Neurology Residency - How to Apply

Apply to Tufts Medical Center neurology residency: Deadlines, requirements + FAQs

We participate in ERAS and the National Resident Matching Program. Applicants should submit all required materials through ERAS by the program's current deadline.

Application materials

  • ERAS application form
  • Curriculum vitae, including honors, publications and presentations
  • Medical School Performance Evaluation or Dean's letter
  • Official medical school transcript
  • USMLE and/or COMLEX transcript, according to current program policy
  • Three to four letters of recommendation. A chair's letter is not required. A letter from your program director or a department chair is useful to us when you have one — but applications without one are not at a disadvantage, so choose the writers who know your clinical work best.
  • Personal statement
  • Photograph, if ERAS permits and current institutional policy allows
  • ECFMG certificate for international medical graduates, if applicable
     
Interviews will be held between the months of November and January

We do offer guaranteed preliminary internal medicine (PGY-1) positions for applicants who match with the Tufts Medical Center Adult Neurology Residency Program. There are 6 medicine internship positions available at Beth Israel Lahey Hospital. If you are interested in one of these positions, you must rank the program in the supplemental match list, but you will not be required to interview separately. Alternatively, you can choose to apply to and match with any other PGY-1 preliminary medicine position in the U.S.

International medical graduates

We accept foreign graduates who are highly qualified and have competitive USMLE scores. See the frequently asked questions (FAQ) section for more information regarding requirements for IMGs.

For more information, visit:
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Neurology Residency Program

Neurology Residency - Alumni + Career Outcomes

Where our neurology residency graduates go next

We are proud of the outstanding achievements of our neurology residency alumni. Graduates of our program consistently excel in their careers, advancing knowledge and patient care across a wide spectrum of neurology subspecialties. Many continue their education at prestigious fellowship programs nationally and internationally, while others take leadership roles in academic centers, community hospitals and private practice. Their success is a testament to the rigorous clinical training, mentorship and research opportunities that define our program at Tufts Medical Center.

Class of 2026
  • Maryam Bahadori, MD – Medical School: Tehran School of Medical Sciences, Internship: Lahey Clinic
  • Alana Fretes Burgos, MD – Medical School: Universidad Católica Nuestra Señora de la Asunción Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Asunción, Internship: Lahey Clinic
  • Elliot Delgado, MD – Medical School: St. George's University School of Medicine, Internship: Lahey Clinic
  • Amr Jijakli, MBBS – Medical School: Alfaisal University College of Medicine, Internship: Lahey Clinic
  • Sharanya Ramakrishnan, MD – Medical School: Grant Medical College, Internship: Lahey Clinic
  • Diamler Vadlamuri, MD – Medical School: University of Queensland School of Medicine, Internship: Lahey Clinic
  • Lincey Wilson, MD – Medical School: Saint James School of Medicine Anguilla, Internship: West Virginia University School of Medicine
     
