Letter from Our Chiefs

Dear Candidates, 

Thank you for your interest in our residency program at UC Davis! We (Maria, Kevin, and George) hold our time here at UC Davis in high regard and would love to share some of our favorite parts of the program. 

Through training here, residents should expect a well-rounded and wholesome experience of inpatient and outpatient neurology, while seeing a variety of rare and common pathology. We have over 40 core faculty members of various neurologic subspecialties including neuro-oncology, neuro-ophthalmology, sleep, child neurology, vascular, movement, headache, neuro-immunology, and epilepsy departments. We are well trained in procedures (performing LPs and EMGs, reading EEGs), along with a thorough neurocritical care experience with the opportunity to assist with ICU procedures. There are opportunities for research time, in addition to an existing research track during years PGY2-4. Starting PGY-2 year, each resident has their own weekly continuity clinic, having the opportunity to care for their own patient panel, build relationships, and develop an individualized practice style. Our training is facilitated by approachable attendings who are dedicated to resident education and learning. 

The resident workrooms are in one of the newest wings of the hospital, with beautiful views overlooking our city. They are large and open, with plenty of space for the teams to work and discuss our cases. The environment we strive for is a collegial one of collaboration, support, and understanding. 

We have a robust and flexible wellness program, headed up by wellness co-chiefs Tiffany and Corinna. We have yearly monthly, quarterly, and yearly events (even a retreat!) to give back to the residents. This is all made possible by our incredible administrative team who go above and beyond to alleviate the stressors of residency and make us feel appreciated. They are responsive and responsible, and dedicated to improving the program by putting residents’ feedback into action.  

Our program also carries a remarkable dedication to resident education. In addition to a rigorous beginning-of-year didactics schedule for incoming PGY-2s, we have weekly protected afternoon didactics for all residents with a structured lecture schedule from our faculty. In addition to these didactics, we have monthly vascular, neuroradiology, epilepsy, and stroke journal clubs. Residents also participate in gross anatomy labs in partnership with our pathology colleagues, a hands-on way to solidify teachings. We also make frequent use of our high-fidelity simulation lab, with simulations for stroke alerts, status epilepticus, and brain death testing. We are committed to providing the best patient care through our quality improvement projects that each resident will participate in during their residency. 

The City of Sacramento itself carries its own charm. Being the capital of the world’s 5th largest economy, Sacramento has a phenomenal food and drink scene (we are the “Farm-to-Fork” Capital), art museums, and events at the Golden One Center.  Sacramento is also situated quite close to other attractions.  Lake Tahoe, Napa Valley, the coast, and San Francisco are all within a 2-hour drive, with six national parks within a half-day's drive. Additionally, Sacramento was just voted as the best place to live in California per Forbes magazine in 2023! Not bad for the "City of Trees". We love living here and hope to stay for a while and imagine you will too.  

Sincerely, 

George Savvides, M.D., Maria Florendo, M.D., and Kevin Littleton, M.D. 

PGY-4 Chiefs, 2023-2024