Medical Student Opportunities

The Department of Neurosurgery provides medical students with valuable exposure to neurosurgery, fostering enthusiasm for the field and preparing students for future neurosurgical training. Opportunities include the two-week elective during the Surgery Clerkship, the Neurotrauma Elective, and the Sub-Internship in Neurosurgery.

To explore additional opportunities, please contact Sophie White, MPH at swhite@som.umaryland.edu.

Sub-Internship in Neurosurgery

Our sub-interns play an active role in neurosurgical patient care activities over four weeks. The sub-intern spends a week on each of the following services: Endovascular, Tumor, Functional, Pediatrics, and Neurotrauma. The sub-intern fully integrates into the team, participating in all department activities, including daily rounds, operative cases, clinics, and weekly conferences. Importantly, a significant emphasis is placed on participation in operative cases throughout the sub-internship. The majority of cases involve patients with brain and skull base tumors, aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations, spinal disorders, epilepsy, and neurotrauma.

Visiting medical students interested in gaining exposure to neurosurgery at the University of Maryland program are encouraged to apply via the AAMC's Visiting Students Learning Opportunities (VSLO) portal beginning in March. The sub-internship can be found by searching for the course number, NSUR 548.

Research Opportunities

Annually, the Department of Neurosurgery offers the University of Maryland Dr. Charles Bagley Jr. Neurosurgery Research Fellowship for a US medical student or medical graduate. The fellowship honors the memory of Dr. Charles Bagley Jr., the founder of the neurosurgery service at the University of Maryland. Having trained with Dr. Harvey Cushing, Dr. Bagley promoted research and scholarship for the improvement of neurosurgical patient care.

In this spirit, the Bagley Fellow will engage in basic, translational, and clinical research in the Department of Neurosurgery with the goal of producing scholarly work to advance the field of neurosurgery and ultimately improve patient care. The fellow will leverage resources and data derived from the robust neuroscience research and busy neurosurgical practice at the University of Maryland to answer research inquiries.

While the fellow will support resident and faculty research efforts, ultimately the Fellowship is designed as an immersive experience for candidates in pursuing neurosurgical residency. As a result, the fellow will receive valuable research experience and develop practical skills related to experimental design and implementation, data analysis, professional submission, and interdisciplinary collaboration. The fellow will interact across research and clinical activities of the Department of Neurosurgery, garnering field exposure and building professional networks.