Are you looking to get into the neurological surgery residency program of your dreams? We’ve got you covered! Here, we’ll give you the inside scoop on which neurological surgery programs have the highest and lowest publications, MD-PhDs, AOA, and Gold Humanism members among matched applicants. So, if you’re curious about neurological surgery or have a specific program in mind, you can learn all the details you need to maximize your chances of becoming a neurological surgeon.
Which Neurological Surgery Residency Programs Require the Most Research?
As discussed previously, matched neurological surgery applicants have some of the highest numbers of abstracts, presentations, and publications.
But how many publications are expected of each neurological surgery residency? Here, we’ll discuss which programs have the most – and fewest – publications among their residents. That way, you can make an informed decision and feel hopeful about getting into the program that’s right for you.
Let’s look at which neurological surgery residency programs have the most – and least – publications among their members. (NOTE: the data here report the Average number of peer-reviewed publications among matched applicants. This is more narrow – and restrictive – than the “abstracts, presentations, and publications,” measure found on ERAS and reported by the Charting Outcomes in the Match reports.)
| Residency program name | City | State | Average number of peer-reviewed publications among matched applicants | Average number of research experiences among matched applicants | # current residents who were graduates of joint MD-PhD program | % current residents who were graduates of MD-PhD programs | % matched applicants members of Alpha Omega Alpha (at the time of application) | % matched applicants members of Gold Humanism Honor Society (at the time of application) | Program curriculum includes a dedicated research rotation | % completed residents with non-academic U.S. practice career plans | % completed residents with plans to continue training in another program | % completed residents with plans to obtain a full-time or part-time academic position | % completed residents with other career plans | Total # Residents on Duty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medical University of South Carolina Program | Charleston | SC | 8 | 13 | 0% | 30 | 0 | REQ | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 15 | |
| Indiana University School of Medicine Program | Indianapolis | IN | 7 | 10 | 2 | 11% | 17 | 8 | REQ | 80 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 19 |
| Case Western Reserve University/University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center Program | Cleveland | OH | 7 | 12 | 0% | 36 | 0 | OPT | 17 | 50 | 33 | 0 | 17 | |
| Penn State Milton S Hershey Medical Center Program | Hershey | PA | 7 | 8 | 2 | 11% | 29 | 14 | OPT | 0 | 33 | 67 | 0 | 18 |
| University of Alabama Medical Center Program | Birmingham | AL | 6 | 11 | 1 | 5% | 47 | 13 | REQ | 57 | 43 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| Henry Ford Hospital Program | Detroit | MI | 6 | 13 | 0% | 50 | 0 | REQ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 14 | |
| University of Michigan Health System Program | Ann Arbor | MI | 6 | 14 | 1 | 6% | 23 | 8 | REQ | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 18 |
| New York Presbyterian Hospital (Cornell Campus) Program | New York | NY | 6 | 10 | 1 | 7% | 50 | 20 | 0 | 67 | 33 | 0 | 14 | |
| Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Program | New York | NY | 6 | 21 | 1 | 7% | 10 | 0 | REQ | 0 | 25 | 0 | 75 | 14 |
| Wake Forest University School of Medicine Program | Winston-Salem | NC | 6 | 9 | 1 | 7% | 40 | 0 | REQ | 25 | 0 | 0 | 75 | 14 |
| Oregon Health & Science University Program | Portland | OR | 6 | 12 | 2 | 10% | 20 | 20 | REQ | 0 | 75 | 0 | 25 | 21 |
| University of Utah Health Program | Salt Lake City | UT | 6 | 14 | 2 | 14% | 31 | 23 | REQ | 50 | 25 | 0 | 25 | 14 |
| University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Program | Madison | WI | 6 | 11 | 0% | 27 | 9 | REQ | 0 | 0 | 100 | 0 | 14 | |
| McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University Program | Chicago | IL | 5 | 17 | 2 | 10% | 13 | 7 | OPT | 14 | 71 | 0 | 14 | 21 |
| Johns Hopkins University Program | Baltimore | MD | 5 | 24 | 2 | 7% | 21 | 5 | REQ | 17 | 0 | 83 | 0 | 28 |
| University of Maryland Program | Baltimore | MD | 5 | 8 | 1 | 7% | 40 | 0 | OPT | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science (Rochester) Program | Rochester | MN | 5 | 25 | 5 | 20% | 21 | 5 | OPT | 0 | 33 | 17 | 51 | 25 |
| Washington University/B-JH/SLCH Consortium Program | St Louis | MO | 5 | 19 | 6 | 30% | 19 | 6 | REQ | 50 | 50 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| Rutgers Health/New Jersey Medical School Program | Newark | NJ | 5 | 25 | 0% | 25 | 0 | REQ | 50 | 33 | 17 | 0 | 18 | |
