Otoneurology Fellowship (for clinicians)

Dr. Hain	Dr. Cherchi

Timothy C. Hain, MD. Page last modified: December 16, 2011

A one year fellowship is is primarily supervised by Dr. Timothy C. Hain and Dr. Marcello Cherchi, Ph.D, M.D. It is located at Chicago Dizziness and Hearing -- this is a very busy practice in which many patients (about 24 new patients per week) are seen with dizziness or hearing disorders. Very frequent diagnoses are Migraine, Meniere's disease, BPPV, and vestibular neuritis.  Patients are drawn from the Chicago metropolitan area as well as frequently, from adjacent states.

Chicago Dizziness and Hearing also performs and interprets ENG testing, Rotatory chair testing, VEMP testing, all types of hearing testing (audiometry, evoked potentials, OAE), tilt table tests, and many subspecialized research tests. 

Fellows should fit this general mold:

Ideal fellowship candidates will have completed a residency in either Neurology or Otolaryngology, and have a strong computer, engineering or mathematics background. They should be interested in performing research related to physical therapy, otolaryngology or neurology.   They should intend to have a career as an "otoneurologist".

Funding for the fellowship:

Funding for the fellowship depends on the fellow's status.  For 1-year clinical fellows, licensed to practice medicine in the United States,  Chicago Dizziness and Hearing will provide them with a research stipend set to the level appropriate to their PGY level.

For individuals who elect a shorter exposure than a year, or are a foreign medical graduate, fellowship funding should be either self-funded, arranged by the home institution of the fellow, or funded by a grant.  For accepted fellows, Chicago Dizziness and Hearing will arrange for the appropriate visa with Northwestern's international office.

Previous research fellows include:

• Tanya Ramaswamy, M.D.  (Neurology, USA)
• Richard Hoistad, M.D. (Otolaryngology, USA)
• Janet Helminski, PT, Ph.D.  (Physical Therapy, USA)
• Martin Simoneau, Ph.D  (Neurophysiology, Canada)
• Hyun Yoo, M.D.  (Medicine, Argentina)
• Senih Gurses, Ph.D., M.D. (Neurophysiology, Turkey)
• Wafaa ElKholi, Ph.D.  (Audiology, Egypt)
• Debra Shirley, PT, Ph.D (Physical therapy, Australia)

Clinical fellows have included:

• Insoo Moon, M.D.  (Neurology, Korea)
• Dario Yacovino, M.D.  (Neurology, Argentina)
• Semil Mutlu, M.D. (Otolaryngology, Turkey)
• Marcello Cherchi, M.D., Ph.D. (Neurology, USA)
• Rubio, Ignacio, M.D. (Neurology resident, Neurology)
• Ozlem Konukseven, M.D. (Otolaryngology, Turkey)
• Vincent Seet, M.D. (Neurology, Australia)

There are also many clinicians who have visited us for a few weeks, largely from overseas.

Our goals for fellows are:

• Learn clinical evaluation of vestibular patients. (four days per week clinical patients in the clinic, one day/week for research project)
• Complete a clinical research project relevant to neuro-otology.
• Complete one paper per year related to clinical research (this might be a review article).
• Learn to interpret ENG and other vestibular tests (fellows read all tests of the audiology-vestibular laboratory)

Suggested reading:

1. Pender. Practical Otology. Lippincott
2. Baloh and Honrubia. Clinical Neurophysiology of the Vestibular System (F.A. Davis)
3. Leigh and Zee. The Neurology of Eye movements, 3rd edition (F. A. Davis).
4. Jacobson. Handbook of Vestibular testing. (Singular Press).

Please direct fellowship inquiries to:

Timothy C. Hain, MD
Professor of Otolaryngology and Physical therapy,
645 N. Michigan, Suite 410
Chicago Il 60611

Fax: 312-274-0198 and 312-376-8707; email: t-hain@northwestern.edu