The Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) Fellowship at UAB provides an opportunity for pediatric and adult neurologists with an interest in TSC clinical research and patient care to develop specialized neurologic expertise.
Fellows will have an opportunity to manage the care of TSC patients across the age range (birth to adulthood), and tailor their fellowship based on their career plans under the mentorship of Dr. Martina Bebin. There will also be opportunities to develop clinical research projects with the goal of presenting their work at a national meeting and publishing the results.
The UAB TSC Clinic is one of 10 TSC Clinics, which has the Center of Excellence designation. The UAB clinic follows more than 600 TSC patients in Alabama and across the Southeast and takes a multidisciplinary approach and sees patients across the lifespan, often across multiple generations. One of the goals of the fellowship is to provide training in both pediatric and adult TSC medical care based on the published U.S. best clinical practice TSC consensus guidelines.
The UAB TSC Clinic is in the Department of Neurology, Epilepsy Division, and was established in 2007 under the direction of Dr. Bebin and Dr. Korf. Dr. Bebin was a founding member of the TSC Clinical Research Consortium and has served as PI of several NIH and FDA-funded clinical research grants, along with multicentered clinical trials.
Another important goal of the UAB fellowship is to expand the TSC provider community with physicians who are specialists in the diagnosis and management of TSC and have a keen interest in pursuing clinical research. Only through training the next generation of physicians will we will improve access to care for patients in Alabama and the Southeast United States.
Clinical Care
The central component of the TSC Fellowship is developing the skill set to evaluate and develop the medical treatment plan for all TSC patients. Time will be spent seeing the adult patients at the UAB’s Kirklin Clinic and pediatric patients at the Children’s Hospital of Alabama on a weekly basis.
Fellows will be under the supervision of Dr. Bebin with the goal of having an in-depth understanding of the best practice TSC guidelines and developing a plan of care for all TSC patients. Given that TSC is a multiorgan system disease, fellows have the opportunity to rotate with the other subspecialists in nephrology, pulmonary, psychology and genetics.
Goals and competencies:
At the completion of the fellowship, the fellow will show the following:
1. Ability to diagnose TSC based on clinical and genetic grounds according to the most recent TSC Consensus Guidelines.
2. Mastery of the appropriate screening frequency of TSC disease manifestations as determined by the most recent TSC Consensus Guidelines.
3. Proficiency in managing TSC complications, including intractable seizures, behavioral issues, enlarging subependymal giant cell astrocytomas, and angiomyolipomas.
4. Identify pediatric and adult patients who should be referred for phase I epilepsy surgery workup.
5. The fellow will have an opportunity to work closely with the epileptologist and participate in the analysis of the EEG monitoring and invasive EEG recordings with the goal of understanding the rationale for the epilepsy surgery plan.
6. Understanding of the indications and risks of TSC-directed therapy with mTOR inhibitors.
7. Competency in interaction with and management of multidisciplinary teams.
8. There is also an opportunity for fellows to work with psychology and neurodevelopmental psychologists to gain a greater understanding of the presentation and management of TAND-related issues.
UAB offers a full range of state-of-the-art facilities and equipment for diagnostic studies including 3T MRI, MEG, SPECT, PET, and state-of-the-0art EEG analysis software for invasive monitoring.
Research
The UAB TSC Clinic has an active clinical research program with the majority of projects funded through NIH NINDS grants. The clinical research program is led by Martina Bebin M.D., MPA, and includes a research nurse coordinator and a group of faculty across the UAB campus who are collaborators in our research efforts. Dr. Bebin was one of five founding members of the TSC Clinical Research Consortium, which has a strong history of collaborative projects over the past 12 years.
UAB has been the leader in research to identify the EEG biomarker for infants at risk to develop epilepsy and lead the first NIH-funded epilepsy prevention trial (PREVeNT Trial) in infants with TSC. We are also involved in clinical trials evaluating new medications and therapies to treat multiple aspects of TSC, including epilepsy and behavior. In addition to the TSC Alliance, natural history database, tissue biorepository, and translational research studies, which aim to better understand the manifestations of TSC that occur throughout the lifespan of individuals with this diagnosis.
Other Educational Activities
Fellows should attend the weekly neurology grand rounds, pediatric and adult epilepsy surgery conference, and epilepsy noon educational seminars.
Center for Clinical and Translational Science Training Programs
The UAB Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS) offers a variety of courses and workshops designed to educate clinician-scientists in the conduct of clinical and translational workshops. For example, the Clinical and Translational Science Training Program is a 6-month course in which trainees complete modules on clinical trials, epidemiology, biostatistics, ethics, and grant writing, among other topics.
UAB TSC Clinic Regional Symposiums and TSC Alliance Research Conference
The UAB TSC Clinic hosts a Regional TSC Conference every two years and participates in other Regional TSC Conference around the South and Southeast annually. Fellows are also encouraged to develop a research project with the goals to attend and present their results at the TSC Alliance National or International Conference.
Additional Opportunities
Fellows may also elect to complete coursework on campus, which augments their clinical and research endeavors. For example, Fellows may find semester-long courses on Biostatistics or Epidemiology, offered through the School of Public Health, to be of benefit.
To Apply
Our application cycle for the years 2023-24 and 2024-2025 is open to both US and International applicants.
Qualifications of Applicants
The successful applicant will have completed a neurology (pediatric or adult) residency in good standing before starting the TSC fellowship. They should have an interest in pursuing an academic career with an emphasis on tuberous sclerosis complex, genetic diseases of the nervous system, and/or research related to neurocutaneous disorders. The applicant will need to be able to obtain an Alabama State Medical License.
Duration of Training
The TSC fellowship will be for one year. Consideration with the division director, fellowship program director, and primary research mentor may be made to discuss an optional 2nd year focused on research dependent on funding. For fellows in a research year, they will continue to participate in the TSC clinics on Tuesdays.
Applicants should prepare a packet of materials and forward them to the Fellowship Director, Dr. Martina Bebin (ebebin@uabmc.edu) including the following:
- Cover Letter (CV)
- A personal statement that includes:
- Reasons for application
- Career plans
- How the fellowship will promote your career
- Letters of recommendation from three faculty references familiar with your professional abilities. One letter should be from your program’s Neurology Program Director or Department Chair.
Contact Info
For more information, please contact
Martina Bebin, M.D., MPA
Fellowship Director