| NYU Grossman School of Medicine Program | New York | NY | 5 | 17 | 2 | 11% | 43 | 0 | REQ | 60 | 20 | 20 | 0 | 19 |
| Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell Program | Manhasset | NY | 5 | 19 | 2 | 13% | 45 | 0 | REQ | 0 | 50 | 50 | 0 | 15 |
| Duke University Hospital Program | Durham | NC | 5 | 15 | 3 | 15% | 0 | 13 | REQ | 17 | 0 | 83 | 0 | 20 |
| Ohio State University Hospital Program | Columbus | OH | 5 | 12 | 0% | 31 | 8 | REQ | 50 | 25 | 25 | 0 | 17 | |
| Cleveland Clinic Foundation Program | Cleveland | OH | 5 | 19 | 0% | 27 | 0 | REQ | 0 | 50 | 50 | 0 | 21 | |
| Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University/TJUH Program | Philadelphia | PA | 5 | 11 | 0% | 41 | 18 | REQ | 20 | 0 | 80 | 0 | 22 | |
| University of Pennsylvania Health System Program | Philadelphia | PA | 5 | 13 | 3 | 14% | 13 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 67 | 17 | 21 | |
| UPMC Medical Education Program | Pittsburgh | PA | 5 | 20 | 2 | 7% | 25 | 5 | REQ | 38 | 50 | 13 | 0 | 29 |
| Allegheny Health Network Medical Education Consortium (AGH) Program | Pittsburgh | PA | 5 | 6 | 0% | 50 | 17 | OPT | 25 | 25 | 50 | 0 | 15 | |
| Vanderbilt University Medical Center Program | Nashville | TN | 5 | 17 | 0% | 33 | 20 | OPT | 20 | 40 | 40 | 0 | 19 | |
| Baylor College of Medicine Program | Houston | TX | 5 | 10 | 5 | 21% | 44 | 6 | REQ | 67 | 17 | 17 | 0 | 24 |
| University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Program | Houston | TX | 5 | 15 | 2 | 10% | 71 | 7 | REQ | 67 | 0 | 33 | 0 | 20 |
| University of Washington Program | Seattle | WA | 5 | 12 | 1 | 5% | 27 | 13 | REQ | 21 | ||||
| University of Louisville School of Medicine Program | Louisville | KY | 4 | 7 | 0% | 0 | 10 | REQ | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 14 | |
| New York Presbyterian Hospital (Columbia Campus) Program | New York | NY | 4 | 10 | 0% | 33 | 17 | REQ | 0 | 50 | 50 | 0 | 13 | |
| University of Rochester Program | Rochester | NY | 4 | 11 | 0% | 60 | 30 | REQ | 0 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 13 | |
| University at Buffalo Program | Buffalo | NY | 4 | 21 | 0% | 29 | 0 | REQ | 20 | 40 | 40 | 0 | 19 | |
| University of Tennessee Program | Memphis | TN | 4 | 18 | 0% | 15 | 8 | OPT | 75 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 15 | |
| Methodist Hospital (Houston) Program | Houston | TX | 4 | 8 | 0% | 64 | 18 | REQ | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 14 | |
| University of Virginia Medical Center Program | Charlottesville | VA | 4 | 15 | 4 | 25% | 50 | 8 | REQ | 0 | 0 | 83 | 17 | 16 |
| Virginia Commonwealth University Health System Program | Richmond | VA | 4 | 6 | 0% | 60 | 10 | REQ | 33 | 0 | 67 | 0 | 15 | |
| University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago Program | Chicago | IL | 0% | OPT | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 11 | |||||
| Loyola University Medical Center Program | Maywood | IL | 2 | 18% | REQ | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 11 | ||||
| University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria Program | Peoria | IL | 1 | 9% | OPT | 67 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 11 | ||||
| University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics Program | Iowa City | IA | 0% | REQ | 0 | 0 | 80 | 20 | 14 | |||||
| University of Kansas School of Medicine Program | Kansas City | KS | 0% | REQ | 25 | 75 | 0 | 0 | 13 | |||||
| University of Kentucky College of Medicine Program | Lexington | KY | 0% | REQ | 75 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 14 | |||||
| Louisiana State University (Shreveport) Program | Shreveport | LA | 0% | REQ | 50 | 50 | 0 | 0 | 14 | |||||
| Louisiana State University Program | New Orleans | LA | 0% | REQ | 33 | 33 | 0 | 33 | 9 | |||||
| Tulane University/Ochsner Clinic Foundation Program | New Orleans | LA | 0% | REQ | 0 | 0 | 75 | 25 | 12 | |||||
| Clinical Center at the National Institutes of Health Program | Bethesda | MD | 0% | REQ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 7 | |||||
| Spectrum Health/Michigan State University Program | Grand Rapids | MI | 0% | REQ | 4 | |||||||||
| Ascension Providence/MSUCHM Program | Southfield | MI | 0% | REQ | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | |||||
| Beaumont Health (Royal Oak and Dearborn) Program | Royal Oak | MI | 0% | REQ | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | |||||
| University of Minnesota Program | Minneapolis | MN | 3 | 21% | REQ | 25 | 0 | 25 | 50 | 14 | ||||
| University of Mississippi Medical Center Program | Jackson | MS | 0% | REQ | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | |||||
| University of Missouri-Columbia Program | Columbia | MO | 0% | OPT | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 7 | |||||
