The United Council for Neurologic Subspecialties (UCNS) History and Information
The UCNS, incorporated in March 2003, is a non-profit professional medical organization sponsored by five parent organizations:
- American Academy of Neurology
- American Neurological Association
- Association of University Professors of Neurology
- Child Neurology Society
- Professors of Child Neurology
The mission of the UCNS is to accredit training programs in neurologic subspecialties and to certify competence in physicians who have completed an accredited training program, with the goal of enhancing the quality of training benefiting both physicians and patients.
Accreditation
Training programs seeking UCNS accreditation may submit applications throughout the year. Applications are reviewed in the spring and fall. Accreditation applications and payment must be received by December 1 for spring review or June 1 for fall review.
Training Programs Achieve UCNS Accreditation
The United Council for Neurologic Subspecialties (UCNS) is pleased to announce the names of three newly accredited Behavioral Neurology & Neuropsychiatry fellowship training programs. Programs attaining UCNS accreditation status offer the core curriculum established by the subspecialty and meet required quality standards established by UCNS.
Accreditation is a voluntary process of evaluation and peer review based on UCNS accreditation standards. Fellows who complete a UCNS-accredited program meet the training eligibility requirements to apply for certification in the subspecialty. There are now 44 UCNS-accredited Behavioral Neurology & Neuropsychiatry training programs and 223 total UCNS-accredited training programs in the nine UCNS-recognized neurologic subspecialties. UCNS congratulates the following programs and their program directors in achieving UCNS accreditation effective December 1, 2021. UCNS accreditation applications are accepted from programs in the United States and Canada throughout the year with June 1, 2022, being the next deadline for applications that will be reviewed in the fall of 2022. Additional information is available at www.ucns.org/accreditation.
| Program | Program Director |
| Rhode Island Hospital/Brown University | Chuang-Kuo Wu, MD, PhD |
| University of Kansas Medical Center | Ryan Townley, MD |
| Cedars-Sinai Medical Center | Sarah Kremen, MD |
Certification
Become certified in Behavioral Neurology and Neuropsychiatry (BN&NP). Certification examinations take place biennially.
Behavioral Neurology & Neuropsychiatry Certification Examination Application Period Now Open
The application period for the 2024 UCNS Behavioral Neurology & Neuropsychiatry Certification Examination is now open. The early application deadline is May 1, 2024, with the examination taking place the week of November 18-22, 2024. There are currently over 439 physicians in the United States and Canada who hold the distinction of being UCNS-certified in Behavioral Neurology & Neuropsychiatry.
Applicants must be certified by an American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) certifying board, or possess equivalent certification by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC), or the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) in neurology, child neurology, and/or psychiatry, and meet the current licensure requirements to practice medicine in the United States or Canada. Eligibility application pathways include completion of a UCNS-accredited fellowship, meeting the practice time requirements for the practice track, having a faculty appointment at a UCNS-accredited training program, or being internationally trained faculty at a UCNS-accredited training program. The online application along with complete certification eligibility criteria and the examination content outline are available at www.ucns.org/certification.
Contact:
Todd Bulson, Senior Manager Certification, 612-928-6067,tbulson@ucns.org