Position Specifics
The Department of Neurology at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine (UK HealthCare) is seeking a board certified/eligible vascular neurologist with established research interests to join the acclaimed UK Stroke Program. The Vascular Neurology position presents a unique opportunity for research-oriented candidates at one of the fastest growing academic medical centers in the country. To accommodate this substantial growth UK HealthCare invested $532 million for a 1.2 million sq.ft. expansion of the UK Albert B. Chandler Hospital, effectively doubling hospital bed count to more than 700. The UK Chandler Hospital is the only level 1 trauma center and tertiary referral center within the region. Contained within the UK Chandler Hospital is the Joint Commission (JC) certified Comprehensive Stroke Center that includes a dedicated 20-bed unit. The UK Comprehensive Stroke Center averages 1,200 stroke discharges per year. Those outside the Lexington area have access to the UK Stroke Care Network, a program that gives more than 30 affiliated hospitals the ability to provide better emergent care with direct consult-access to UK attending stroke neurologists. The UK Stroke Care Network represents a substantial growth opportunity for the stroke program as it is continues to expand and add additional facilities across the region.

UK HealthCare welcomed Dr. Larry B. Goldstein as new Chairman of the Department of Neurology on June 1, 2015. Dr. Goldstein, an internationally-renowned vascular neurologist with 650+ publications, joins UK after serving as Director of the Duke University Comprehensive Stroke Center and Chief of Duke’s Division of Stroke and Vascular Neurology. Dr. Goldstein plans to use the UK Stroke Program’s already robust research status as one of 22 members of the NIH Neurological Emergency Treatment Trials Network (NETT) as a springboard to even more prestigious research efforts. On the academic side, an ACGME-accredited Vascular Neurology fellowship program allows UK stroke neurologists to hone their teaching skills while also cultivating the next generation of stroke physicians. Academically-oriented candidates with research interests will mesh perfectly with UK’s vision of moving towards a highly-developed integrated clinical/translational stroke center.

The quest to continue academic excellence and remain on the cutting edge of research is an institutional commitment at UK. The appointment of a new Dean, Dr. Robert DiPaola, underscores this point. Dr. DiPaola is an accomplished translational researcher who most recently served as the leader of the Rutgers National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, where he increased external research funding to more than $100 million annually. Dr. DiPaola will take over as Dean of the UK College of Medicine in the spring of 2016. More specific to the Department of Neurology, Dr. Goldstein recently announced the appointment of Frank Gilliam, MD, MPH, as the Director of the new EpiCenter; this new venture will link clinical epilepsy efforts with translational and clinical research. Similar goals are in place for the stroke program as part of UK's vision to both provide top clinical care while also furthering scientific discovery.

Stroke and Cerebrovascular Disorders Program
Overview
The UK Stroke Program provides comprehensive patient care to a population of roughly 2 million across a 25,000 square mile region located in “Stroke Belt,” an area of the country with a particularly high stroke-related mortality rate. Inpatient care is provided through UK’s Joint Commission certified Comprehensive Stroke Center. The center’s 60-minute “door-to-needle” approach is aimed at maximizing the potential benefit of treatment with intravenous tPA. Acute neurointerventional therapy is available 24/7. After inpatient care, patients are referred to the Cardinal Hill Rehabilitation Hospital for neurological rehabilitation therapy as appropriate.

A truly unique aspect of the stroke program is the UK Stroke Care Network, which strives to provide care to those patients unable to reach timely care at the UK Comprehensive Stroke Center. UK stroke program physicians have instructed providers at affiliated Stroke Care Network facilities in administering intravenous tPA and other vital care so treatment can be initiated and provided as rapidly as possible; a large number of the stroke cases seen at the UK Comprehensive Stroke Center are first evaluated at other facilities. Additionally, the UK Stroke Care Network has screened upwards of 15,000 people for stroke risk and educated children on stroke prevention through its Stroke Community Outreach Prevention and Education Program (SCOPE).

Clinical
The UK Stroke Program strives to provide the highest quality care. Noteworthy aspects of the UK Stroke Program include:

• An average of 1,200 stroke discharges per year makes UK the busiest inpatient stroke service in Kentucky, and one of the busiest in the country
• First program in the region to utilize the endovascular Merci Retrieval System
• 60-minute “door-to-needle” objective
• Stroke patients taken directly to CT/CTA scanner for immediate evaluation by neurologists and administration of intravenous tPA
• Immediately available acute endovascular therapy for appropriate patient
• 30,000+ patients per year treated on an outpatient basis at Kentucky Neuroscience Institute Clinics, approximately 50% are stroke related and thus assigned to the Stroke Program

Comprehensive Stroke Center

The UK Comprehensive Stroke Center includes a dedicated 20-bed stroke unit located within the recently remodeled UK Albert B. Chandler Hospital, which is consistently recognized by the American Heart and Stroke Association’s Get with the Guidelines Gold Plus Award. Patient rooms measure approximately 300 square feet, allowing ample space for the patient, caregiver and family with sufficient equipment to support for in-room charting, large inter-disciplinary care and bed-side teaching.

