Fellowships & Training

Fellowship Training & Visiting Scholar Programs

We offer fellowship training as well as other educational opportunities for both U.S. trained and foreign-trained neurosurgeons, neurologists, neuro-oncologists and scientists.

Pacific Neuroscience Institute offers a number of short- and long-term opportunities. Under the direction of a lead mentor, the scholar will gain an understanding of our highly successful collaborative and multidisciplinary environment, which focuses on individualized patient care. All our programs provide deep-dive knowledge and experience while reinforcing our specialized continuum-of-care approach. Including reviews of clinical and translational research, exposure to clinical trials programs, and observational opportunities in the clinical and minimally invasive surgical settings, the candidate will be exposed to a broad spectrum of techniques that can be taken to their own practice in the neurosciences.

Clinical Fellowship in Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery

Neurosurgical Fellowship Training at Pacific Neuroscience Institute

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PNI Pacific Rim Symposium Overview 2019

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Meet Dr. Daniel F. Kelly

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Meet Dr. Garni Barkhoudarian

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The Pacific Brain Tumor Center

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Pituitary Disorders Center

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The Pacific Brain Tumor Center and Pacific Pituitary Disorders Center offers a 1-year neurosurgery fellowship in minimally invasive surgery for brain, pituitary and skull base tumors. Our clinical training program is focused on endoscopic endonasal and keyhole surgical approaches, neuro-endoscopy, pituitary tumor management and multimodality neuro-oncology treatments. The fellowship emphasizes operative and peri-operative patient management, outpatient evaluation of new patients and follow-up patients as well as clinical and anatomical laboratory research projects.

Qualified applicants must have completed training in an ACGME-accredited neurosurgical residency program and be eligible for a California medical license.

Include the following:

• Personal statement detailing fellowship training goals and career aspirations
• An initial letter or e-mail
• Current curriculum vitae
• 2-3 Letters of Recommendation, one from a Residency Director or Department Chairman

Applicants should contact:

• Daniel Kelly, MD | Director, Pacific Neuroscience Institute
• Amy A. Eisenberg, MSN, ARNP,CNRN | Fellowship Director

Neuroanatomy Lab

Multidisciplinary Neuroanatomy and Surgical Skills Laboratory located at Saint John’s Cancer Institute is a collaboration between Pacific Neuroscience Institute®, and Saint John’s Cancer Institute at Providence Saint John’s Health Center.

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Current Neurosurgical Fellow

Brandon R.W. Liang, MD | 2025-26

Past Neurosurgical Fellows

Andrew K. Wong, MD | 2024-25

Usman Khan, MD, PhD | 2023-24

J. Frank Berry, MD, MS | 2022-23

R. Justin Garling, MD | 2021-22

Michael B. Avery, MD | 2020-2021

Jai D. Thakur, MD | 2019 – 2020

Shaheryar Ansari, MD | 2018 – 2019

Sheri Palejwala, MD | 2017 – 2018

Andrew Conger, MD | 2016 – 2017

Walavan Sivakumar, MD

Bjorn M. Lobo, MD | 2015

Robert Louis, MD | 2014

Aaron Cutler, MD | 2013

Huy Duong, MD | 2012

Kia Shahlaie, MD, PhD | 2010

Nancy McLaughlin, MD, PhD | 2009-2011

Alex Vandergrift, MD | 2008

Observational & Anatomical Fellowships

Non-clinical fellowships are available for non-U.S. citizens for 3 to 12 months. Observational training opportunities may include attending neurosurgical procedures, neurosurgical clinic and teaching conferences. Non-clinical fellows may also participate in anatomical studies and research projects involving endoscopic and microscopic cadaver dissections in the Skull Base and Endoscopic Microdissection Laboratory under the direction of Dr. Garni Barkhoudarian. Clinical research opportunities using our clinical outcomes database are also available.

Due to state medical licensing regulations, foreign-trained fellows are not allowed to provide patient care. Additionally, non-clinical fellowships must be self-funded or supported by the visiting fellow’s sponsoring institution.

