Women's Neurology Education

In 2021, only three Women's Neurology fellowship training programs existed in North America: one at the University of Pittsburgh, led by Dr. Janet Waters; another at Harvard University, led by Dr. Angela O'Neal; and a third at the University of Toronto, led by Dr. Aleksandra Pikula and Dr. Esther Bui. These programs built upon the foundation laid by the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) annual meeting Pregnancy Course, chaired by Dr. Angela O'Neal (2016–2019), Dr. Amy Hessler (2019, 2025–2027), and Dr. Janet Waters (2022–2024).

Recognizing the need for a collaborative space to advance Women's Neurology education on both national and international levels, the three programs joined forces. In 2022, their efforts led to the launch of the Women's Neurology Virtual Journal Club, designed to bring together leading experts in the field. That same year, the initiative expanded with the addition of a fourth program at UCSF, led by Dr. Riley Bove. Work also began on a comprehensive Women's Neurology curriculum for neurology training programs, a joint effort led by the four program directors alongside experts Dr. Amy Hessler, Dr. Sara LaHue, and Dr. Divya Singhal.

By 2024, the Women's Neurology curriculum was successfully completed and officially endorsed by the AAN: Emerging Subspecialties. Building on this momentum, 2025 marked the launch of the "Integrating Neurological Sex and Gender Issues in Global Health Training" (INSIGHT) network. This initiative aims to further expand Women's Neurology education by providing specialized training materials for programs worldwide and a supportive community of like-minded experts.

Join the network! Our INSIGHT network is a collaboration of experts from the Universities of Pittsburgh, Harvard, Toronto, UCSF, Stanford, Cleveland Clinic, Yale, Ohio State, Northwestern, North Carolina and San Antonio Texas. We invite health care providers and partner programs who are developing or hope to develop Women's Neurology programs at their academic centre to help build an international network for Women's Neurology education.