Class of 2025
  • Naman Bareja, MBBS – Medical School: Maulana Azad Medical College, Internship: Lahey Clinic, Residency: Tufts Medical Center Neurology, Fellowship: Washington University in St. Louis
  • Rafail A. Chionatos, MD – Medical School: University of Crete Faculty of Medicine, Internship: Lahey Clinic, Residency: Tufts Medical Center Neurology, Fellowship: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
  • Arsalan Hashemiaghdam, MD – Medical School: Tehran School of Medical Sciences, Internship: Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Residency: Tufts Medical Center Neurology, Fellowship: Massachusetts General Hospital/Dana Farber
  • Nazanin Sheibani, MD – Medical School: Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Internship: Lahey Clinic, Residency: Tufts Medical Center Neurology, Fellowship: University of California, Los Angeles
  • Nikita Srinivasan, MBBS – Medical School: Rural Medical College of Pravara Medical Trust, Internship: Lahey Clinic, Residency: Tufts Medical Center Neurology, Fellowship: National Institutes of Health (NIH)
  • Camelia Valhuerdi Porto, MD – Medical School: Facultad de Ciencias Medicas Matanzas 'Juan Guiteras Gener', Internship: Lahey Clinic, Residency: Tufts Medical Center Neurology, Fellowship: Johns Hopkins Hospital
  • Wenzheng Yu, MD – Medical School: Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Internship: Lahey Clinic, Residency: Tufts Medical Center Neurology, Fellowship:  Brown University/Rhode Island Hospital  
Class of 2024
  • Yasaman Adibnia, MD – Medical School: Istanbul Bilim Universitesi Tip Fakultesi, Internship: Lahey Clinic, Residency: Tufts Medical Center Neurology, Fellowship: Northwestern Medicine
  • Firas Bounni, MD – Medical School: University of Damascus Faculty of Medicine, Internship: St. Mary Medical Center Program, Residency: Tufts Medical Center Neurology, Fellowship: University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine
  • Marc Daou, MD – Medical School: Université Saint-Joseph Faculté de Médecine, Internship: Lahey Clinic, Residency: Tufts Medical Center Neurology, Fellowship: Baylor College of Medicine
  • Alibay Jafarli, MD – Medical School: Azerbaijan Medical University, Internship: Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center Program, Residency: Tufts Medical Center Neurology, Fellowship: University of Texas (UT) Health Science Center San Antonio
  • Ivanna Joseph, MD – Medical School: Indira Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute, Internship: Lahey Clinic, Residency: Tufts Medical Center Neurology, Fellowship: Johns Hopkins University
  • Aya Shnawa, MD – Medical School: Jordan University of Science and Technology Faculty of Medicine, Internship: Lahey Clinic, Residency: Tufts Medical Center Neurology, Fellowship: Mass General Brigham
  • Ehsan Tadayon, MD – Medical School: Tehran University of Medical Sciences School of Medicine, Internship: Lahey Clinic, Residency: Tufts Medical Center Neurology, Fellowship: University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Health
Class of 2023
  • Massachusetts General Hospital – Fellowship in Multiple Sclerosis/Neuroimmunology
  • Brown University – Fellowship in Movement Disorders
  • Tufts Medical Center – Fellowship in Clinical Neurophysiology
  • Private Practice – North Carolina
Class of 2022
  • Yale University – Fellowship in Neurocritical Care
  • Lahey Hospital & Medical Center – Fellowship in Vascular Neurology
  • Private Practice – Massachusetts
  • Private Practice – New Hampshire
Class of 2021
  • Yara Alharbi, MD – Fellowship: Epilepsy, University of Illinois Chicago
  • Osamah Alnasser, MD – Fellowship: Neuromuscular, Washington University in St. Louis
  • Lincoln Darla, MD – Fellowship: Clinical Neurophysiology, Brown University
  • Leila Ghaffari, DO – Fellowship: Neurophysiology, Virginia Commonwealth University
  • Maria Antonietta Mazzola, MD – Fellowship: Multiple Sclerosis/Neuroimmunology, UMass Medical Center
  • Katie Monigan, DO – Fellowship: Epilepsy/Neurophysiology, Massachusetts General Hospital
  • Ashley Weng, MD – Fellowship: Clinical Neurophysiology, New York Presbyterian/Cornell
Class of 2020
  • Anas Alamri, MD – Fellowship: Epilepsy, Stanford Healthcare
  • Mohammed Al Dulaimi, MD – Fellowship: Vascular Neurology, Tufts Medical Center
  • Mohamed Ridha, MD – Fellowship: Vascular Neurology, University of Cincinnati
  • Jose Rodrigues-Moreno, MD – Fellowship: Neuromuscular Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital
  • Avinash Sagi, MD – Fellowship: Epilepsy/Clinical Neurophysiology, Massachusetts General Hospital
  • Sonali Sharma, MD – Fellowship: Epilepsy/Clinical Neurophysiology, University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital
Class of 2019
  • Kyung Jung “Paula” Lee, MD – Fellowship: Electroencephalogram, Northwestern University
  • Naina Limbekar, MD, MPH – Fellowship: Sleep Medicine, Brigham & Women’s Hospital
  • Farid Radmanesh, MD, MPH – Fellowship: Neurocritical Care, Massachusetts General Hospital
  • Nilufer Yalcin, MD – Fellowship: Neurocritical Care, Rush University
Class of 2018
  • Adeeb Al-Rizaiza, MD – Fellowship: Clinical Neurophysiology, University of California San Diego
  • Alexandra Filippakis, DO – Fellowship: Multiple Sclerosis, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
  • Mam Ibraheem, MD, MPH – Assistant Professor: University of Kentucky
  • Jayesh Patel, DO – Fellowship: Neurocritical Care, University of Washington
  • Jeffrey Steinberg, MD – Private Practice: PrimaCARE of Fall River
  • Lee Sullivan, MD, MPH – Fellowship: Sleep Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Class of 2017
  • Abrar Al-Faraj, MD – Epilepsy Fellowship, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
  • Ali Daneshmand, MD – Neurocritical Care Fellowship, Mayo Clinic
  • Behzad Elahi, MD – Neuromuscular Care Fellowship, Mayo Clinic
  • Min Kang, MD – Neuromuscular Fellowship, University of California San Francisco
  • Samhitha Rai, MD – Epilepsy Fellowship, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Class of 2016
  • Ozaire Awais, MD – Headache Fellowship, Thomas Jefferson University
  • Vajjayantee Belle, MD – Private Practice, Olean General Hospital
  • P. Monroe Butler, MD – Behavioral Neurology, University of California San Francisco
  • Emile Moukheiber, MD – Movement Disorders, Johns Hopkins University
  • Andrew Natonson, MD – Cognitive Neurology, Oregon Health and Science University
Class of 2015
  • Ziad Alhumayyd, MD – Neuromuscular Fellowship, Washington University
  • Matthew Dooley, MD – Neurorehabilitation Fellowship, Washington University
  • Yasir Jassam, MD, PhD – Neuroimmunology Fellowship, NINDS/NIH
  • Christopher Parres, MD – Clinical Neurophysiology Fellowship, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
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Alumni
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Neurology Residency

