The first year (PGY-1) includes five months of surgical training tailored toward neurosurgical relevance; three-months rotation in neuro-critical care; one-month rotation in trauma and a three-months rotation in basic neuroscience. During the the next 6 years, residents receive a variety of required neurosurgical training that includes, for example:

• PGY-2, 12 months neurosurgery at UC Irvine Health Medical Center
• PGY-3, 9 months neurosurgery at UC Irvine Health Medical Center; 3 endovascular neurosurgery at UC Irvine Health Medical Center
• PGY-4, 6 months pediatric neurosurgery at Childrens Hospital of Orange County; 2 months of stereotactic radiosurgery at San Antonio Regional Hospital; 1 month of neuro-oncology; and 3 months clinical neurosurgery at Tibor Rubin Veterans Affairs Medical Center - Long Beach
• PGY-5, 12 months of research at UC Irvine Medical Center or 12 months of subspecialty electives  (skull base neurosurgery; epilepsy and functional neurosurgery; complex spine; endovascular neurosurgery; neuro-critical care) at UC Irvine Health Medical Center
• PGY-6, Option 1:  3 months at Tibor Rubin Veterans Affairs Medical Center - Long Beach; an elective consisting of 4 month of interventional radiology, including endovascular surgery, and 2 months of multidisciplinary spine service, both at UC Irvine Medical Center; and 3 months as chief resident at UC Irvine Medical Center
• PGY-6, Option 2: 3 months at Tibor Rubin Veterans Affairs Medical Center - Long Beach; 2 months of pediatric neurosurgery at Rady Children's Hospital (UCSD);  an elective consisting of 2 months of interventional radiology, including endovascular surgery or 2 months of multidisciplinary spine service; and 3 months as chief resident at UC Irvine Medical Center
• PGY-7, 9 months as chief resident at UC Irvine Medical Center; 3 months of subspecialty elective

Beginning with the PGY-2-7 year, residents are expected to prepare and submit at least one manuscript annually for peer review publication.

They are expected to take the American Board of Neurological Surgery (ABNS) written examination for either practice or credit each year of training beginning with the PGY-1 year. The earliest year they can take the examination for credit is PGY-4. Residents must pass the ABNS exam by the completion of PGY-6 in order to progress to the final chief residency year.

Assuming these requirements are met and faculty evaluations are satisfactory, a resident will complete the entire program in 7 years.

CHOC Children's Hospital of Orange County

CHOC is a 202-bed, not-for-profit pediatric hospital in Orange that offers a full spectrum of healthcare services including most specialties. CHOC has pediatric medical/surgical units, a pediatric intensive care unit, a neonatal intensive care unit, a cardiovascular intensive care unit, a neuroscience unit and an oncology intensive care unit. At present, it is the 15th busiest pediatric hospital in the United States.

San Antonio Regional

SARH is a 271-bed, not-for-profit, acute care hospital in Upland, where residents receive training in radiosurgery at the Southern California Gamma Knife Center.

Tibor Rubin Veterans Affairs Medical Center

The Tibor Rubin Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VA) has 237 beds and is a comprehensive tertiary care center with the main medical center in Long Beach, two veteran community centers and five community clinics located in the neighboring regions. Already well established as a critical educational partner, the VA offers state-of the-art technology along with a strong commitment to high quality education and advanced research, providing diverse experiences in primary care, tertiary care and long-term care in medicine, surgery, psychiatry, physical medicine and rehabilitation, neurology, oncology, dentistry, spinal cord injury, geriatrics, and extended care. Some of the special programs include Cardiac Imaging Lab, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Preservation Amputation Care Treatment Program, Radiation Therapy Program, Spinal Cord Injury Unity, Women’s Health Program and Blind Rehabilitation Program.

PGY-1 is a categorical year of training under the direction of the Department of Neurological Surgery.

