Letter from the Neurology Chief Residents
Greetings from Rochester, NY! 
Thank you for your interest in applying to the Neurology Residency Program at the University of Rochester (UR). On behalf of our residents, the current chief class is excited to share more about our excellent program!
Our program works to give residents a breadth and depth of exposure to neurology beginning in the very first weeks of the PGY1 year through introduction to our neurology continuity clinics. Even during the internal medicine intern year, our residents have longitudinal exposure to new and follow-up neurology outpatients, as well as floor and consultation experiences. The PGY2 year offers a breadth of exposure to both inpatient and outpatient neurology to facilitate learning and early career discernment, which is carried forward into the PGY3 year, where the addition of further elective time allows for further professional development as clinicians, researchers, educators, and leaders. The PGY4 or “chief” year further facilitates leadership development, encouraging the transition from learner to teacher through formal work as instructors in the “Mind, Brain, and Behavior” neuroscience course, work as junior teaching faculty at Jagellonian University in Krakow, Poland, and through work on a class leadership project intended to continue our program’s trajectory of growth and improvement. The growth of our program from six to eight residents per class year in 2019 has facilitated the expansion of subspecialty and elective experiences and the tailoring of the individual resident experience to clinical and academic interests.
Education is at the center of our program, with the intent of developing our residents as both learners and teachers. We have a rich didactic structure, including morning report case discussion, neuroradiology conference, Grand Rounds, and a protected didactic education series occurring on Wednesday afternoons. Our tradition of education stems from the UR Neurology family’s history of pioneers in neurology education like Dr. Ralph Jozefowicz, affectionately known as “Dr. J,” an internationally recognized ‘program director’ of program directors who over 25 years has mentored residents and faculty alike into clinician-educators. In 2022, Dr. J formally passed the torch on to our beloved Dr. Colleen Tomcik, our prior 3-year assistant program director, and who now serves as our program director with Dr. Chris Tarolli and Dr. Jennifer Marsella as assistant program directors. They continue to facilitate our growth, education, and leadership. Further, Dr. Bob Holloway, the neurology department chair, is invested in the residency and supportive of each resident’s development. He also frequently staffs resident continuity clinics and attends inpatient teams.
In addition to our structured and unstructured didactics, our program allows our residents to develop their passions, goals, and talents in multiple other ways. University of Rochester faculty have an international presence and are leading experts in a wide breadth of sub-specialties. There are robust opportunities for residents to join with faculty engaged in international medicine and research, including programs in Peru, Poland, Spain, and Zambia. Our residents are represented throughout our Department’s initiatives, including the Wellness Task Force, the IDEAS (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Antiracism, and Social Justice) Council, quality improvement products (including those of their own design), and clinical and basic science research, for which our Department consistently ranks among the top 10 in NIH research funding. Our passion for neurology translates to our medical students, about 10% of whom enter neurology annually in programs throughout the country. In addition, the neurology clerkship is consistently ranked as the top clerkship by medical students.
It is just as important to love where you live, and the Flower City is truly an enjoyable and culturally rich place to be. In addition to being an affordable place to live and work, Rochester boasts a variety of summer festivals, including the internationally recognized Lilac and Jazz Festivals; the Eastman School of Music, which has a downstream influence on a wide range of musical pursuits in the city; enough parks to last you through all of residency and beyond; and a wide range of restaurants, breweries, and wineries. Just beyond the outskirts of the city are the Finger Lakes, the Adirondack Mountains, and a bevy of state parks, including Watkins Glen and Letchworth State Park for those interested in outdoor adventures.
We hope we have given you a glimpse into the life and opportunities for residents at the University of Rochester Neurology Residency Program. Please reach out to any of us if you would like to learn more and/or follow us on Instagram at urmc_neurology_residency and X @URMC_Neurology!
Kindly, the UR Neurology chief residents:
dawling Dionisio Santos, MD, PhD
dawling_dionisiosantos@urmc.rochester.edu
April Henry, MD, MPH
april_henry@urmc.rochester.edu
Christopher Higginbotham, MD
christopher_higginbotham@urmc.rochester.edu
Thomas Johnson, MD, PhD
thomas_johnson@urmc.rochester.edu
Jonathan Nutt, MD
jonathan_nutt@urmc.rochester.edu
Stephen Powell, MD
stephen_powell@urmc.rochester.edu
Jennifer Purks, MD
jennifer_purks@urmc.rochester.edu
Elizabeth Stackhouse, MD
elizabeth_stackhouse@urmc.rochester.edu