Neurology Residency - Current Residents

Get to know our neurology residents at Tufts Medicine

Our neurology residents are smart, curious and deeply committed to providing excellent care. They come from across the country and around the world, bringing diverse experiences and a shared passion for the brain and nervous system. As part of our close-knit program, they support one another, learn from expert faculty and grow into confident, capable neurologists ready to lead in any setting.
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Current Residents
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Neurology Residency Program

Neurology Residency - Faculty

Faculty who teach clinical neurology closely and consistently

Residents train with faculty across Tufts Medical Center and Lahey Clinic who bring subspecialty depth and a shared commitment to bedside teaching. What matters most to applicants is how faculty teach: observing clinical work, making reasoning explicit, giving feedback, mentoring residents and helping residents prepare for the careers they want.

Tufts Medical Center faculty

Soma Sengupta, MD, PhD, MBA, FRCP, FANA, FAAN
Chair, Department of Neurology
Chair and Professor of Neurology at Tufts University School of Medicine (TUSM)
Neurologist-in-Chief

Joshua Kornbluth, MD
Vice Chair of Education and Training
Program Director, Neurology Residency
Associate Professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery

Emiliya Melkumova, MD
Director, Acute Stroke Services
Program Director, Vascular Neurology Fellowship
Associate Program Director, Neurology Residency

Danielle Howard, MD
Assistant Program Director, Neurology Residency
 

Lahey Clinic & Medical Center leadership

Jayashri Srinivasan, MD, PhD, FACP
Chair, Department of Neurology
Adjunct Associate Professor of Neurology, Tufts University School of Medicine

Maria Mazzola, MD
Adjunct Associate Professor of Neurology, Tufts University School of Medicine
Associate Program Director

Joseph D. Burns, MD
Adjunct Associate Professor of Neurology, Tufts University School of Medicine
Associate Program Director
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Neurology Residency Program

Neurology Residency - Our People

The people who teach, mentor and learn together at Tufts Medical Center

A residency program is defined by the people who do the work together: residents, faculty, fellows, coordinators, alumni and program leaders. At Tufts MC, that community is intentionally close. Residents learn from faculty with broad subspecialty expertise, from senior residents who remember exactly what the next step feels like and from graduates who remain connected to the program after training.

Explore

  • Current Residents: meet the residents training in the program now.
  • Faculty: learn about program leadership, Tufts Medical Center faculty and Lahey Clinic faculty involved in resident education.
  • Alumni and Career Outcomes: see recent fellowship, research, academic and practice destinations.
     
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Neurology Residency Program

Neurology Residency - Research Opportunities

Explore cutting-edge research + clinical training in neurology at Tufts Medical Center

If you arrive with a question you have never had time to chase, this is where it gets a mentor, time and a scope small enough to finish. Some residents start with a defined academic direction. Others discover a question through a patient, a clinic, a conference, a quality problem or a mentor. The program's role is to help turn that question into a project with the right scope, support and path to completion.

Residents can work with faculty across clinical neurology, neurocritical care, stroke, epilepsy, movement disorders, neuro-oncology, neuromuscular disease, cognitive neurology, quality improvement, education and related areas. Scholarship may take the form of clinical research, case-based work, quality and safety projects, medical education, literature review or preparation for a research fellowship.

Scholarship matters just as much for residents heading toward independent clinical practice. What they need is something equally durable: the ability to read a trial critically, understand the limits of evidence and recognize when the literature does not answer the question in front of the patient.

When a resident is presenting at a meeting, the program subsidizes the conference registration.

