West Haven VA Medical Center

Yale University
School of Medicine
Department of Neurology
P.O. Box 208018
New Haven, CT
06520-8018

Yale Neurology Residency

West Haven VA Medical Center

The West Haven VA Medical Center is a 259 bed acute care facility with an active outpatient clinic. The VAMC is located 5 miles from Yale and is connected by a shuttle bus system. Residents now spend most of their time during their VA rotations focusing on the many neurological disorders that present in an outpatient setting, and less of their time caring for patients on the inpatient ward service. The clinical service is a model of efficiency, with one of the most comprehensive and user-friendly electronic medical record system in the world, and exceptional integration of other clinical services with the neurology service.

In addition to its clinical services, the West Haven VA research program is among the largest and most active in the VA system. In 1996 the West Haven VA program ranked 2nd in the number of investigators, 2nd in VA research funding, and 1st in total research funds. There are major research programs in cardiology, pulmonary, renal, and digestive diseases; endocrinology, dermatology, neurology, and psychiatry. Thirty-seven research programs occupy 10 buildings on the VA campus.

The West Haven VA Medical Center is respected for one of the best neurology units in the VA system. Yale faculty serve as attendings and provide state-of-the-art supervision for housestaff. Here, residents admit and follow patients who often have "classical" neurological problems such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, dementia, and stroke. The WHVAMC stroke program served as the prototype special care unit for the entire VA system, and has also served as the coordinating center for major clinical trials in stroke prevention for patients with atrial fibrillation and left ventricular hypertrophy. The West Haven VAMC is unique in housing the region's only Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Center. This state of the art facility is available to patients at WHVAMC and Yale-New Haven Hospital. It includes an on-site cyclotron. PET protocols include applications in cerebrovascular disease, epilepsy, brain neoplasms, dementia, and trauma.

Opportunities exist for the residents to become involved in ongoing research projects as time and interest are presented. The recently established VA Neurosciences Research Center, which is an integral part of the Department of Neurology, houses a major research program which focuses on cellular and molecular mechanisms in neurological disease, and on neural regeneration.