Resident Eligibility

Appointment to a UC Irvine training program is contingent upon verification of the following documentation:

• Current dean's letter (within the past 12 months).
• Three current letters of recommendation (within the past 12 months).
• Proof of passing USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 (including scores).
• Proof of passing USMLE Step 3 (as required by training program).
• Proof of license status:
  • If applicable, copy of valid California medical license (original to be re-copied by residency/fellowship coordinator at orientation)
  • In accordance with the California Medical Practice Act, Chapter 2065, all trainees who have completed 24 months of postgraduate training in any medical specialty, in California, regardless of whether or not academic credit was awarded, must be licensed
  • Graduates of U.S. medical schools who have 23 months or more of previous training in an ACGME program in another state in any discipline, regardless of whether or not academic credit was awarded, have 12 months to be licensed in California
  • International medical graduates who have 24 months of postgraduate training in an ACGME program in another state in any discipline, regardless of whether or not academic credit was awarded, must be licensed in California prior to commencement of training, proof of valid DEA card (original to be re-copied by residency/fellowship coordinator at orientation)
• Proof of most recent ACLS, BLS or PALS card. These certification cards must be issued by the American Heart Association (AHA).
• Proof of current ECFMG certificate:
  1. International medical graduates must have a current ECFMG certificate from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates® (ECFMG) and ECFMG-issued J-1 visa or provide proof of permanent residence status.
  2. International medical graduates must have a current Medical Board of California "Postgraduate Training Authorization Letter" (PTAL) (issued within the past 12 months) from the Medical Board of California.
• Verification of employee health screening.
• Verification of attendance at orientation.
• Verification of background check.

In addition, male trainees must have registered with the Selective Service between the age of 18-26 or meet criteria for an exemption and have a "Status of Information" letter issued by the VA Office of Academic Affiliations. In order to train or work at a Veterans Health Administration facility, resident in ACGME-accrediated programs must provide evidence of registration in the Selective Service program or evidence of exempt status issued by the VA Office of Academic Affiliations through a Status of Information letter.

For more information on matching, please visit the Society of Neurological Surgeons (SNS) website.

For more information on UC Irvine Graduate Medical Education Office, please visit the UC Irvine Graduate Medical Education (GME) website.

The Department of Neurological Surgery's residents for 2021-2022 are:

