Welcome to the Neurology Department
at UMass Medical School

The University of Massachusetts Medical School's Neurology department is the largest training, research and clinical neurology facility in central New England. Our Neurology Residency Program is clinically and intellectually at the very center of our department and the training of new neurologists is among our most important and most enjoyable responsibilities. Designed to encompass both the richness of traditional clinical neurology and the excitement of contemporary clinical neuroscience, our goal is to train superb clinical neurologists who are experienced in the principles of neurological disease and are also well-educated clinical neuroscientists informed about the structure, function and molecular physiology of the nervous system.

This is an exciting time in neurology as powerful new technologies in basic neurobiology and the clinical neurosciences have rapidly improved our understanding of neurological illnesses. Prospects have never been better for finding effective new treatments for even the most devastating neurological disorders. While our program centers on a first-rate core clinical experience, our residents and faculty are encouraged to continually advance their training through customized residency programs, specialized fellowships and research opportunities. The laboratories of our skilled faculty explore the exciting and growing fields of neurology as new technologies accelerate our understanding of the central nervous system and the diseases that plague it.

A high level of research is supported by multiple funding resources which drive a variety of programs including helping to unravel the genetic defects that cause familial forms of Lou Gehrig’s disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS), molecular events that trigger non-familial forms of ALS, and drug screening for small molecules that ameliorate this disease. Studies into the genetic basis and approaches to therapy of selected other neuromuscular disorders include a form of limb girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD-2B, also known as Miyoshi myopathy), periodic paralysis, hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy (HSAN1) and a form of adrenoleukodystrophy (Lorenzo’s Oil disease) known as adrenomyeloneuropathy. Ongoing investigations continue into the physiology of the visual cortex and the pathology, genetics and biology of other neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease. Studies of the molecular control of circadian regulation and the genetics of membrane channel function and dysfunction aid in the understanding of channelopathies. Research within the Neurology Department also includes making insights into the pathophysiology of disorders in the central and peripheral autonomic nervous systems, therapeutic approaches to multiple sclerosis, and pathobiology of brain tumors.

Our combined emphasis on research and our training excellence help define the Neurology Department at the University of Massachusetts Medical School as a leader in innovation and treatment throughout New England.