The Mission of the Department of Neurology is to provide state-of-the-art care for patients with neurologic disease while instructing students and residents in the science and art of Neurology, and to advance the field through clinical and basic neuroscience research. The Department of Neurology became an independent department in 1999, after several years as a division in the Department of Medicine.
Dr. Gretchen Tietjen, professor and chair of the department, has recruited a dynamic faculty with broad subspecialty expertise in movement disorders, neuromuscular disorders, epilepsy, and multiple sclerosis, complimenting existing strengths in stroke, cerebrovascular diseases, and headache. The Department of Neurology is focused on building clinical programs worthy of regional and national recognition while strengthening externally-funded basic and clinical research efforts.
The education of residents and medical students is a high priority to which faculty devote a significant amount of time and effort. The Neurology residency program, established in 1997, graduated its first class of residents in 2000, and has placed residents into prestigious academic fellowship programs. Fourth year medical students at UT spend two weeks in the outpatient clinic setting and two weeks on the inpatient ward and consult services, evaluating patients with a wide variety of neurologic diseases.
Dr. Tietjen,
Dr. Noor Pirzada and
Dr. Elmer have all been recipients of the Dean’s Award for Teaching Excellence, and Dr. Pirzada has received numerous Golden Apple awards (a student-awarded teaching prize), as well as national awards. In addition,
Dr. Lawrence Elmer has received the “Humanism in Medicine” award based on an outstanding commitment to teaching and compassionate care, as well as the student-awarded Golden Apple.