| St Louis University School of Medicine Program | St Louis | MO | 0% | OPT | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |||||
| University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Medicine Program | Omaha | NE | 0% | REQ | 67 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 14 | |||||
| Dartmouth-Hitchcock/Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital Program | Lebanon | NH | 0% | REQ | 0 | 50 | 0 | 50 | 7 | |||||
| University of New Mexico School of Medicine Program | Albuquerque | NM | #DIV/0! | REQ | 0 | |||||||||
| Stony Brook Medicine Program | Stony Brook | NY | 0% | REQ | 2 | |||||||||
| Albany Medical Center Program | Albany | NY | 1 | 8% | OPT | 33 | 33 | 33 | 0 | 13 | ||||
| Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine Program | Bronx | NY | 1 | 9% | OPT | 0 | 0 | 50 | 50 | 11 | ||||
| SUNY Upstate Medical University Program | Syracuse | NY | 0% | REQ | 0 | 33 | 67 | 0 | 10 | |||||
| Westchester Medical Center Program | Valhalla | NY | 0% | REQ | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 9 | |||||
| Carolinas Medical Center Program | Charlotte | NC | 0% | OPT | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | |||||
| University of North Carolina Hospitals Program | Chapel Hill | NC | 0% | REQ | 75 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 14 | |||||
| University of Cincinnati Medical Center/College of Medicine Program | Cincinnati | OH | 1 | 8% | REQ | 75 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 13 | ||||
| University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center Program | Oklahoma City | OK | 0% | REQ | 0 | 50 | 0 | 50 | 10 | |||||
| Geisinger Health System Program | Danville | PA | 0% | REQ | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |||||
| Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine Program | Philadelphia | PA | 0% | REQ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 10 | |||||
| Temple University Hospital Program | Philadelphia | PA | 1 | 14% | REQ | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 7 | ||||
| Brown University Program | Providence | RI | 0% | REQ | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 13 | |||||
| University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School Program | Austin | TX | #DIV/0! | REQ | 0 | |||||||||
| Texas A&M College of Medicine-Scott and White Medical Center Program | Temple | TX | 0% | REQ | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |||||
| University of Texas Medical Branch Hospitals Program | Galveston | TX | 1 | 14% | OPT | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | ||||
| University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio Joe and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine Program | San Antonio | TX | 0% | REQ | 33 | 0 | 0 | 66 | 17 | |||||
| University of Vermont Medical Center Program | Burlington | VT | 0% | REQ | 8 | |||||||||
| Inova Fairfax Medical Campus Program | Falls Church | VA | 0% | REQ | 4 | |||||||||
| Carilion Clinic-Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine Program | Roanoke | VA | 0% | REQ | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | |||||
| West Virginia University Program | Morgantown | WV | 2 | 33% | REQ | 50 | 50 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
What Are the Most Research-Heavy Neurological Surgery Programs?
Here are the neurological surgery programs with the highest average publications among matched applicants:
- Medical University of South Carolina Program (8 publications on average)
- Indiana University School of Medicine Program (7 publications on average)
- University of Alabama Medical Center Program (6 publications on average)
- Three programs with 7 publications on average
- Eight programs with 6 publications on average
What Are the Least Research-Heavy Neurological Surgery Programs?
Here are the dermatology programs with the lowest average publications among matched applicants:
- McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University Program (five average publications)
- University of Louisville School of Medicine Program (four average publications)
- Nineteen programs with 5 publications on average
- Eight programs with 4 publications on average
Which Neurological Surgery Residency Programs Have the Most MD-PhDs?
Are you hoping to get into a neurological surgery residency program? Having an MD-PhD may help you stand out, but it’s not always necessary.
As noted previously, having an MD-PhD is associated with an increased likelihood of matching into neurological surgery as a specialty. Note that this is a relatively moderate advantage (~7% match rate increase for those with a PhD vs. those without).
Check out this list of neurological surgery residency programs in the US and their MD-PhD percentages.
