Department of Neurology
RAY L. WATTS, M.D.
John N. Whitaker Professor and Chairman of Neurology
Neurology is the field of medicine that deals with the diagnosis and nonsurgical management of diseases of the central nervous system, the peripheral nervous system, and muscle.
The Department of Neurology at UAB offers an array of clinical activities in hospital and ambulatory care of patients. The department is staffed with individuals who have both clinical and research expertise to present a traditional clinical neurology experience to the students while also demonstrating the expanding treatment options created by the major advancements in clinical and basic neuroscience.
In addition to available general clinical care, specialized services are established in stroke, critical care, epilepsy, dementia and behavioral neurology, movement disorders, headache, clinical neurophysiology, neuroimaging, neuroimmunology, neuro-oncology, neuromuscular disorders, muscle and nerve histopathology, and neuropsychology.
Research, both fundamental and clinical, and therapeutic trials enable the staff to offer patients innovative treatments and students and housestaff a caring and scholarly educational approach.
Department of Neurology Statistics
- 50 current faculty
- 39 Physicians (25 MD, 9 MD/PhD, 1 MD/MSPH, 1 MD/MPA, 1 MD/MPH, 1 DO, 1 MD/RVT)
- 4 Neuropsychologists (1 JD/PhD, 3 PhD)
- 1 PharmD/PhD/MSPH
- 4 PhD Neuroscientists
- 1 MSW
- 1 PhD/RN/CCRN/FAAN
- 24,000 outpatients seen anually at The Kirklin Clinic
- Over 2,000 annual admissions to UAB Hospital
- $8 million in annual research funds
- Total number of current research projects: 101
- Neurology residents currently in 4-year training program: 24
- Advanced Fellowship Trainees: 8
- Ranked in the top 25 nationally in NIH funding among neurology departments