Patients are also evaluated to determine the most appropriate program of neurological rehabilitation to help them achieve the highest level of function and independence possible, while improving their overall quality of life. Patients requiring inpatient can receive these services at the Cardinal Hill Rehabilitation Hospital, which also offers outpatient therapy, a home care program and adult day health services. The Cardinal Hill Rehabilitation Hospital is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF).

Stroke Care Network
The UK Stroke Program supports Kentuckians by adhering to a strict ‘no-divert’ policy for suspected acute stroke cases. Community hospital based physicians and ambulance drivers are empowered with an automatic referral for any patient with symptoms of an acute stroke.

Research

The University of Kentucky is one of 22 regional hubs of the NIH sponsored Neurological Emergency Treatment Trials Network (NETT), which was developed to conduct large simple trials to reduce the burden of very acute injuries and illnesses affecting the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system. With oversight provided by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), the NETT is intended to provide the infrastructure necessary to begin trials of promising new therapies as quickly as possible.

The UK Stroke Program is also conducting the NIH-sponsored clinical trial entitled ‘Early Detection and Prevention of Mild Cognitive Impairment Due to Cerebrovascular Disease’ (NCT01924312). The study considers that vascular risk factors may account for up to 80% of the memory and thinking problems experienced among the aging US population, by far in excess of that caused by Alzheimer’s disease. The objective is to learn how vascular risk factors cause memory and thinking changes in the elderly, and whether it is possible to prevent memory and thinking changes by reducing these risk factors.

Department of Neurology

UK Neurology boasts some of the leading clinical and research centers in the country for cerebrovascular disease, epilepsy and Alzheimer’s disease, including a Joint Commission certified Comprehensive Stroke Center, a Level 4 NAEC Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, and a NIA-designated Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC) that has become an international referral center and research powerhouse. The Neurology program includes an ACGME-accredited neurology residency program, three neurology fellowships and a post-residency clinical fellowship. The nationally recognized UK Department of Neurology is comprised of a team of 30 neurologists and other providers, dedicated to patient care, research, and education. The UK Neurology program is based at the Kentucky Neuroscience Institute within the UK Chandler Hospital, one of the fast growing academic medical centers in the country. Additionally, UK Neurology has been very successful at creating a vast network of community and affiliate hospitals across a 25,000 square mile radius that includes the UK Stroke Care Network and the Pediatric Outreach Clinic Network for Child Neurology.

New Chairman of Neurology, Dr. Larry Goldstein

Larry Goldstein, MD
Chairman, Department of Neurology
Co-Director, Kentucky Neuroscience Institute
Professor of Neurology

UK HealthCare named Dr. Larry B. Goldstein Chairman of the Department of Neurology as of June 2015; Dr. Goldstein was also named Co-Director of the Kentucky Neuroscience Institute. Dr. Goldstein is a stroke and stroke-related disorders expert, having served as Director of the Comprehensive Stroke Center at Duke University and Chief of the Division of Stroke and Vascular Neurology. An active academician, Dr. Goldstein has published more than 650 peer-reviewed journal articles, editorials, book chapters, abstracts and other professional papers. Dr. Goldstein’s research has spanned stroke-related laboratory-based studies, clinical trials, quality of care and care delivery studies, as well as clinical effectiveness and epidemiological investigations. Under Dr. Goldstein’s leadership, the department has mapped out a number of exciting expansion opportunities, including the strategic recruitment of top tier physicians and investigators to continue building the clinical enterprise, clinical research initiatives, as well as translational and basic science discovery.

Clinical
The Department of Neurology offers the following list of treatments and programs to its broad patient base:

• Botulinum Treatment
• Pediatric Neurology
• Epilepsy Program
• General Neurology
• Headache & Pain Clinic
• Memory & Aging Program
• Movement Disorders
• Neurology Research Program
• Neuroinfectious Disease
• Neurotoxicology Program
• Neurogenetics
• Neuromuscular
• Neuropsychology
• Stroke Program
• Neuro-Ophthalmology
• Sclerosis Program
• Neuro-Oncology
• Neurorehabiliation

Epilepsy Program

The UK Neurology Department boasts a Level IV Epilepsy Center as recognized by the NAEC. The adult Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU) is a dedicated 6-bed unit in the Chandler Medical Center with the latest diagnostic monitoring equipment to accurately diagnose the causes of epileptic seizures allowing the physicians to create a more accurate treatment plan. A dedicated 3-bed pediatric EMU exists within the Kentucky Children’s Hospital and provides the same high-quality care as its adult counterpart.