| Residency program name | City | State | % current residents who were graduates of MD-PhD programs | # current residents who were graduates of joint MD-PhD program | Average number of peer-reviewed publications among matched applicants | Average number of research experiences among matched applicants | % matched applicants members of Alpha Omega Alpha (at the time of application) | % matched applicants members of Gold Humanism Honor Society (at the time of application) | Program curriculum includes a dedicated research rotation | % completed residents with non-academic U.S. practice career plans | % completed residents with plans to continue training in another program | % completed residents with plans to obtain a full-time or part-time academic position | % completed residents with other career plans | Total # Residents on Duty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Virginia University Program | Morgantown | WV | 33% | 2 | REQ | 50 | 50 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||||
| Washington University/B-JH/SLCH Consortium Program | St Louis | MO | 30% | 6 | 5 | 19 | 19 | 6 | REQ | 50 | 50 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| University of Virginia Medical Center Program | Charlottesville | VA | 25% | 4 | 4 | 15 | 50 | 8 | REQ | 0 | 0 | 83 | 17 | 16 |
| University of Minnesota Program | Minneapolis | MN | 21% | 3 | REQ | 25 | 0 | 25 | 50 | 14 | ||||
| Baylor College of Medicine Program | Houston | TX | 21% | 5 | 5 | 10 | 44 | 6 | REQ | 67 | 17 | 17 | 0 | 24 |
| Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science (Rochester) Program | Rochester | MN | 20% | 5 | 5 | 25 | 21 | 5 | OPT | 0 | 33 | 17 | 51 | 25 |
| Loyola University Medical Center Program | Maywood | IL | 18% | 2 | REQ | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 11 | ||||
| Duke University Hospital Program | Durham | NC | 15% | 3 | 5 | 15 | 0 | 13 | REQ | 17 | 0 | 83 | 0 | 20 |
| Temple University Hospital Program | Philadelphia | PA | 14% | 1 | REQ | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 7 | ||||
| University of Pennsylvania Health System Program | Philadelphia | PA | 14% | 3 | 5 | 13 | 13 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 67 | 17 | 21 | |
| University of Texas Medical Branch Hospitals Program | Galveston | TX | 14% | 1 | OPT | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | ||||
| University of Utah Health Program | Salt Lake City | UT | 14% | 2 | 6 | 14 | 31 | 23 | REQ | 50 | 25 | 0 | 25 | 14 |
| Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell Program | Manhasset | NY | 13% | 2 | 5 | 19 | 45 | 0 | REQ | 0 | 50 | 50 | 0 | 15 |
| Indiana University School of Medicine Program | Indianapolis | IN | 11% | 2 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 8 | REQ | 80 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 19 |
| NYU Grossman School of Medicine Program | New York | NY | 11% | 2 | 5 | 17 | 43 | 0 | REQ | 60 | 20 | 20 | 0 | 19 |
| Penn State Milton S Hershey Medical Center Program | Hershey | PA | 11% | 2 | 7 | 8 | 29 | 14 | OPT | 0 | 33 | 67 | 0 | 18 |
| McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University Program | Chicago | IL | 10% | 2 | 5 | 17 | 13 | 7 | OPT | 14 | 71 | 0 | 14 | 21 |
| Oregon Health & Science University Program | Portland | OR | 10% | 2 | 6 | 12 | 20 | 20 | REQ | 0 | 75 | 0 | 25 | 21 |
| University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Program | Houston | TX | 10% | 2 | 5 | 15 | 71 | 7 | REQ | 67 | 0 | 33 | 0 | 20 |
| University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria Program | Peoria | IL | 9% | 1 | OPT | 67 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 11 | ||||
| Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine Program | Bronx | NY | 9% | 1 | OPT | 0 | 0 | 50 | 50 | 11 | ||||
| Albany Medical Center Program | Albany | NY | 8% | 1 | OPT | 33 | 33 | 33 | 0 | 13 | ||||
| University of Cincinnati Medical Center/College of Medicine Program | Cincinnati | OH | 8% | 1 | REQ | 75 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 13 | ||||
| Johns Hopkins University Program | Baltimore | MD | 7% | 2 | 5 | 24 | 21 | 5 | REQ | 17 | 0 | 83 | 0 | 28 |
| University of Maryland Program | Baltimore | MD | 7% | 1 | 5 | 8 | 40 | 0 | OPT | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| New York Presbyterian Hospital (Cornell Campus) Program | New York | NY | 7% | 1 | 6 | 10 | 50 | 20 | 0 | 67 | 33 | 0 | 14 | |
| Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Program | New York | NY | 7% | 1 | 6 | 21 | 10 | 0 | REQ | 0 | 25 | 0 | 75 | 14 |
| Wake Forest University School of Medicine Program | Winston-Salem | NC | 7% | 1 | 6 | 9 | 40 | 0 | REQ | 25 | 0 | 0 | 75 | 14 |
| UPMC Medical Education Program | Pittsburgh | PA | 7% | 2 | 5 | 20 | 25 | 5 | REQ | 38 | 50 | 13 | 0 | 29 |
| University of Michigan Health System Program | Ann Arbor | MI | 6% | 1 | 6 | 14 | 23 | 8 | REQ | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 18 |
| University of Alabama Medical Center Program | Birmingham | AL | 5% | 1 | 6 | 11 | 47 | 13 | REQ | 57 | 43 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| University of Washington Program | Seattle | WA | 5% | 1 | 5 | 12 | 27 | 13 | REQ | 21 | ||||
| University of New Mexico School of Medicine Program | Albuquerque | NM | 0% | REQ | 0 | |||||||||
| University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School Program | Austin | TX | 0% | REQ | 0 | |||||||||
| University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago Program | Chicago | IL | 0% | OPT | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 11 | |||||
| University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics Program | Iowa City | IA | 0% | REQ | 0 | 0 | 80 | 20 | 14 | |||||
| University of Kansas School of Medicine Program | Kansas City | KS | 0% | REQ | 25 | 75 | 0 | 0 | 13 | |||||
| University of Kentucky College of Medicine Program | Lexington | KY | 0% | REQ | 75 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 14 | |||||
| University of Louisville School of Medicine Program | Louisville | KY | 0% | 4 | 7 | 0 | 10 | REQ | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 14 | |
| Louisiana State University (Shreveport) Program | Shreveport | LA | 0% | REQ | 50 | 50 | 0 | 0 | 14 | |||||
