VA Fellowships for Multiple Sclerosis
VA Office of Academic Affiliations Physician Fellowship
VA fellowship programs develop leaders. These leaders have vision, knowledge, and commitment to health care, research, and education. They focus on work related to multiple sclerosis (MS). The VA treats around 15,000 Veterans each year who have MS. Over 70% of Veterans with MS receive disability payments. This makes MS an important condition among Veterans.
VA Office of Academic Affiliations Physician Fellowship
The MS physician fellowship provides two years of training in clinical care, research, and education. Fellows spend about 75% of their time on research and education. They spend the other 25% doing clinical care. Experienced mentors guide the fellows throughout the program.
Doctors must meet these requirements to join the fellowship:
- Graduate from an accredited medical residency program
- Have board certification or board eligibility in fields like neurology, internal medicine, physical medicine and rehabilitation, or spinal cord medicine
- Hold an active and unrestricted U.S. medical license
- Show a desire to be a health care leader in MS clinical care, research, and education
- Have U.S. citizenship
Doctors interested in the fellowship should contact the VA MS Center of Excellence (MSCoE) site they prefer. They should provide a resume and statement of interest. The official application and recruitment for adult MS fellowships in the U.S. is done through SFMatch. To learn about our current and past fellows, visit the MSCoE Fellows webpage.
Baltimore, MD
Fellowship Director: Daniel Harrison, MD
VA Facility: Baltimore VAMC
University Affiliate: University of Maryland
Research Focus: Clinical trials of disease modifying agents, neuroimaging, symptomatic therapies and rehabilitation, and laboratory research on neuroimmunology and neuroprotection.
Portland, OR
Fellowship Directors: Vijayshree Yadav, MD, MCR, FANA, FAAN and Elizabeth Silbermann, MD
Fellowship Coordinator: Jaimie Henry, MPA
VA Facility: Portland VAMC
University Affiliate: Oregon Health and Science University
Research Focus: MS wellness, rehabilitation and symptomatic therapies, and progressive MS.
Portland Fellowship Overview
Seattle Collaborative Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Rehabilitation Research
The National MS Society funds the Seattle Collaborative Fellowship, which is a mentor-based post-doctoral program in MS rehabilitation research. The fellowship is based on a partnership between the VA MS Center of Excellence (MSCoE) West and the University of Washington's Department of Rehabilitation Medicine. The primary goal of the fellowship is to recruit new investigators and provide them with knowledge and skills. These skills enable fellows to serve as successful independent researchers in MS rehabilitation research.
Fellows are enrolled for a period of 1 to 3 years depending on their experience and interests. The fellowship is highly flexible and trainee-based, with training tailored to each person's individual needs. Fellows may provide clinical care up to 1 day per week in multiple settings. The specific settings depend on their training goals and could include the University of Washington Medicine MS Center or VA Puget Sound HCS.
Seattle, WA
Fellowship Director: Aaron Turner, PhD, ABPP (RP)
VA Facility: VA Puget Sound HCS
University Affiliate: University of Washington