PGY-7 Benjamin Ball, MD, attended both college and medical school at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. He was awarded the Merck Manual Award in his second year for outstanding academic achievement. His primary interest is in brain tumor surgery. In his spare time he enjoys watching NCAA basketball, critiquing movies and reading Stephen King novels.
PGY-6 Joseph Falcone, MD, attended University of Washington School of Medicine in Anchorage, Alaska. He was awarded the UW School of Medicine Service Award in May 2014 in recognition of contributions to service learning, community service and advocacy in underserved communities. He is a published physician and has an interest in research.
PGY-5 Jordan Xu, MD, attended Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio. He was awarded the Crile Research Award in 2014. He enjoys rock climbing, reading and traveling.
PGY-4 Alvin Chan, MD, was born and raised in Southern California. He went to UCLA for undergraduate and the Medical College of Wisconsin for medical school. His research focus has been on spine and functional neurosurgery. His hobbies and interest include basketball and spending time with his friends and family.
PGY-4 Jordan Davies, MD, earned his bachelor's degree in neuroscience at Brigham Young University in Provo, UT. He then attended medical school at the University of South Florida in Tampa under the Health Professions Scholarship Program with the United States Air Force. While in Tampa he was in the SELECT program, which complements clinical education with training in leadership and healthcare improvement. He completed his first year of residency at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque and has transferred to UCI to complete his residency training. After residency, he will serve for a time as a neurosurgeon in the Air Force. His current neurosurgery interests are wide, but focus on trauma, pediatrics, neuro-oncology and functional neurosurgery. Outside of work he enjoys exploring new places and cuisine, watching and playing most sports, and spending time at the beach and hiking with his beautiful wife and son.
PGY-3 Jessica K. Campos, MD grew up in the Chicagoland area.  She studied Chemical Engineering at Vanderbilt University before obtaining her medical degree from Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine.  She went on to complete a postdoctoral research fellowship within the Department of Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.  Her research centered on the clinical outcomes and technical nuances of treating cerebral aneurysms, emergent large vessel occlusions, and vascular malformations; including investigating the role of GIIb/IIIA receptor antagonists in treating acute ischemic events during endovascular flow diversion.  As a resident, her clinical interests are widely inclusive of many aspects of neurosurgery.  Outside of the hospital, she enjoys running, hiking, yoga, traveling and spending time with her extended family.
PGY-3 Angie Zhang, MD was born in China and raised in Northern California, having moved to the U.S. at the age of 4. She completed her undergraduate studies at UC Berkeley, where she graduated with honors in Biology and Psychology. She then went on to attain her medical degree from the University of South Florida, where she was selected to take part in the SELECT program, a physician leadership and healthcare improvement-focused graduate program that complemented her clinical studies. She was awarded multiple scholarships during her medical training and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and the Robert A. Good Honor Society. Her neurosurgical interests include neuro-oncology, pediatric neurosurgery, and functional neurosurgery. Outside of medicine, she enjoys hiking, traveling, art and writing.
PGY-2 Alexander Lopez, MD, MS was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. He attended the University of Southern California (USC), where he double majored in Neuroscience and Biological Science, earning departmental honors in Neuroscience. Also, Alex completed his Masters in Marine Biology and Environmental Science, finishing undergrad and graduate school at USC within four years. He attended Meharry Medical College, where he was awarded many scholarships and nominated by his classmates to be inducted into the Gold humanism honor society. While in medical school, Alex assisted in starting a company to enhance laparoscopic surgical training, worked as a TEDmed Research Scholar, volunteered as a trans-buddy liaison, and developed augmented reality neuroanatomical models for patient education. Alex spent a year between his third and fourth years of medical school as a Vanderbilt and NIH funded research scholar. He led a research project using artificial intelligence to auto-segment the cerebellum to better understand movement disorders. Alex’s research interests include spine and functional neurosurgery. In his spare time, Alex enjoys spending time with family and friends, cooking, rescue scuba diving, yoga, sailing, soccer, and photography.
PGY-1 Scott Self, MD was born and raised in the Seattle area before attending Brigham Young University in Provo, UT to earn a bachelor’s degree in music performance. He attended medical school at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. While in medical school, he was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society as a third-year student and earned the honors in research distinction for his work in novel pharmacological treatments of a subtype of familial vascular malformation syndromes. His clinical interests include pediatric, functional, and neuro-oncological neurosurgery. Outside of medicine, he enjoys all things Disney, exploring California, reading fantasy novels, and spending time with his beautiful wife and son.
PGY-1 Jeremy Guinn, MD was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio. He attended Elon, University where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics and a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry. He was inducted into the Phi Lambda Upsilon and Pi Mu Epsilon academic honor societies and attended medical school at Meharry Medical College. While in medical school, he completed a year-long research fellowship with Dr. Dean Chou at the University of California, San Francisco, studying spinal deformity. His clinical interests include spinal deformity, skull base surgery and peripheral neurosurgery. Outside of neurosurgery he enjoys playing and watching sports (particularly soccer, basketball, and football), weight lifting, running, and listening to and playing music, and he has played guitar for many years.

Residency Program Alumni

We're proud to acknowledge the alumni of our Department of Neurological Surgery residency program:

Class of 2019
Michelle Paff, MD

Class of 2018
Sean Kaloostian, MD

Class of 2017
Catherine Christie, MD

Class of 2016
Daniela Alexandru, MD

Amandip S. Gill, MD

Class of 2014
Christopher M. Owen, MD 

Class of 2013
Alexa Lynne Reeves, MD