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SMERF Scholars

Please review the information on this page to determine whether applying to become a SMERF scholar could be right for you.

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Funding

$5,000 to $50,000, depending on length of fellowship awarded. Reasonable travel and expenses paid for SMERF scholars to attend national conferences when first-author platform presentations are accepted (not posters).

 

Areas of current research:

Movement Disorders

  • Outcomes of DBS and IDDS in dystonia. 

  • Actimetry changes in movement disorders.

  • Outcomes of surgical treatment of spasticity.

  • Appropriate timing of botox and rhizotomy in CP related spasticity.

  • Multisite prospective registry work (CPRN). 

  • Gait map analysis of ambulatory CP children following surgical intervention. 

  • Hemiplegic spasticity and rhizotomy outcomes. 

  • Video technical note for rhizotomy. 

  • Comparing Perioperative PedsQL Outcomes for Severely Spastic CP Patients 

  • Standard work for intrathecal baclofen therapy. 

  • Assessment of racial and socioeconomic disparities in the surgical care of CP patients.
     

Pain

  • Outcomes of neuromodulation for neuropathic pain in children. 

  • Catastrophizing and independent life in pediatric pain patients. 

  • Pain pumps in pediatric chronic pain. 

  • Treatment of trigeminal neuralgia in children. 

  • Opioid use in pediatric patients with chronic pain. 

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Epilepsy

  • Indications for RNS in children. 

  • Outcomes of epilepsy surgery.

  • Standard error accumulation in ROSA cases. 

  • Correlating ROSA trajectory standard error with surgical training.

  • Tips and tricks for stereotaxy in infants and toddlers. 

  • Technical note and video productions of functional cases. 

  • Comparative metrics of LITT in pediatric neurooncology and epilepsy. 

  • Epilepsy outcomes in patients receiving LITT corpus callosotomy.

  • Effects of MR-artifact in LITT on outcomes.  

  • Predictors of seizure freedom in low grade gliomas.

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Appropriate Candidates

Appropriate candidates are individuals interested in having a career in the field of pediatric neurological surgery or related subspecialties. This may include U.S.-based graduate / medical students or residents. He, she or they should have a basic record of research productivity, have a growth mindset, be energetic and passionate. Direct patient care is not required nor is it expected from the SMERF scholars; however, human research is an important component of the fellowship.

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Duration of the fellowship

The research fellowship duration varies depending on resource availability and funding, and will range from 10 weeks to 52 weeks, with variable start dates. Upon completion of the fellowship, SMERF scholars will obtain a certificate and be listed on the website as a SMERF scholar alumni. 

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Evaluation

SMERF scholars will undergo formal periodic evaluation by the fellowship director. Scholars are expected to be productive in grant proposals, manuscript writing and editing, scientific presentation, data collection, data analysis, formulation of experimental design, conducting experiments and attending research meetings.

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Application

Please email a letter of interest along with your CV to info@smerf.org. Applications will be reviewed by the SMERF board on a rolling basis.

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