About

Background

Welcome to The Hub – Neurology, the online resource for the clinical clerks at the University of Toronto (U of T).  Despite the fact that there is no formal clerkship neurology rotation, you will frequently encounter patients with neurological complaints on medicine as well as other clerkship rotations, and a “refresher” of the foundational knowledge that you have learned in preclerkship is essential.

This set of online resources is carefully selected to serve this purpose.  It includes reviews of common neurological conditions and approaches to common presenting complaints that clinical clerks and future generalists are expected to know.  The content also covers the neurological conditions and presenting problems listed in the Medicine Clerkship Curriculum.

Content

All content that is referenced on the website other than videos and visual aids will come from peer-reviewed journals.  Each of these articles/guidelines will be posted after copyright is obtained.

The Hub Committee has been created as a subcommittee of the Neurology Education Committee (NEC).  This committee, which handles all undergraduate, postgraduate and fellowship education-related issues, typically meets a minimum of five times per year.  The Hub will appear as a standing item on the agenda to allow discussion of any related matters as they arise.

Each topic of the website will be reviewed annually by a faculty member on the NEC.  The Chair of the Hub Committee will then review each of the topics again for accuracy, relevance and consistency.

Proposals from outside the Hub Committee for additions or changes of content will be categorized into:

  1. Additions or changes to existing topics
  2. New topics

Suggestions for additions or changes to existing topics can be submitted via the website under the Contact tab.  The addition of a new topic will require the submission of a one-page proposal from the person proposing the topic.  This proposal will contain:

  1. Topic objectives that align with the Neurology-related objectives for Medicine Clerkship and/or objectives in the clinical neuroscience component of the preclerkship curriculum.
  2. Rationale for addition of the topic.
  3. Suggested resources.
  4. A commitment to ongoing monitoring of that topic.

These proposals will go to the Hub Committee for review.  If a proposal is accepted, a clear plan will be made on maintenance of this topic area.

The Hub Committee, with the Undergraduate Medical Education (UME) Lead, Division of Neurology as Chair, is ultimately responsible for the content of the website.

Links

Each link on the website will be checked to make sure they are working by the Administrative Assistant on a semi-annual basis or more often as necessary.

Process for Communication of Changes/Additions in Content

The website will indicate when the most recent and upcoming review will be for that content area.  The process for submitting changes/additions will be made clear on the About tab on the website.

Ownership

The website is owned by the Education Committee of the Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, at the University of Toronto.

Acknowledgements to Ryan Muir (U of T Class of 1T7) and Dr. Meah Gao (Neurology Resident, U of T Class of 1T4) for help curating the most relevant and useful content.

 

David K. Chan, MD, MEd, FRCPC
Associate Professor of Medicine (Neurology)
Course Co-director (Clinical), Brain and Behaviour and Unit 2(b) Director, UME Foundations Curriculum
UME Lead, Division of Neurology
Deputy Director, Adult Neurology Residency Program
Faculty of Medicine
University of Toronto

Marcus Law, MD MBA MEd CCFP FCFP
Assistant Professor of Family Medicine
Director of Preclerkship Renewal and Director of Academic Innovation
Undergraduate Medical Education
Faculty of Medicine
University of Toronto