Epilepsy Fellowship

About the Fellowship

Established in 2018, the Epilepsy Fellowship at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, an affiliate of the Keck School of Medicine of USC, is a 1-year pediatric-focused training program. We offer 2 ACGME-approved positions per year with all pediatric, adolescent, and young-adult epilepsy and EEG learning experiences occurring within our Level IV Comprehensive Epilepsy Center. Our fellows complete the requisite month of adult epilepsy and EEG split between USC’s Level IV Comprehensive Epilepsy Centers at Keck Hospital and Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Hospital.

The current fellowship program director is Latanya Agurs, MD. 

Why CHLA?

As a Level IV Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, we are group treating the spectrum of epilepsies, especially intractable epilepsy; as the largest children’s hospital in the Los Angeles area and a safety net hospital, we see a diversity of disorders and diseases. We have distinct multidisciplinary clinical visits available for patients for Epilepsy Surgery, Diet Therapy, Epilepsy Genetics, and New-Onset Seizures. We manage over 100 children on either the ketogenic diet or modified Atkins diet along with our full-time dietitians who integrate into our clinics. With the establishment of the CHLA Center for Personalized Medicine, we can conduct complete comprehensive epilepsy genetic testing, including whole genome sequencing, in conjunction with our Geneticists and Genetic Counselors. We are a California Children’s Services Center of Excellence in Epilepsy, providing medical home level care for our most complex patients. In our epilepsy surgery program, we conduct ECoG-guided resections, phase II intracranial studies with implanted subdural and/or depth electrodes (to include using stereotactic methods), EEG source localization, minimally invasive laser ablation, and implantation of the Vagus Nerve Stimulator (VNS) and Responsive Neurostimulator (RNS) neuromodulation devices. Our VNS program has a long-standing history with a large patient cohort. With the recency of the development of RNS, our pediatric and young adult program is also growing. CHLA has an active outpatient and ambulatory EEG lab, a dedicated 6-bed pediatric EMU, and continuous inpatient and neuro-critical care EEG monitoring. Our epilepsy program is a major component of the Division of Neurology at CHLA, a busy and comprehensive service with outpatient, inpatient, neurocritical care, and research aspects. Our epilepsy center is part of the Pediatric Epilepsy Research Consortium as well.

Training at CHLA affords our fellows a chance to learn comprehensive epilepsy diagnosis, medical and surgical management, and coordinated care across specialties. Graduating fellows become experts in EEG interpretation, strengthen their fund of knowledge as a subspecialty consultant to their child neurology colleagues, and grow their roles as teachers of junior-level trainees. Fellows also have the opportunity to continue their specialized education by in CHLA’s 1-year non-ACGME Epilepsy Neurogenetics Fellowship after completing the fellowship. Education and learning is the cornerstone of our program, as such, the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center is designed to function independently of the presence of fellows, thus affording fellows a call-free experience.

Educational Program

Clinical Experience

Fellows will rotate between inpatient and outpatient services. Inpatient rotation consists of a 2-week period, covering the pediatric epilepsy monitoring unit, admitting patients and reading the video/EEG studies. Our EMU routinely admits presurgical and surgical patients with both invasive monitoring using grids/strips and stereo EEG patients. Inpatient rotation fellows will also cover the OR cases for the invasive monitoring patients, and read the inpatient and ICU EEGs. Outpatient rotations are 1 week each of reading outpatient and ambulatory EEGs, as well as daily epilepsy clinic with an attending epileptologist; there is no fellow-specific continuity clinic. All fellows will also participate in a research project of their choosing to be completed during the year of training with the help of a mentor. The 2-week adult epilepsy training at each USC institution’s affiliated epilepsy and clinical neurophysiology programs is a combined inpatient and outpatient experience. They offer routine EEGs, ICU monitoring, epilepsy surgery, and neuromodulation with an active RNS program.

Didactic Curriculum

Fellows participate in several didactic sessions over the academic year.

