Child Neurology Residency Program

*photos not showing social distancing or mask-wearing were taken before the COVID-19 pandemic

Welcome and thank you for your interest in the UAB Child Neurology residency program! Their ACGME-accredited, five-year categorical program is designed to educate and empower trainees to be well-trained, patient-centered child neurologists. Training is based on supervised clinical work with increasing responsibility for outpatients and inpatients over time. Applications for the Child Neurology residency program are accepted through ERAS only. Applicants do NOT need to separately apply to the UAB Pediatric Residency Program for the Child Neurology positions.

Our program offers two categorical resident positions each year. Almost all residents complete two years of training in pediatrics prior to the initiation of training in child neurology. Their graduates are eligible to sit for the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology as well as the American Board of Pediatrics board examinations.

After completing two years of training in general pediatrics at UAB/Children’s of Alabama, their trainees complete adult neurology training and child neurology training where they focus on the evaluation and management of patients with a wide array of neuropathology at University Hospital, the Birmingham VA Medical Center, Kirklin Clinic, and Children’s of Alabama. All locations are within a short walk of each other!During the PGY-3 year, their trainees complete 9 months of adult neurology training and have 3 months of child neurology training. The PGY-3 trainees also begin taking care of patients in their weekly pediatric neurology continuity clinic. In the PGY-4 year, their trainees complete 12 months of child neurology training in the outpatient, inpatient, and elective settings as they learn from patients and their families. During the PGY-5 year, trainees spend one month on their child neurology inpatient consult service “pre-tending,” 3 months in adult neurology (completing neuropathology, outpatient clinics, and a desired elective), and they have the opportunity to design the other 8 months of that year in a way that best suit their interests and future endeavors. They offer a variety of outpatient clinic opportunities, electives, research/QI activities, and they encourage their PGY-5s to focus on how to best prepare for board certification and a career after graduation from their program.

During the PGY-3, PGY-4, and PGY-5 years, trainees attend a variety of educational conferences hosted by both the UAB Division of Pediatric Neurology and the UAB Department of Neurology. They also attend weekly Grand Rounds at Children’s of Alabama and UAB Department of Neurology Grand Rounds.

Lastly, their diverse faculty of child neurologists enjoy teaching motivated, well-rounded trainees. They believe in the power of mentorship and lifelong learning. They are a close-knit group of child neurologists who enjoy Birmingham as it is a thriving, affordable city for individuals with a variety of interests outside of work! They want all of their trainees and their faculty to balance wellness and the true privilege of working to achieve high patient care and advancements within their exciting field. Thank you again for your time and interest in their program. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have questions about their program.

Sincerely,

Dr. Sarah Novara

Children's of Alabama is the only free-standing pediatric hospital in Alabama. It is one of the 10 busiest hospitals in the nation. With over 16,000 inpatient admissions and over 690,000 outpatient visits annually, you will get plenty of exposure!

The neurology service at Children's of Alabama provides a very well rounded experience. In 2021, the division had around 9,000 outpatient clinic visits and over 4,600 inpatient consults and 3,300 telehealth visits. Child neurology trainees assist in the care of hospital patients as members of their consultation service. They also attend general neurology and neurology sub-specialty clinics with all of the child neurology attendings.

Pediatric neurology call is covered by adult neurology rotating PGY-3s and their PGY3-5s throughout each year. They have a night float system that operates most Monday-Friday evenings with another trainee on home call for Saturday-Monday morning. These weeks of night float or weekend home call are scattered throughout each academic year. There are several in-house pediatric residents on-call every night who provide first-line cross-cover for patients who have been consulted on by neurology. Overall, pediatric neurology PGY-4s and PGY-5s on call provide backup and assistance almost exclusively over the phone to the in-house residents when on home call, and when on night float, they perform telephone consults along with various in-person consults on patients needing to see neurology prior to Emergency Department discharge, those with neurologic emergencies, or those who are being admitted and need a neurology consultation. Their trainees and adult neurology rotating PGY-3s have a backup attending and epileptologist on call with them at all times, and their trainees perform no more than 6 weeks of night float per year.

Pediatric Neurology Faculty

Couple sues hospital after baby is allegedly decapitated during child birth

ATLANTA, Georgia (WANF) — A lawsuit filed on Wednesday in Clayton County court claims health professionals at Southern Regional Medical Center incorrectly delivered a baby, resulting in decapitation — and then tried to cover it up.

“When the womb was open, the feet came out, the body came out, and there was no head,” said Dr. Roderick Edmond, who is representing the Clayton County couple.

The negligence and fraud suit names several defendants, including the hospital, a doctor, several nurses and the medical group at large, a statement from law firm Edmond & Lindsay, LLP said.

According to the complaint, 20-year-old Jessica Ross was giving birth on July 9 when the baby’s shoulders got stuck in the vaginal canal. A doctor allegedly performed a cesarean section too late and applied “excessive tension” on the baby’s head, causing it to detach from the body.

“My clients asked for a C-section much sooner than it was ever delivered while the baby was viable,” Edmond said.

The law firm also said the doctor did not tell the mother and father, Treveon Isaiah Taylor, what had happened. Instead, hospital staff allegedly refused to let them hold the baby after death. They showed the parents the baby wrapped tightly in a blanket with the head propped on top, a statement said. It also says staff pressured the couple to the remains and told them an autopsy wasn’t warranted.

