Child Neurology Residency

The mission of Nationwide Children’s Hospital is to provide the highest quality care to all children and their families, regardless of ability to pay. Our premier child neurology residency program advances best outcomes for all children by providing outstanding training. Nationwide Children’s and our Child Neurology Residency align with three common goals:

1. Provide evidence-based, family-centered patient care for all who are in need
2. Inform and educate providers, patients and family members
3. Advance research to improve outcomes for future generations

Our Vision

Our child neurology graduates will advance our field through outstanding service, advocacy, education and research.

The Division of Neurology at Nationwide Children’s fosters:

• An active, dynamic clinical environment
• An inquisitive, motivated and compassionate team, including a large, diverse faculty with many internationally recognized leaders
• Strong collaboration between faculty, fellows residents and staff

Our Culture

Nationwide Children’s has made a commitment to shape our environment to acknowledge, understand and celebrate the diversity of our patients, families, visitors, staff and physicians. Nationwide Children’s acknowledges and celebrates the diversity of the community we serve. The hospital also is committed to provide a workplace where each person is respected and supported. A number of educational sessions for physicians and staff help everyone understand the varied patient population we serve.

We participate in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP). Applicants to this program are to be graduates of an approved United States or Canadian Medical School. Highly qualified foreign medical graduates who possess the appropriate visa and hold ECFMG certification may be considered with preference toward those who have completed one year of training in an accredited program in the United States or Canada.

International Graduates Policy

For consideration in the combined Peds/Neuro five-year program, all physicians who have graduated from medical schools outside of the United States or Canada must demonstrate substantial exposure to the US health care system through rotations, observorships and/or employment. ECFMG accreditation is required.

Our program only sponsors J1 visas. Exceptions to this visa requirement must be approved by the Designated Institutional Official, the Program Director, and the Senior Vice President - Human Resources in advance of the match and/or letter of offer. In addition, all applicants must be eligible to participate in the National Residency Matching Program.

Application

If you're a graduate of an accredited U.S. or Canadian medical school, please submit your application through the Electronic Residency Application System (ERAS). If applying for one of our categorical positions (combined Peds/Neuro five-year program), you do not have to apply separately to pediatrics - we will share your application with pediatrics. You will receive email communication through ERAS from Nicole Napier, our Child Neurology program coordinator, to notify you of your application status. We support the ABPN-approved research pathway (12 months pediatrics, 36 months neurology, 12 months research) for applicants with significant research experience who wish to pursue a research career in academic medicine. If you are interested in this pathway, please indicate so in your application in communication with Nicole Norris. 

Please submit the following through ERAS:

Interview Process

WE WILL BE HOLDING A VIRTUAL 2025 - 2026 INTERVIEW SEASON

After your application has been reviewed in ERAS, you will receive an email through ERAS from Nicole Napier indicating the status of your application. If invited for an interview, specific instructions will be included on how to arrange your interview. Please contact Nicole Napier at Nicole.Napier@NationwideChildrens.org with any questions related to the combined program interview experience.

When to Interview

Interview season runs from mid-November through mid-January. Specific dates will be included in the email invitation when invited. Interviews for categorical Child Neurology positions are conducted over one day. There will be an optional night before gathering with our current Child Neurology residents. Attached is an example of how the neurology interview day will be organized.

Scheduling Tips/Information

• The maximum number of interviews scheduled each day for Child Neurology is eight.
• All applicants will interview with residency program leaders, division of neurology leaders and additional faculty, generally with 4 one on one interviews and 1-2 small group discussions during the interview day. Additionally, there will be a hospital tour and discussion about life in Columbus with current residents.
• If there are additional specific faculty members you would like to meet with, please let us know. We will attempt to accommodate such requests.
• If you are applying for the ABPN-approved research pathway please notify Nicole Norris when scheduling your interview.
• December is usually the busiest month for interviewing.
• Please submit your application through ERAS as soon as possible to allow plenty of time for us to review your file and schedule your interview. If you need to cancel an interview, please do so as early as possible to allow another applicant to interview.

Nationwide Children's Hospital takes pride in the wonderful collegiate relationships among its program directors, residents and graduates.

• Meet Our Current Residents and Fellows
• View Neurology Program Alumni
• Meet Our Residency Faculty

Meet Our Leadership

Learn benefits information for residents in their first two years of residency

Housestaff Salary Schedule (2025-2026)

• PGY 1 – $67,795.91
• PGY 2 – $70,523.65
• PGY 3 – $72,546.96
• PGY 4 – $74,464.85
• PGY 5 - $77,416.25

For benefits information for those in their third year of residency, please email Nicole Napier for details.

Nationwide Children's Hospital ranked 6th in the specialty ranking of Neurology & Neurosurgery in this year's U.S. News & World Report’s Best Children’s Hospitals Rankings report.

The combined neurology-neurosurgery inpatient unit has 30 beds. Members of the Division of Child Neurology at Nationwide Children's Hospital evaluate more than 17,000 patients in our clinics annually. In addition, we completed more than 1,000 discharges annually.

• Learn more about Neurology at Nationwide Children’s Hospital
• Read about our latest Neurology research and innovations

This is a track that residents can apply to in addition to the Child Neurology Residency.

The pathway consists of 12 contiguous months of pediatrics internship, 12 contiguous months of mentored research1 and 36 months of child neurology residency, which can include 3-6 additional months of research elective. The timing of the 12-month research experience can be individualized. Interested residents must have substantial research experience.

Goals of the Program

• Attract talented young physician-scientists to a career in academic child neurology
• Develop child neurologists who are well prepared to embark on career paths as a physician-scientists
• Ensure that trainees are prepared for the independent practice of clinical child neurology
• Position trainees for additional training in child neurology and/or research, depending upon their career goals

Through participation in this program, residents will be able to:

• Demonstrate fundamental knowledge of research design, biostatistics, and epidemiology
• Devise a well-designed research project, including literature review, hypothesis, specific aims, study design, and methods
• Successfully implement a research protocol, including data management and analysis
• Effectively disseminate their research through both oral presentation and written manuscript

What to Expect: Program Didactics & Assessments

• Research seminar series
• Annual retreats with didactics and workshops devoted to research design and analysis
• Research small group meetings
• Additional events devoted to career development
• Experiential learning through design and completion of a research project
• Multiple choice assessment of research-related skills upon entry and completion of program
• Presentation of research to residents and faculty and at a national meeting
• Manuscript submission prior to graduation
• Milestone evaluations of clinical skills in pediatrics and neurology as is standard during residency
• In-service exam of clinical knowledge base in pediatrics and neurology

How to Get Involved

To assure high quality training experience, the number of positions is limited. First year residents may enter the program via the Nationwide Children's Hospital Child Neurology Basic Neuroscience Research Pathway in the NRMP Match, which is a Match parallel to the categorical child neurology match.

After The Match, participation is contingent upon:

1. American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) approval of the resident’s proposed research project and associated curriculum
2. Successful progression through clinical training.

Residents who do not receive ABPN approval must complete traditional ABPN requirements (24 months pediatrics, 36 months child neurology). 

Download Our Program Fact Sheet

Email the Child Neurology Program Director, Margie Ream, MD, PhD, with questions or for more information.

• 2024-2025 Child Neurology Residency at Nationwide Children's
• Nationwide Children's Pediatric Residency – What to Expect as a Child Neurology Resident
• Program Partnership with The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center

Margie Ream, MD, PhD
Program Director

Dara Albert, MD, MEd
Associate Program Director

Sean Rose, MD
Associate Program Director

Nicole Napier
Program Coordinator
Nicole.Napier@NationwideChildrens.org