Criteria of Taipei Neuroscience Institute, Taipei Medical University

Name of the WFNS Training Centre:

Taipei Neuroscience Institute, Taipei Medical University in Taipei, Taiwan offers full resident training program (4-5 years) and short-term postgraduate fellowship program.

About the Training Center & Program Details:

Taipei Neuroscience Institute (TNI) is a neuroscience specialty hospital established after the integration of all the clinical neuroscience related departments of the three university affiliated hospitals of the Taipei Medical university (TMU). These clinical departments include neurosurgery, neurology, neuro-radiology, neuro-rehabilitation and psychiatry. All these three hospitals are located at metropolitan Taipei area. Professor Yong-Kwang Tu, the Past-president of WFNS, is currently the President of TNI.

For neurosurgery, TNI has 39 board certified staff members and 215 neurosurgical beds including 42 ICU beds. Yearly, we perform approximately 5,000 operations include 3,500 spinal surgery, 1,000 cranial surgery and 500 other procedures. Three out of our 9 operation theaters are hybrid theaters, and all these rooms are equipped with the most up-to-date neurosurgical facilities including ROSA robotic arm and MR guided focus ultrasound ablation unit.

Two of our hospital, Taipei Medical University Hospital (TMUH) and Shuang-Ho Hospital (SHH) have 6-year neurosurgical resident training programs accredited by the Ministry of Health of Taiwan. We are allowed to train maximal 2 residents at SHH and 1 at TMUH per year.

Currently, we have 17 residents enrolled in our programs. In addition, under a special permission from the Ministry of Taiwan, a young African resident from Burkina Faso is taking his 5-year residency in our Institute.

Program Details

1. Full train program

• Length of training: 4-5 years
• The applicant must be a medical graduate from a foreign medical school recognized by the Ministry of Education of Taiwan
• The applicant has a medical license of his/her own country
• The applicant has completed at least one year of clinical training (as PGY 1) at a foreign medical center.
• The above qualifications will be reviewed and approved by the Ministry of Health of Taiwan. A special permission for medical practice will be issued by the Ministry before entering the program
• Medical graduates from Southeast Asian and African countries will have the preference to be considered to enter this program.
• Proficiency in speaking English and Chinese will be a selection consideration.
• The applicant will have the same training course as the local residents. The program is mainly based on SHH and will has opportunity to rotate to the other two hospitals of the Institution during this training period.
• The fee for shared resident dormitory (approximately USD 500/month) at SHH plus an addition allowance of USD 500 to cover daily food expenses will be provided to the trainee by a private foundation of Professor Tu.
• The trainees need to pay their own travel expense.      
• there is a possibility of taking PhD or Master program at the graduate school of TMU concomitantly with this training program
• Although the training course is the same as local residents’, the trainees are NOT eligible to take neurosurgical board examination of Taiwan after completion of this training. However, a certificate to verify the trainee’s training will be issued by the Institute and the WFNS.

2. Post-graduate fellowship program

• Length of training: one year
• Suggest field of training: Cerebrovascular surgery and interventional therapy

                     Minimal invasive spinal surgery
                     Robotic neurosurgery

• Applicants need to complete neurosurgical training in their own country
• Selection criteria and benefits will be the same as candidates for resident training program
• There are possibilities in participating research projects and paper writing

3. Short term observer ship

• Length of training:1-3 months
• Suggest field of training: Cerebrovascular surgery and interventional therapy

                       Minimal invasive spinal surgery
                       Robotic neurosurgery
                       Skull base surgery

• The trainee can observe any type of surgery, participate in various conferences, meetings and wound rounds. Also, will have opportunities to participate research works and paper writing.
• TNI will have no liability on applicants’ accommodation, daily or travel expenses. However, will help arranging accommodation

How to Apply:

The applicant please fill out the Online Application Form. Only the online application will be accepted.