“They did everything in their power to not let the family know what actually happened on that day,” said Cory Lynch, who is also representing Ross and Taylor.

The couple reportedly didn’t learn about the decapitation until four days after delivery.

“This caused immediate, profound emotional and mental anguish for [the plaintiffs]… emotional and mental anguish that they continue to experience and most probably will experience for the rest of their lives,” the complaint says.

The complaint asks for compensatory and punitive damages, in addition to recovering the $10,000 cost of their son’s funeral and burial.

Southern Regional Medical Center said in a statement that it is unable to discuss the treatment of specific patients because of HIPAA laws.

“Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with the family and all those impacted by this tragic event. Their prayers also remain with the dedicated team of physicians, nurses and staff at Southern Regional Medical Center who cared for this patient,” the statement said. “Our commitment is to provide compassionate, quality care to every single patient, and this loss is heartbreaking.”

In an additional statement, a spokesperson for Southern Regional Medical Center denied the allegations in the lawsuit.

“While their heartfelt sympathies go out to the family, Southern Regional Medical Center denies the allegations in the Complaint referencing the hospital. Since this matter is in litigation, they are refrained from providing any additional information,” the statement said. “Dr. St Julian [who is named in the lawsuit] is not an employee of the hospital. The hospital has taken the appropriate steps in response to this unfortunate situation.”

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‘Grossly Negligent’: Georgia Couple Alleges Their Baby Was Decapitated During Birthing and Medical Care Providers Tried to Hide It

A Georgia couple filed a lawsuit alleging their baby’s head was decapitated during the birthing process, but hospital staff did not tell them until the mother was discharged.

Police are investigating the validity of the claim against the Southern Regional Medical Center and others involved.

Attorneys for Jessica Ross and Treveon Isaiah Taylor, Sr. filed a civil claim against Dr. Tracey L. St. Julian, six male and female doctors, Prime Healthcare Services/ Southern Regional Medical Center in metro Atlanta, according to court documents obtained by Atlanta Black Star.

The couple was anxiously expecting their first child and were “devastated to learn that not only did their baby not survive the delivery, but he was also tragically decapitated in the process,” lawyers said via email.

Ross, the 20-year-old mother, was a high-risk pregnancy due to her struggles with Type 2 diabetes. At 4 feet 9 and 200 pounds, her diabetes, according to the lawsuit, was not under control throughout her pregnancy and under strict observation by the maternal-fetal medicine specialists for the high-risk obstetrics team at Atlanta Perinatal Associates.

She went into labor on July 9, and a month later, via a newly announced lawsuit, the couple is asking a Clayton County court to award them damages after a trial by jury.

On the day her son was to be born, her water broke at 10 a.m., and she was rushed to Southern Regional Medical Center but was not fully dilated until 8:40 p.m.

According to the lawsuit, the baby stopped his descent, but Ross still pushed and tried to supply birth naturally for three additional hours.

The complaint states St. Julian stepped in to deliver the boy “using different methods, including applying traction to the baby’s head.”

By 11:49 p.m., the doctor decided to perform a STAT Cesarean section but could not complete it until around 3 a.m. the next morning.

On July 10, the baby’s legs and body were delivered via Cesarean, but his head was delivered vaginally, the claim says.

The parents said they were not immediately told about the decapitation and were not advised after Ross was discharged.

“When Ms. Ross and Mr. Taylor demanded to see and hold their baby, hospital staff told them that they were not allowed to touch or hold their child,” a statement from attorneys for the couple says, “Hospital staff allowed the young couple to only view their dead child. During this viewing, their baby was wrapped tightly in a blanket with his head propped on top of his body in a manner such that those viewing him could not identify that he had been decapitated.”

While the family is filing a civil claim, the Clayton County Police Department has opened an investigation into the death of the baby, whose name was Treveon Isaiah Taylor Jr.

According to a tweet, the hospital didn’t notify the Clayton County Medical Examiner’s office until three days after the baby’s death.

Media Advisory – Active Infant Death Investigation

The Clayton County Police Departement opened an investigation into the death of an infant that occurred on July 9, 2023 and reported to the Clayton County Medical Examiners on July 13, 2023. pic.twitter.com/ybb7xsgXIB

The lawsuit alleges St. Julian demonstrated gross negligence. The doctor’s decisions were made during Ross’ crisis, but the lawsuit claims no consultation with other medical professionals (nurses or doctors) occurred for each step.

The doctor is further accused of recklessly applying excessive force to the baby’s head and neck during delivery. She is also accused of “grossly negligently” applying “excessive traction” to the baby’s head and neck during his delivery. The nurses are also scrutinized for not initiating emergency obstetrical protocols promptly when Ross faced a crisis.

Additionally, the family alleges that both the hospital and its staff committed fraud and intentionally inflicted emotional distress by withholding information about the baby’s “decapitation during the first discussion” of the baby’s death with Ross, Taylor, and their family.

The lawsuit seeks compensation for the potential value of the baby’s life, encompassing potential earnings and happiness. It also aims to redress the agony of the baby’s suffering and death, alongside Ross’ emotional and physical distress.