excellence in basic and clinical research. Development of these programs positions us to deliver state of the art clinical care provided by physicians who are leaders in their field.  As a result the department has expertise in a broad range of clinical neurology subspecialties that provide the foundation for our clinical, research and educational programs. We understand the importance of training outstanding academic neurologists who will lead us into the future and have dedicated physicians on our faculty who recognize the importance of establishing and maintaining superior educational programs for resident and fellowship training.  

Patient care is at the forefront of any clinical department and the Department of Neurology at the University of Minnesota has a longstanding history of excellence in this arena. The Department of Psychiatry and Neurology was established in 1946 under the Chairmanship of Donald Hastings.  Dr. A.B. Baker was head of the Division of Neurology in this Department. Neurology became an independent department in 1969 under Dr. Baker and was recognized as one of the top programs in the country. As part of this continuing excellence in academic neurology the department has developed a wide range of specialty services provided by world renowned neurologists in neuromuscular disease, epilepsy, stroke, neurocritical care, Parkinson’s disease and movement disorders, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease and neurobehavior, sleep, pain, ataxia and general neurology. New programs are being developed in neuro-oncology, vestibular and balance disorders in collaboration with our colleagues in oncology and ENT and epitomizes the multidisciplinary approach to the treatment of neurological disorders that is the cornerstone our program. Our department has developed  interdisciplinary programs across all major subspecialties through collaborations with our colleagues in the departments of  Neurosurgery, Psychiatry, Neuroradiology and the Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR) and Neuroscience as well as the Brain Sciences Center, Institute of Human Genetics, Geriatric Research and Education Clinical Center (GRECC), ENT, Biomedical engineering and Epidemiology. The future of neurology rests on the development of new therapies and methods of delivery that focus on all aspects of the patient care delivered by highly knowledgeable, compassionate physicians working in close collaboration with one another.  

Research is a critical element in the fight against neurological disease and paves the way for the development and implementation of new therapies as well as providing the foundation for our faculty, residents and fellows to grow in their academic mission and make the discoveries of the future. The academic mission in the Department of Neurology is to provide an understanding of the elemental basis for the development of neurological disorders and through this understanding develop new therapies. Our faculties consist of physician scientists trained in both basic and translational research as well as subspecialty clinical care. Understanding the basis for neurological disorders has been a hallmark of the neurology program in Alzheimer’s disease where a widely used mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease was developed. Our physicians have been on the forefront and pioneered new surgical therapies for Parkinson’s disease and dystonia as well as led the way for the application of deep brain stimulation for other neurological and psychiatric disorders. Multidisciplinary studies in muscle and nerve disease together with a world class Center for Magnetic Resonance Imaging are only a few of the programs that illustrate the intimate role of research in delivering world class clinical care in our department. The opportunities to develop clinical and basic research in virtually any area of interest are available at this institution providing limitless opportunities for faculty, fellows, and residents. 

Teaching and education are a high priority in the department. We look to recruit the best, brightest and most motivated applicants in order to train neurologists and neuroscientists who will be the future of neurology.  Residents in our training program receive outstanding training in all subspecialty areas by dedicated faculty who view residency education as a critical element in the department’s academic mission. Academic faculty is distributed among four public teaching hospitals: University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview (UMMC), Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC), the Minneapolis Veterans Administration Hospital (VAMC), and Regions Medical Center (Regions). These quite different hospitals assure diversity of patients and faculty interests that is one of Minnesota's strengths for our clinical, research and training programs. Across the public teaching hospitals, the Department cares for more than 1000 neurology inpatients per year, 2000 inpatient consults, and 10,000 outpatient visits. All of the teaching hospitals provide services in general neurology. Subspecialty programs in neuromuscular diseases, epilepsy, stroke, movement disorders, ataxia, pain, cognitive disorders, sleep disorders, and others provide additional focused expertise for our patients and community. In addition to our residency program clinical fellowships are available in most of our subspecialty programs and research training opportunities are available for graduate and post-graduate students and trainees. 

I invite you to visit our website and learn more about our clinical, research and educational programs. We welcome you to visit us and tour the University and meet our faculty, visit with our residents and see the department. Located in the Twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul there are many opportunities for cultural events and outdoor activities. Minnesota is the land of 10,000 lakes, has more bike paths than any state in the union and is home to Garrison Keillor and The Prairie Home Companion radio show located in the famous Guthrie Theater. The city is full of activity with restaurants and clubs located in a safe downtown area minutes from the campus.  

The quality of life in the Twin cities is very high with multiple regions in the area consistently ranked as some of the best places to live in the United States. Combined with the excellence in clinical care, research and education, one would be hard pressed to find a better or more supportive environment in which to achieve your academic goals.  

I welcome you to our department.