| Louisiana State University Program | New Orleans | LA | 0% | REQ | 33 | 33 | 0 | 33 | 9 | |||||
| Tulane University/Ochsner Clinic Foundation Program | New Orleans | LA | 0% | REQ | 0 | 0 | 75 | 25 | 12 | |||||
| Clinical Center at the National Institutes of Health Program | Bethesda | MD | 0% | REQ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 7 | |||||
| Spectrum Health/Michigan State University Program | Grand Rapids | MI | 0% | REQ | 4 | |||||||||
| Ascension Providence/MSUCHM Program | Southfield | MI | 0% | REQ | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | |||||
| Beaumont Health (Royal Oak and Dearborn) Program | Royal Oak | MI | 0% | REQ | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | |||||
| Henry Ford Hospital Program | Detroit | MI | 0% | 6 | 13 | 50 | 0 | REQ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 14 | |
| University of Mississippi Medical Center Program | Jackson | MS | 0% | REQ | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | |||||
| University of Missouri-Columbia Program | Columbia | MO | 0% | OPT | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 7 | |||||
| St Louis University School of Medicine Program | St Louis | MO | 0% | OPT | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |||||
| University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Medicine Program | Omaha | NE | 0% | REQ | 67 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 14 | |||||
| Dartmouth-Hitchcock/Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital Program | Lebanon | NH | 0% | REQ | 0 | 50 | 0 | 50 | 7 | |||||
| Rutgers Health/New Jersey Medical School Program | Newark | NJ | 0% | 5 | 25 | 25 | 0 | REQ | 50 | 33 | 17 | 0 | 18 | |
| Stony Brook Medicine Program | Stony Brook | NY | 0% | REQ | 2 | |||||||||
| New York Presbyterian Hospital (Columbia Campus) Program | New York | NY | 0% | 4 | 10 | 33 | 17 | REQ | 0 | 50 | 50 | 0 | 13 | |
| University of Rochester Program | Rochester | NY | 0% | 4 | 11 | 60 | 30 | REQ | 0 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 13 | |
| University at Buffalo Program | Buffalo | NY | 0% | 4 | 21 | 29 | 0 | REQ | 20 | 40 | 40 | 0 | 19 | |
| SUNY Upstate Medical University Program | Syracuse | NY | 0% | REQ | 0 | 33 | 67 | 0 | 10 | |||||
| Westchester Medical Center Program | Valhalla | NY | 0% | REQ | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 9 | |||||
| Carolinas Medical Center Program | Charlotte | NC | 0% | OPT | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | |||||
| University of North Carolina Hospitals Program | Chapel Hill | NC | 0% | REQ | 75 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 14 | |||||
| Case Western Reserve University/University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center Program | Cleveland | OH | 0% | 7 | 12 | 36 | 0 | OPT | 17 | 50 | 33 | 0 | 17 | |
| Ohio State University Hospital Program | Columbus | OH | 0% | 5 | 12 | 31 | 8 | REQ | 50 | 25 | 25 | 0 | 17 | |
| Cleveland Clinic Foundation Program | Cleveland | OH | 0% | 5 | 19 | 27 | 0 | REQ | 0 | 50 | 50 | 0 | 21 | |
| University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center Program | Oklahoma City | OK | 0% | REQ | 0 | 50 | 0 | 50 | 10 | |||||
| Geisinger Health System Program | Danville | PA | 0% | REQ | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |||||
| Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine Program | Philadelphia | PA | 0% | REQ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 10 | |||||
| Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University/TJUH Program | Philadelphia | PA | 0% | 5 | 11 | 41 | 18 | REQ | 20 | 0 | 80 | 0 | 22 | |
| Allegheny Health Network Medical Education Consortium (AGH) Program | Pittsburgh | PA | 0% | 5 | 6 | 50 | 17 | OPT | 25 | 25 | 50 | 0 | 15 | |
| Brown University Program | Providence | RI | 0% | REQ | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 13 | |||||
| Medical University of South Carolina Program | Charleston | SC | 0% | 8 | 13 | 30 | 0 | REQ | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 15 | |
| University of Tennessee Program | Memphis | TN | 0% | 4 | 18 | 15 | 8 | OPT | 75 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 15 | |
| Vanderbilt University Medical Center Program | Nashville | TN | 0% | 5 | 17 | 33 | 20 | OPT | 20 | 40 | 40 | 0 | 19 | |
| Texas A&M College of Medicine-Scott and White Medical Center Program | Temple | TX | 0% | REQ | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |||||
| Methodist Hospital (Houston) Program | Houston | TX | 0% | 4 | 8 | 64 | 18 | REQ | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 14 | |
| University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio Joe and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine Program | San Antonio | TX | 0% | REQ | 33 | 0 | 0 | 66 | 17 | |||||
| University of Vermont Medical Center Program | Burlington | VT | 0% | REQ | 8 | |||||||||
| Inova Fairfax Medical Campus Program | Falls Church | VA | 0% | REQ | 4 | |||||||||
| Carilion Clinic-Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine Program | Roanoke | VA | 0% | REQ | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | |||||
| Virginia Commonwealth University Health System Program | Richmond | VA | 0% | 4 | 6 | 60 | 10 | REQ | 33 | 0 | 67 | 0 | 15 | |
| University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Program | Madison | WI | 0% | 6 | 11 | 27 | 9 | REQ | 0 | 0 | 100 | 0 | 14 |
Neurological Surgery Programs with the Highest Percentage of MD-PhDs
Here are the neurological surgery programs with the highest reported % of residents who were graduates of MD-PhD programs:
- West Virginia University Program(33%)
- Washington University/B-JH/SLCH Consortium Program (30%)
- University of Virginia Medical Center Program (25%)
- University of Minnesota Program (21%)
- Baylor College of Medicine Program (21%)
- Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science (Rochester) Program (20%)
- Loyola University Medical Center Program (18%)
Neurological Surgery Programs with the Lowest Percentage of MD-PhDs
While having an MD-PhD can give you a leg up on matching into neurological surgery, note that there are many (many) programs without an MD-PhD among their residents. In fact, there were only 32 programs that reported having any graduates from MD-PhD programs.