Headache and Pain Clinic
Another excellent program within the Neurology Department is the Headache and Pain Clinic. The Headache and Pain Clinic is the only comprehensive headache clinic accredited by UCNS in the state. From an academic standpoint, this prestigious clinic is one of only 20 in the country that provides advanced training in Headache Medicine to eligible physicians.

Research
There are approximately 20 clinical trials running concurrently in addition to faculty members with wet labs for basic/translational science research, and 3 PhD-level Neuropsychologists. 

The Sanders-Brown Center on Aging houses the National Institute on Aging-funded University of Kentucky Alzheimer’s Disease Center (UK-ADC). The UK-ADC has created a vigorous program in the clinical, neuropathological, educational, and research aspects of Alzheimer’s disease, which serves as a critical resource for the university, community, state, and nation.

Residency/Fellowship
The UK Neurology Department offers LCME accredited educational programs for third and fourth year medical students, ACGME accredited residency programs in adult and pediatric neurology, and post-residency clinical fellowships. Also offered are 4-week clinical observer positions to candidates (US and international) who are interested in learning the practice of neurology at the UK medical facilities.
Fellowship opportunities are available in the following fields:

• Headache Medicine
• Movement Disorders
• Vascular Neurology
• Additionally, a postdoctoral residency in Clinical Neurophysiology is offered

Awards

The University of Kentucky has more than 100 physicians affiliated with UK Albert B. Chandler Hospital, Kentucky Children’s Hospital and UK HealthCare Good Samaritan Hospital that appear on the Best Doctors in America® list for 2014 – more than any other hospital in Kentucky. Only 5 percent of doctors in America earn this prestigious honor, decided by impartial peer review.

Kentucky Neuroscience Institute
The UK HealthCare System has identified 4 service lines as strategic pillars of growth: cardiology, surgery, neuroscience and cancer. The UK HealthCare neuroscience service line is effectively integrated within The Kentucky Neuroscience Institute (KNI) and includes the full spectrum of adult and pediatric neurology, neurosurgery physicians, and associated researchers into a seamless health care delivery model for neurologic care. The KNI also serves as a regional referral center.

The UK adult and pediatric neuroscience programs are vital to the citizens of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, who remain medically underserved with respect to neurological care. According to the Kentucky Institute of Medicine’s Comprehensive Statewide Physician Workforce Study – 2007, Kentucky had 150 neurologists, resulting in an average of 3.57 neurologists per 100,000 population compare to the national average of 4.4 per 100,000.

From a research standpoint, the KNI supports ongoing clinical trials as well as a number of basic science and translational research initiatives. Research funding for the Kentucky Neuroscience Institute totaled nearly $5 million in 2014.

University of Kentucky College of Medicine
The University of Kentucky College of Medicine was founded as a public program in 1956 and is accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME). The Kentucky Medical Curriculum, a national model, relates scientific principles and concepts to the prevention of disease and to the delivery of modern, compassionate medical care. Because students with diverse backgrounds and interests pursue a variety of medical careers, the curriculum provides the knowledge and skills essential for further professional development. Admission to the UK College of Medicine continues to be competitive with more than 2,500 applicants from across the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the nation applying annually for 136 positions in each class. 

Leadership

Robert DiPaola M.D., Dean of the College of Medicine

• Dr. DiPaola previously served as leader of the Rutgers National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, where he increased extrernal research funding to more than $100 million annually
• He will oversee the entire medical school come Spring 2016, which includes the education of future physicians and scientists, all clinical and basic science research, and the clinical services provided by UK physicians. 

 David J. Moliterno, M.D., Vice Dean for Clinical Affairs

• Dr. Moliterno oversees all matters related to the clinical services offered by the College of Medicine’s faculty. Dr. Moliterno also serves as Chair of Internal Medicine.

Alan Daugherty, Ph.D., D.Sc., Senior Associate Dean for Research, and James W. Geddes, Ph.D. Associate Dean for Research

• Drs. Daugherty and Geddes oversee the CoM Office of Research that provides a complete range of services for stimulating research in a compliant environment.

Charles H. Griffith, III, M.D., Senior Associate Dean for Medical Education

• Dr. Griffith oversees all aspects of the Office of Medical Education, including medical student admissions, student affairs, curriculum, student evaluation and program assessment; Graduate Medical Education; the Clinical Skills Training and Assessment Center; and the combined degree programs: M.D./Ph.D., B.S./M.D., M.D./MBA, M.D./MPH.

