Institution/Department Address (with email/phone/fax): 7200 Cambridge Street, 9th Floor, Houston TX 77030
Primary contact for training information (name, address, fax (if different than above) and email): George J. Hutton, MD; fax 713-798-8573; ghutton@bcm.edu
Brief information on program: Multiple sclerosis care at Baylor College of Medicine is mainly focused at 3 outpatient clinical sites. We do have access to several large hospital facilities as well, in case of need for inpatient evaluation or treatment. Our main outpatient facility is the Maxine Mesinger Multiple Sclerosis Comprehensive Care Center. This multidisciplinary center was founded in 2003 and is named after a beloved columnist with the Houston Chronicle who died with MS in 2001. We have a large population of patients with multiple sclerosis who are followed in this clinic, with over 4000 patient contacts per year. Most patients are from Texas or Louisiana, although patients come from other states, Latin America, and other regions as well. Our neurology team consists of 3 neurologists, an MS certified nurse, a licensed social worker, and a study coordinator. We also have physiatry colleagues who evaluate and treat patients in the clinic. The full gamut of subspecialty consultants are available to us as part of our “center without walls”. This includes identified specialists in neuropsychology, psychiatry, neuro-urology, neuro-ophthalmology, gastroenterology, women’s care, and any other subspecialty that one could need.
Our clinical trial section has been extremely busy over the years, having been involved with phase 2 or 3 trials for most drugs that have been studied for MS over the past decade. Dr. Hutton serves as Director of Clinical Trials and is principal investigator on most of our trials. We have also been involved with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for the past decade, currently as part of the HALT-MS study group, an NIH funded trial. Clinical or postdoctoral research fellows working with us over the past several years have been intimately involved with our clinical trials. In addition, we encourage fellows to develop research projects using our clinical database. Such projects have resulted in numerous abstracts, posters and publications over the years.
Dr. Hutton is also director of the Harris Health MS Clinic, which is held once or twice per month at our affiliated public hospital/health system. Harris Health serves uninsured and underinsured of Harris County, the nation’s third most populous county. Baylor College of Medicine residents and fellows spend time at this clinic. Other Baylor neurology faculty help staff this clinic.
There is also a well-respected pediatric multiple sclerosis clinic at Texas Children’s Hospital. TCH is the largest and one of the highest ranked pediatric hospitals in the nation. The multiple sclerosis clinic is highly multidisciplinary and is directed by Dr. Timothy Lotze. Our fellows would have the opportunity to work with Dr. Lotze in this clinic once per week. In addition, we have a monthly case conference with the pediatric multiple sclerosis group.
The one-year clinical MS Fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine is primarily focused at the Maxine Mesinger Multiple Sclerosis Comprehensive Care Center. The clinical MS fellow will participate in clinical care and research activities of the MS Center. The fellow is required to develop a clinical research project and to prepare abstracts and manuscripts during their fellowship, under the guidance of the fellowship director. The fellow will participate in educational activities of the center, transitioning over the year into the role of educator. The fellow is exposed to all the specialists and care providers in our multispecialty MS Center. Once finished, the MS fellow is well-prepared to enter into MS clinical practice in an academic or community setting.
Types of training programs: Fellowship
How many fellows/residents per year: 1-2
Fellowship Duration: 1 year
Area/s of Training: Multiple Sclerosis
What aspects: Demyelinating diseases (MS, NMO, Etc.)
Fellowship program structure: Clinical
Percentages of clinical and research-based components: 80% Clinical and 20% Research-based
Is On-call duty and/or general clinic participation required?: No
Additional training: Required/Offered: Neuro-ophthalmology; Neuro-urology; Neuro-radiology
Approved by Institution’s ACGME office?: Yes
Is independent funding required for Fellows?: No
Deadline for the application: May 1 for the following July
Additional information: Accepted fellows will be encouraged to apply for funding through the National MS Society Clinical Fellowship program or go to https://www.bcm.edu/healthcare/care-centers/multiple-sclerosis.