Which Neurological Surgery Programs Have the Most AOA and Gold Humanism Honor Society Members?
Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) and Gold Humanism Honor Society (GHHS) memberships are two important factors in the neurological surgery residency matching process. AOA recognizes students and residents who excel academically, in leadership, and in professionalism, while GHHS recognizes individuals who demonstrate exceptional qualities in patient-centered care and humanism.
As noted before, AOA membership is associated with an increased likelihood of matching into neurological surgery.
Here we list the US neurological surgery residency programs and the % of their residents who were AOA or GHHS members. Note you can search for individual programs, sort the data, and many other useful things in your neurological surgery residency search.
| Residency program name | City | State | % matched applicants members of Alpha Omega Alpha (at the time of application) | % matched applicants members of Gold Humanism Honor Society (at the time of application) | # current residents who were graduates of joint MD-PhD program | % current residents who were graduates of MD-PhD programs | Average number of peer-reviewed publications among matched applicants | Average number of research experiences among matched applicants | Program curriculum includes a dedicated research rotation | % completed residents with non-academic U.S. practice career plans | % completed residents with plans to continue training in another program | % completed residents with plans to obtain a full-time or part-time academic position | % completed residents with other career plans | Total # Residents on Duty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Program | Houston | TX | 71 | 7 | 2 | 10% | 5 | 15 | REQ | 67 | 0 | 33 | 0 | 20 |
| Methodist Hospital (Houston) Program | Houston | TX | 64 | 18 | 0% | 4 | 8 | REQ | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 14 | |
| University of Rochester Program | Rochester | NY | 60 | 30 | 0% | 4 | 11 | REQ | 0 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 13 | |
| Virginia Commonwealth University Health System Program | Richmond | VA | 60 | 10 | 0% | 4 | 6 | REQ | 33 | 0 | 67 | 0 | 15 | |
| Henry Ford Hospital Program | Detroit | MI | 50 | 0 | 0% | 6 | 13 | REQ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 14 | |
| New York Presbyterian Hospital (Cornell Campus) Program | New York | NY | 50 | 20 | 1 | 7% | 6 | 10 | 0 | 67 | 33 | 0 | 14 | |
| Allegheny Health Network Medical Education Consortium (AGH) Program | Pittsburgh | PA | 50 | 17 | 0% | 5 | 6 | OPT | 25 | 25 | 50 | 0 | 15 | |
| University of Virginia Medical Center Program | Charlottesville | VA | 50 | 8 | 4 | 25% | 4 | 15 | REQ | 0 | 0 | 83 | 17 | 16 |
| University of Alabama Medical Center Program | Birmingham | AL | 47 | 13 | 1 | 5% | 6 | 11 | REQ | 57 | 43 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell Program | Manhasset | NY | 45 | 0 | 2 | 13% | 5 | 19 | REQ | 0 | 50 | 50 | 0 | 15 |
| Baylor College of Medicine Program | Houston | TX | 44 | 6 | 5 | 21% | 5 | 10 | REQ | 67 | 17 | 17 | 0 | 24 |
| NYU Grossman School of Medicine Program | New York | NY | 43 | 0 | 2 | 11% | 5 | 17 | REQ | 60 | 20 | 20 | 0 | 19 |
| Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University/TJUH Program | Philadelphia | PA | 41 | 18 | 0% | 5 | 11 | REQ | 20 | 0 | 80 | 0 | 22 | |
| University of Maryland Program | Baltimore | MD | 40 | 0 | 1 | 7% | 5 | 8 | OPT | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Wake Forest University School of Medicine Program | Winston-Salem | NC | 40 | 0 | 1 | 7% | 6 | 9 | REQ | 25 | 0 | 0 | 75 | 14 |
| Case Western Reserve University/University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center Program | Cleveland | OH | 36 | 0 | 0% | 7 | 12 | OPT | 17 | 50 | 33 | 0 | 17 | |
| New York Presbyterian Hospital (Columbia Campus) Program | New York | NY | 33 | 17 | 0% | 4 | 10 | REQ | 0 | 50 | 50 | 0 | 13 | |
| Vanderbilt University Medical Center Program | Nashville | TN | 33 | 20 | 0% | 5 | 17 | OPT | 20 | 40 | 40 | 0 | 19 | |
| Ohio State University Hospital Program | Columbus | OH | 31 | 8 | 0% | 5 | 12 | REQ | 50 | 25 | 25 | 0 | 17 | |
| University of Utah Health Program | Salt Lake City | UT | 31 | 23 | 2 | 14% | 6 | 14 | REQ | 50 | 25 | 0 | 25 | 14 |
| Medical University of South Carolina Program | Charleston | SC | 30 | 0 | 0% | 8 | 13 | REQ | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 15 | |
| University at Buffalo Program | Buffalo | NY | 29 | 0 | 0% | 4 | 21 | REQ | 20 | 40 | 40 | 0 | 19 | |
| Penn State Milton S Hershey Medical Center Program | Hershey | PA | 29 | 14 | 2 | 11% | 7 | 8 | OPT | 0 | 33 | 67 | 0 | 18 |
| Cleveland Clinic Foundation Program | Cleveland | OH | 27 | 0 | 0% | 5 | 19 | REQ | 0 | 50 | 50 | 0 | 21 | |
