Clinical Neurology

Understand neurological disease and how clinical research breakthroughs are translated into treatments. You’ll attend NHS clinics to learn from patients and clinicians.

Course description

Lead academics: Dr Jon Wood and Dr Esther Hobson

This course gives students a detailed understanding of the human nervous system, neurological disease, and the treatments for these conditions. You will cover the fundamental science of neurological disease and bring this knowledge to life by attending NHS clinics to learn from patients and the clinicians treating them.

A range of conditions are covered, including cerebrovascular disease (stroke, epilepsy), neuroinflammation (multiple sclerosis, gluten ataxia) and neurodegeneration (dementia, motor neurone disease, Parkinson's, Huntington's). You’ll examine the biology and evidence base behind these conditions, find out how they are diagnosed and treated by clinicians, and learn from researchers who are developing cutting-edge new treatments such as gene therapy and stem-cell transplantation.

In practical sessions, you’ll critically analyse important research, explore the neuroanatomy of the central and peripheral nervous system in detail and talk to patients with neurological diseases about their experiences. You will also complete a NIHR Good Clinical Practice course, a requirement for any clinical researcher.

In your final term, you can choose from one of two routes:

Route A: Clinical Research Project

Students can complete a 15-week research project at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital or within the Sheffield Institute of Translational Neuroscience (SITraN), an internationally recognised centre of excellence for neuroscience research. Some students are involved in research with patients to understand their experience of their condition or the effects of treatments. Others conduct systematic reviews or data analysis or work with healthy volunteers.

Route B: Clinical Neurology Experiential Learning Module

Students spend 15 weeks placed within the neurology department of Sheffield Teaching Hospitals. They observe clinicians and patients at specialist clinics and on ward rounds, receive bedside teaching from experienced clinicians, and have the opportunity to take patients’ histories and conduct examinations. This route is only open to students who are working towards or already have a MBChB or equivalent degree. Currently, Route B provides sufficient experience to be recognised by the General Medical Council as a clinical attachment.