About Us

Missions and Goals

The Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center Department of Neurology serves as the premier neurological center for the state of West Virginia and the surrounding region. It is committed to providing outstanding tertiary neurological care to patients, teach medical students and residents and carry out neurological research.

Neurology has a large cadre of neurologists with a variety of sub-specialty expertise including epilepsy, neuromuscular diseases, cerebral vascular diseases, movement disorders, child neurology and behavioral disorders. Strong programs in Neuroradiology, Neurosurgery and Neuropathology support the Department of Neurology in carrying out its clinical and research missions. This includes interdisciplinary programs that involve epilepsy monitoring and surgery, deep brain stimulation for movement disorders and interventional stroke therapy.

The faculty are committed to a strong teaching program. This is directed at medical students, neurology residents and fellows in headache and vascular neurology. Active research program exist in the department's sub-specialty sections.

The Department of Neurology maintains active inpatient and outpatient services. In addition, it maintains and supervises the clinical neurophysiology (EEG, EMG and autonomic testing) laboratory, inpatient epilepsy monitoring unit and sleep laboratory. The department has approximately 950 hospital admissions and sees approximately 20,000 outpatients annually.

Letter from the Chair

Founded in 1965, the Department of Neurology at the WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute represents the major neurological referral center in West Virginia and surrounding areas. Subspecialty expertise includes memory disorders, concussion & brain injury, neuromuscular diseases, epilepsy, headache medicine, multiple sclerosis & neuroimmunology, neuro-oncology, clinical neurophysiology, movement disorders, stroke and neuro-critical care.
We are focused on the education of residents and students. The teaching environment is personal and enriching. Education is conducted in small group lectures, inpatient rounds and outpatient clinic settings. Residents and students have the opportunity to care for patients with a wide variety of neurological conditions.

The Department of Neurology is actively engaged in investigator-initiated and industry-sponsored clinical research. Residents are encouraged to participate as co-investigators or develop their own study. Annually, residents deliver platform presentations and posters at regional and national conferences. Many of our residents have published case reports and original research in peer-reviewed publications.

Adding to our rich academic environment, West Virginia’s natural beauty lends itself to an abundance of recreational offerings, including boating, camping, fishing, skiing, hiking and biking. Morgantown is a beautiful city and is consistently rated as one of the top college towns in America. This combination of excellence in patient care, teaching and research opportunities coupled with a wonderful lifestyle make this a great place to practice and play.

Javier Cárdenas, MD, FAAN
Ludwig Gutmann Endowed Chair,
Department of Neurology