| University of Washington Program | Seattle | WA | 27 | 13 | 1 | 5% | 5 | 12 | REQ | 21 | ||||
| University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Program | Madison | WI | 27 | 9 | 0% | 6 | 11 | REQ | 0 | 0 | 100 | 0 | 14 | |
| Rutgers Health/New Jersey Medical School Program | Newark | NJ | 25 | 0 | 0% | 5 | 25 | REQ | 50 | 33 | 17 | 0 | 18 | |
| UPMC Medical Education Program | Pittsburgh | PA | 25 | 5 | 2 | 7% | 5 | 20 | REQ | 38 | 50 | 13 | 0 | 29 |
| University of Michigan Health System Program | Ann Arbor | MI | 23 | 8 | 1 | 6% | 6 | 14 | REQ | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 18 |
| Johns Hopkins University Program | Baltimore | MD | 21 | 5 | 2 | 7% | 5 | 24 | REQ | 17 | 0 | 83 | 0 | 28 |
| Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science (Rochester) Program | Rochester | MN | 21 | 5 | 5 | 20% | 5 | 25 | OPT | 0 | 33 | 17 | 51 | 25 |
| Oregon Health & Science University Program | Portland | OR | 20 | 20 | 2 | 10% | 6 | 12 | REQ | 0 | 75 | 0 | 25 | 21 |
| Washington University/B-JH/SLCH Consortium Program | St Louis | MO | 19 | 6 | 6 | 30% | 5 | 19 | REQ | 50 | 50 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| Indiana University School of Medicine Program | Indianapolis | IN | 17 | 8 | 2 | 11% | 7 | 10 | REQ | 80 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 19 |
| University of Tennessee Program | Memphis | TN | 15 | 8 | 0% | 4 | 18 | OPT | 75 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 15 | |
| McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University Program | Chicago | IL | 13 | 7 | 2 | 10% | 5 | 17 | OPT | 14 | 71 | 0 | 14 | 21 |
| University of Pennsylvania Health System Program | Philadelphia | PA | 13 | 7 | 3 | 14% | 5 | 13 | 0 | 17 | 67 | 17 | 21 | |
| Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Program | New York | NY | 10 | 0 | 1 | 7% | 6 | 21 | REQ | 0 | 25 | 0 | 75 | 14 |
| University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago Program | Chicago | IL | 0% | OPT | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 11 | |||||
| Loyola University Medical Center Program | Maywood | IL | 2 | 18% | REQ | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 11 | ||||
| University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria Program | Peoria | IL | 1 | 9% | OPT | 67 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 11 | ||||
| University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics Program | Iowa City | IA | 0% | REQ | 0 | 0 | 80 | 20 | 14 | |||||
| University of Kansas School of Medicine Program | Kansas City | KS | 0% | REQ | 25 | 75 | 0 | 0 | 13 | |||||
| University of Kentucky College of Medicine Program | Lexington | KY | 0% | REQ | 75 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 14 | |||||
| University of Louisville School of Medicine Program | Louisville | KY | 0 | 10 | 0% | 4 | 7 | REQ | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 14 | |
| Louisiana State University (Shreveport) Program | Shreveport | LA | 0% | REQ | 50 | 50 | 0 | 0 | 14 | |||||
| Louisiana State University Program | New Orleans | LA | 0% | REQ | 33 | 33 | 0 | 33 | 9 | |||||
| Tulane University/Ochsner Clinic Foundation Program | New Orleans | LA | 0% | REQ | 0 | 0 | 75 | 25 | 12 | |||||
| Clinical Center at the National Institutes of Health Program | Bethesda | MD | 0% | REQ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 7 | |||||
| Spectrum Health/Michigan State University Program | Grand Rapids | MI | 0% | REQ | 4 | |||||||||
| Ascension Providence/MSUCHM Program | Southfield | MI | 0% | REQ | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | |||||
| Beaumont Health (Royal Oak and Dearborn) Program | Royal Oak | MI | 0% | REQ | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | |||||
| University of Minnesota Program | Minneapolis | MN | 3 | 21% | REQ | 25 | 0 | 25 | 50 | 14 | ||||
| University of Mississippi Medical Center Program | Jackson | MS | 0% | REQ | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | |||||
| University of Missouri-Columbia Program | Columbia | MO | 0% | OPT | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 7 | |||||
| St Louis University School of Medicine Program | St Louis | MO | 0% | OPT | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |||||
| University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Medicine Program | Omaha | NE | 0% | REQ | 67 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 14 | |||||
| Dartmouth-Hitchcock/Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital Program | Lebanon | NH | 0% | REQ | 0 | 50 | 0 | 50 | 7 | |||||
| University of New Mexico School of Medicine Program | Albuquerque | NM | #DIV/0! | REQ | 0 | |||||||||
| Stony Brook Medicine Program | Stony Brook | NY | 0% | REQ | 2 | |||||||||
| Albany Medical Center Program | Albany | NY | 1 | 8% | OPT | 33 | 33 | 33 | 0 | 13 | ||||
| Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine Program | Bronx | NY | 1 | 9% | OPT | 0 | 0 | 50 | 50 | 11 | ||||
| SUNY Upstate Medical University Program | Syracuse | NY | 0% | REQ | 0 | 33 | 67 | 0 | 10 | |||||
| Westchester Medical Center Program | Valhalla | NY | 0% | REQ | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 9 | |||||
| Carolinas Medical Center Program | Charlotte | NC | 0% | OPT | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | |||||
| University of North Carolina Hospitals Program | Chapel Hill | NC | 0% | REQ | 75 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 14 | |||||
| Duke University Hospital Program | Durham | NC | 0 | 13 | 3 | 15% | 5 | 15 | REQ | 17 | 0 | 83 | 0 | 20 |
| University of Cincinnati Medical Center/College of Medicine Program | Cincinnati | OH | 1 | 8% | REQ | 75 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 13 | ||||
| University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center Program | Oklahoma City | OK | 0% | REQ | 0 | 50 | 0 | 50 | 10 | |||||
| Geisinger Health System Program | Danville | PA | 0% | REQ | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |||||
| Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine Program | Philadelphia | PA | 0% | REQ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 10 | |||||
| Temple University Hospital Program | Philadelphia | PA | 1 | 14% | REQ | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 7 | ||||
| Brown University Program | Providence | RI | 0% | REQ | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 13 | |||||
| University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School Program | Austin | TX | #DIV/0! | REQ | 0 | |||||||||
| Texas A&M College of Medicine-Scott and White Medical Center Program | Temple | TX | 0% | REQ | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |||||
| University of Texas Medical Branch Hospitals Program | Galveston | TX | 1 | 14% | OPT | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | ||||
| University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio Joe and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine Program | San Antonio | TX | 0% | REQ | 33 | 0 | 0 | 66 | 17 | |||||
| University of Vermont Medical Center Program | Burlington | VT | 0% | REQ | 8 | |||||||||
| Inova Fairfax Medical Campus Program | Falls Church | VA | 0% | REQ | 4 | |||||||||
| Carilion Clinic-Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine Program | Roanoke | VA | 0% | REQ | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | |||||
| West Virginia University Program | Morgantown | WV | 2 | 33% | REQ | 50 | 50 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
Neurological Surgery Programs with the Most and Least AOA and GHHS Members
The neurological surgery residency programs with the highest reported percentage of AOA members are:
- University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Program
- Methodist Hospital (Houston) Program
- University of Rochester Program
- Virginia Commonwealth University Health System Program
- Henry Ford Hospital Program
- New York Presbyterian Hospital (Cornell Campus) Program
The neurological surgery residency programs with the lowest reported percentage of AOA members are:
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Program
- University of Pennsylvania Health System Program
- McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University Program
- University of Tennessee Program
- Indiana University School of Medicine Program
Are AOA Numbers Artificially Low in the Most Competitive Neurological Surgery Residency Programs?
As we can see above, while AOA and GHHS membership can be beneficial, it’s not necessarily a critical factor in being accepted into a neurological surgery residency program.
For example, University of Tennessee neurological surgery program only had 15% of its residents with AOA membership and only 8% with GHHS membership.
So, why might some of the most competitive neurological surgery residency programs have fewer AOA and GHHS members? One potential explanation is that some of the most prestigious medical schools don’t have AOA chapters. For example, the medical schools at Harvard, Stanford, Yale, and UCSF all lack AOA chapters.
Ultimately, it’s essential to remember that AOA and GHHS membership can be important factors in getting accepted into a neurological surgery residency program. However, they’re not the only ones. There are plenty of other ways to make your application stand out, such as having strong USMLE scores, letters of recommendation, and a well-crafted personal statement.
Concluding Thoughts
Publications; AOA and GHHS membership; and having a PhD can all benefit an application into neurological surgery. However, as we can see, different neurological residency programs have different expectations as to what they are looking for in applicants.