Qualified applicants must have completed or be enrolled (with a minimum of 4 years of training) in a neurosurgical training program in their own country and meet Department of Homeland Security visa requirements for a J1-visa. They can also apply for a tourist visa for 3-6 months stay.

Applicants should send specific requests to:

• Daniel Kelly, MD or Garni Barkhoudarian, MD | Program Directors
• Amy A. Eisenberg, MSN, ARNP, CNRN | Fellowship Director

Select Past Fellows:

Select Past Fellows:

Danjuma Sale, MD | May – November, 2013 Dr. Danjuma Sale is a staff neurosurgeon of Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital in Zaria, Nigeria, and currently a final year neurosurgery resident at the Regional Center for Neurosurgery, Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto, Nigeria.

Pablo Villanueva, MD | April – September, 2013 Dr. Pablo Villanueva is Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery division of sciences Faculty of Medicine in Pontifica Universidad Catolica de Chile. He completed his residency in Neurosurgery in Universidad Católica and did a fellowship in Surgical Neuro-Oncology with emphasis in pituitary surgery at the University of Melbourne, Australia in 2008.

Short-Stay Visiting Scholars

Our short-stay program is open to neurosurgeons or ENT surgeons interested in observing endoscopic endonasal and keyhole surgery for up to 3 weeks at our facility.

In addition, short-stay programs are available to neurologists, neuro-oncologists and scientists who wish to observe and explore clinical and research aspects within any of our centers of excellence.

For those interested in the program, please contact us via email with a request for a visit:

• Neuro-oncology: Dr. Naveed Wagle
• Neurosurgery / Brain and Pituitary: Daniel Kelly, MD or Amy A. Eisenberg, MSN, ARNP, CNRN
• Neurosurgery / Movement Disorders, Adult Hydrocephalus: Garni Barkhoudarian, MD
• Neurosurgery / Facial Disorders: Garni Barkhoudarian, MD or Amit Kochhar, MD
• Neuroanatomy Microdissection Laboratory: Garni Barkhoudarian, MD
• ENT surgery: Delbar Ehfad

Neuroanatomy Medical Illustration Internship

Pacific Neuroscience Institute (PNI) and the Saint John’s Cancer Institute (formerly Saint John’s Cancer Institute, JWCI) is proud to offer a Neuroanatomy Medical Illustration Internship – exploring the field of art as it is applied to the neurosciences. Under the direction of PNI’s medical illustrator, Joshua Emerson, MA, students will learn hands on neuroanatomy through the PNI/SJCI Multidisciplinary Neuroanatomy and Surgical Skills Laboratory.

In addition to learning basic neuroanatomy, students will also learn emerging techniques and technology as it applies to medical illustration. The internship will require various illustrations to be produced with a possibility of publication online or in medical journals.

A medical illustrator is a professional artist with specialized training and advanced education in medicine, science, art, design, visual technology, multiple media techniques, and in theories related to communication and learning through art. Collaborating with scientists and physicians alike, medical illustrators serve as visual translators of complex technical information to support education, medical and life science research, patient care, patient education, and marketing objectives.

The internship is 3 months, with the possibility of extending to 6 or 12 months depending on circumstances. A 1-month observership is also available on a case-by-case basis. These are unpaid internships and funds should be provided by your institution for travel and lodging.

Applicants need to submit a curriculum vitae (CV) or resume, artwork portfolio (if available) and a letter of recommendation. An interview will be scheduled either in-person or via conference call to follow.

As space is limited, applicants should contact:

• Joshua Emerson| Medical Illustrator & Neuroanatomy and Surgical Skills Lab Manager
• Jenna Banaag | Associate Clinic Manager

Please call 310-582-7450 with any questions.

Fellowships & Training Resources

For international visiting participants who may wish to apply scholarships, please see the following organizations. These are independent organizations with no affiliation to PNI.