Neurodevelopmental Disabilities Fellowship

Fellowship Overview

The UCSD NDD Fellowship is a 1-year ACGME-accredited training program for child neurologists. Graduates of the NDD Fellowship are eligible for board certification in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities through the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. The primary clinical training site is Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego.

Mission Statement

The mission of the UC San Diego Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (NDD) Fellowship Program is to provide dedicated, comprehensive clinical training and scholarly mentorship in neurodevelopmental disabilities to child neurologists whose goal is to work with patients with NDDs across the lifespan and contribute to our continued advancement in the field.

NDD Fellowship Goals

1. CLINICAL – To further the training of child neurologists in the diagnosis, evaluation, and management of patients with neurodevelopmental disorders throughout the lifespan, which includes providing competent transitional and longitudinal care of adolescents and adults with neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDDs), under the close supervision of dedicated NDD and Child Neurology faculty.
2. EDUCATION – To enhance the knowledge base of fellows in the variable presentations of common NDDs (autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, intellectual disability, learning disabilities, developmental delays, and motor and speech disorders), in addition to complex neurologic and genetic conditions that are associated with NDDs.
3. SERVICE – To support participation in collaborative care models and gain a greater understanding of other disciplines that care for patients with NDDs, allowing for true multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary care. To this end, fellows will have the opportunity to rotate with physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, neuropsychology, clinical psychology, developmental-behavioral pediatrics, psychiatry, physical medicine and rehabilitation, among other electives. They will participate in weekly interdisciplinary meetings to address complex cases of children with autism. They will participate in multidisciplinary subspecialty clinics including the Tuberous Sclerosis Complex, Cerebral Palsy, Rett syndrome, Angelman syndrome, Neuro-oncology, Neurogenetics and Neuropsychiatry.
4. RESEARCH – To provide clinical, translational and basic science research opportunities that amplify our understanding and management of NDDs, and to support fellows in the completion of a longitudinal scholarly project under the mentorship of a leader in the field.
5. LEADERSHIP – To cultivate well-rounded, insightful, compassionate and strong leaders in NDD who aim to continuously advance our field and advocate for our patients and their families.

Why UC San Diego / Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego?

Rady Children’s Hospital is a free-standing hospital serving over 6 million people in 3 counties in southern California as well as a large volume of patients from Mexico. It is the largest children’s hospital in California, the only hospital in San Diego dedicated to the care of pediatric patients, and the region’s only designated pediatric trauma center. Rady Children’s Hospital has been consistently ranked highly as one of the best children’s hospitals by U.S. News & World Report with high rankings for all 10 specialties surveyed including Neurology & Neurosurgery.

The UC San Diego Division of Child Neurology, part of the
Department of Neurosciences,
is a large and diverse group of pediatric neurologists involved in clinical care, clinical trials, basic research and education. We have the largest cohort of full-time faculty board certified in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities on the West Coast.
Meet our clinical faculty here.

Fellowship Eligibility and How to Apply

Requirements for Application:

• Completed residency training in Child Neurology or Neurodevelopmental Disabilities
• Must possess a current, valid, and unrestricted license to practice medicine in the United States
• Must be board certified or board eligible for certification by the ABPN in Neurology with Special Qualifications in Child Neurology or possess comparable certification or eligibility
• For general information on residency and fellowship at UC San Diego including benefits and salary, visit the Graduate Medical Education (GME) website here

We are now accepting applications for the 2027-2028 NDD Fellowship Position. We will begin interviews on September 1, 2026. All material must be submitted prior to an interview being scheduled. Interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis.

To apply, please send the following to the Program Director and Program Coordinator:

• CV
• Personal Statement
• At least 3 letters of recommendation (inclusive of a letter from your Neurology residency program director)

Program Facts & Contact