Residents interested in research or academic medicine receive mentorship in project design, presentation, publication, fellowship planning and longer-term career development. Residents whose primary goal is clinical practice graduate with the habits of critical appraisal that make them better neurologists.
Questions become projects when residents have mentorship, scope and time.
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Research + Scholarship
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Neurology Residency Program

Neurology Residency - Clinical Training

From bedside fundamentals to independent clinical judgment

Neurology residency at Tufts Medicine is organized around a simple developmental arc: learn to see the patient as a neurologist, learn to reason independently, learn to lead others and graduate prepared to practice without us.

How we teach clinical neurology

Classical clinical neurology is not nostalgia. It is the foundation that lets a neurologist use modern diagnostics well. Residents learn to take a history that has already narrowed the differential, examine carefully enough that the findings are worth reasoning from, localize before naming and use imaging, laboratory testing, electrophysiology and evidence to refine decisions rather than replace judgment.

Most of that teaching happens where the work happens. Attendings round at the bedside, senior residents teach junior residents and clinical reasoning is made explicit. Formal conferences reinforce the same habits through case discussion, live patient conferences, neuroradiology, neurophysiology, morning report, journal club, board review and faculty-led teaching.

From supervision to independence

Responsibility increases as residents demonstrate readiness. PGY-2 residents are closely supervised as they build core habits. PGY-3 residents lead consultative work, deepen subspecialty knowledge and begin supervising junior trainees. PGY-4 residents lead services, teach, supervise and function with attending oversight as they prepare for independent practice or advanced fellowship.

PGY-1: medicine foundation

Every resident completes a preliminary internal medicine year. It is part of the four-year program and no separate interview is required. The preliminary year is applied for and ranked through the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) supplemental list: #3130140P1 Med-Prelim/Neurology - Tufts Lahey Clinic-MA. The intern year builds the broad medical foundation required for neurologists caring for complex patients.

PGY-2: first year of neurology

The first neurology year emphasizes fundamentals: inpatient neurology, consultation, night coverage, neurocritical care exposure, ambulatory neurology, continuity clinic and early electives. Residents learn to gather and interpret neurologic findings, manage common and urgent neurologic disease, communicate with teams and families and develop efficient habits for clinical reasoning.

PGY-3: consultation, subspecialty growth and leadership

Third-year residents expand their consultative role, gain deeper experience in outpatient and subspecialty neurology and begin functioning as leaders for junior residents and medical students. Required and elective experiences may include neurophysiology, neuromuscular medicine, pediatric neurology, consult services, continuity clinic and research or scholarly work.

PGY-4: senior responsibility and preparation for practice

Senior residents consolidate clinical judgment by leading inpatient and consultative services, supervising junior trainees, teaching and managing complex decisions under attending oversight. Elective time allows residents to prepare for fellowship, research, academic work, focused clinical practice or independent general neurology.

Ambulatory neurology

Continuity clinic gives residents a longitudinal view of neurologic disease and of their own growth as clinicians. The program runs a 5+1 schedule, with continuity clinic concentrated in ambulatory weeks: five sessions over three days. Residents also participate in subspecialty clinics and see patients by telehealth.

Electives and individualization

Elective time increases as residents progress, with room for subspecialty depth, clinical research [link], quality improvement, medical education or other individualized goals. Residents use electives deliberately, as part of career preparation.

Night coverage and call

Through the three neurology years, overnight work is entirely night float. Fridays are covered by night cross-coverage like any other night, which means there is no 24-hour shift left anywhere in the neurology schedule. The preliminary medicine year is run by the internal medicine program and follows its own call structure.

Teaching and conferences

Residents teach medical students and junior trainees throughout residency. Tuesday afternoon, 1:00 to 5:00, is a protected academic half day. Formal education includes live patient conferences, morning report, neuroradiology, neurophysiology, journal club, board review, case discussion and faculty-hosted teaching events.
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Clinical Training
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Neurology Residency Program

Neurology Residency - Training Experience

Clinical neurology is learned by doing the work with teachers who know how to teach it

Tufts Medicine trains residents in the habits that make clinical neurology durable: careful history-taking, precise examination, localization, synthesis of evidence and sound judgment at the bedside. Residents learn these skills in inpatient services, consultation, continuity clinic, neurocritical care, ambulatory subspecialty clinics, conferences and electives.

The experience is intentionally progressive. PGY-2 residents build core clinical habits with close supervision. PGY-3 residents expand consultation skills, subspecialty exposure and early leadership. PGY-4 residents lead services, supervise junior trainees, teach and practice with increasing independence under attending oversight.

For the full curriculum by year, see Clinical Training 
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Neurology Residency Program