• Epilepsy Fellowship Lecture, weekly - Didactic sessions in alignment with ABPN Certification content specifications by epileptologists and subspecialty colleagues in neuroradiology, neuropathology, neuroimmunology, child psychiatry, clinical nutrition, genetics, sleep medicine, and neurosurgery; journal club presentations by the fellow and attending epileptologists incorporated into this session’s schedule
• EEG Review Session, weekly - Review of interesting, recent or ongoing inpatient EEGs led by on-service epileptologist with child neurology residents and faculty, rotators, medical students
• Epilepsy Surgical Conference (CHLA), weekly - Multidisciplinary conference reviewing surgical evaluation cases, ongoing intracranial phase II cases, and post-intervention case updates; after the first 1/3 of the year, fellows will be expected to present cases (typically for those they completed the phase I EEG on or they saw in clinic)
• Epilepsy Clinical Conference (CHLA), every other week - Conference of epileptologists, epilepsy fellows, and epilepsy APPs to review complex clinical cases, pre-phase I cases, and up-to-date management or evaluation options
• Epilepsy Surgical Conference (USC Consortium), weekly - Multidisciplinary conference reviewing surgical evaluation cases, ongoing intracranial phase II cases, and post-intervention case updates from different consortium centers outside of the USC system from Orange County to Kern and Santa Barbara Counties; pediatric-focused cases in the 3^rd week of the month; consortium-invited educational speaker in the 4^th week of the month

Teaching Experience and Autonomy

Fellows have progressive teaching responsibilities as the year progresses. They are responsible for teaching any residents rotating in EEG or epilepsy and should grow into the role of leading the EEG Review session in the latter 1/3 of the academic year.

In the second 1/2 of the academic year, fellows are expected to grow into the role of primary communicator, with attending oversight, with the inpatient, consult, and neurocritical care neurology teams regarding ongoing studies.

How to Apply

We participate in the Epilepsy and Clinical Neurophysiology Fellowship Match, which follows the December cycle application timeline.

• For July 2026 positions: We are offering 2 positions.
  • Please apply via ERAS for the December Cycle match.
    • There is no limit on time since residency graduation
    • We require a minimum of 3 letters of recommendation (inclusive of a letter from your neurology residency director)
  • Interviews will be conducted virtually in early 2025.
  • The Match is via the NRMP and will be in May 2025
• For July 2025 positions: We have 2 unfilled positions.
  • For qualified and interested applicants, please send your CV, a personal statement, and a minimum of 3 letters of recommendation (inclusive of a letter from your neurology residency director) to epilepsyfellowship@chla.usc.edu with “Epilepsy Fellowship Application” included in the subject line.
  • Interviews will be completed on a rolling, first come first served basis.

Learn more about our Epilepsy Neurogenetics Fellowship.

Program Fast Facts

ACGME Accredited: Yes
Fellows Per Year: 2
Duration: 1 year  
Postgraduate Training Required: Child Neurology, Neurodevelopmental Disabilities or Neurology Residency (ACGME-, AOA-, ACGME-I Advanced Specialty, RCPSC-, or CFPC- accredited)
U.S. Citizenship Required: U.S. citizens, permanent residents and J-1, H-1b, or F-1 visa applicants eligible to apply
Annual Salary:

• Post Graduate Year 6: $90,667.20 minimum
• Post Graduate Year 7: $93,828.80 minimum
• Post Graduate Year 8: $96,948.80 minimum
• Post Graduate Year 9+: Please contact gme@chla.usc.edu
• Annual Housing Stipend: $8,000

Benefits Include: Health and dental insurance, 14 days paid vacation + 6 protected sick days, division supported yearly educational stipend, GME-provided monthly meal stipend, and 401(k) matching up to 3%. For additional details please visit the CHLA GME Website.

Life in Los Angeles

Check out some of the great attractions in Los Angeles and information on where many CHLA Fellows decide to live.