Research
The productivity of the College’s faculty has led to impressive gains in research funding. Grants and contracts in the College of Medicine reached $134.8 million in fiscal year 2010, including in excess of $88 million in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding. Coupled with the UK Center for Clinical and Translational Science’s recent Clinical and Translational Science Award from the NIH, UK is part of a select national biomedical research consortium and is on the way to becoming a top 20 research institution. Noteworthy facts about UK’s research infrastructure and statistics include:

• Grants and contracts in the College of Medicine reached $98.9 million in fiscal year 2013, (July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2013) including in excess of $50 million in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding.
• In federal fiscal year 2012, (October 1, 2011 to September 30, 2012) UK received 58 percent of the NIH research funding granted to Kentucky medical schools.
• The College of Medicine accounts for more than 49.79 percent of UK’s grants and contracts.
• Currently, the college has more than 245,000 net square feet of research space.
• In 2011 the NIH awarded UK’s Center for Clinical and Translational Science $20 million to move research discoveries to health care solutions more quickly. Awarded through the NIH’s institutional Clinical and Translational Science Awards, this designation makes UK’s Center for Clinical and Translational Science a part of a select national biomedical research consortium.
• The UK College of Medicine also encompasses two core research entities: the Small Molecule Mass Spectrometry Laboratory directed by Andrew Morris, PhD, and the Medical Imaging Technologies and Resources for Human Research, directed by Peter Hardy, PhD.

Since 2003, UK HealthCare has grown from an academic medical center (AMC) at the 25th percentile, in terms of patient volume compared to AMCs nationwide, to a center above the 75th percentile. This growth has placed UK HealthCare at the top of the fastest growing AMCs nationwide. Additionally, the acuity of patients seeking our care has also risen and UK HealthCare’s case mix index – an indicator of the severity and complexity of the patients we treat – now also rivals the nation’s top medical centers.

Oversight for UK HealthCare’s activities is provided by the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees, with particular responsibility placed on members of the board’s University Health Care Committee. The university’s executive vice president for health affairs (EVPHA), Michael Karpf, MD, reports to university President Eli Capilouto. The EVPHA has executive responsibility for UK’s clinical facilities and services, as well as the UK College of Medicine. It is worth noting that the University of Kentucky owns all of the hospitals within the UK HealthCare system.

UK HealthCare offers 80+ specialized clinics, 143 outreach programs and a team of 9,000 physicians, nurses, pharmacists and health care workers dedicated to patient health; the UK physician faculty represents the state’s largest multidisciplinary group practice. The unique capabilities of this multispecialty group practice enable care providers of UK HealthCare to collaborate in multidisciplinary teams for patient care. Such teams are useful for managing complex medical and surgical cases.

Hospitals
UK Albert B. Chandler Hospital

UK HealthCare opened the new 1.2 million-square-foot pavilion at the UK Albert B. Chandler Hospital in May 2011. Two patient floors with a total of 128 beds (48 intensive care and 80 acute care beds in all private rooms) were the first to open: Floor 6 for neuroscience services; Floor 7 for trauma and acute care surgery patients. The new Pavilion A incorporates the best that medicine has to offer with art, music and landscaping reflective of the spirit of Kentucky. The facility is expected to be completed in phases over the next six to ten years, eventually replacing the original UK Chandler Hospital. The new pavilion also includes:

• The new UK Chandler Emergency Department, home to the only Level 1 trauma center serving Central and Eastern Kentucky
• The Makenna David Pediatric Emergency Center

Kentucky Children’s Hospital
The Kentucky Children’s Hospital (KCH) is the only facility in Central and Eastern Kentucky dedicated to the expert medical and surgical care of infants, children, and adolescents. KCH admits approximately 5,000 patients per year and is integrated in a child friendly manner within the Albert B. Chandler Hospital. Features of the Kentucky Children’s Hospital include:

With 302 beds, more than 600 clinical and ancillary staff, and a medical staff of more than 600 physicians, UK Good Samaritan is able to offer a broad range of health care services to meet the needs of the residents of central and eastern Kentucky. The hospital also offers:

• All single-occupancy rooms, ensuring each patient privacy and individual attention
• The second-largest orthopedic and joint replacement program in Kentucky
• A state-of-the-art diagnostic center provides walk-in appointments for MRI and X-ray
• A 50,000-square-foot medical office building is conveniently connected to the hospital by a pedway and is home to specialty physicians including orthopedics, internal medicine and plastic surgery.

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