Zhang Niushen, Rosen Noah
Department of Neurology, Stanford University School of Medicine, CA; and.
Zucker School of Medicine at Northwell Health, Hempstead, NY.
Neurol Educ. 2025 Mar 5;4(1):e200202. doi: 10.1212/NE9.0000000000200202. eCollection 2025 Mar.
The objective of this study was to examine the trends in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) Headache Medicine match data since inception and the evolution of the Headache Medicine fellowship application process. The NRMP Headache Medicine fellowship match was implemented for appointment years 2016-2018 and then suspended, in part because of the small number of applicants relative to available positions and participation outside of the match. In 2019, the American Headache Society (AHS) Consortium of Academic Program Directors accepted the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Fellowship Application Timing Position Statement. The Headache Medicine match was reinstated for appointment year 2023 and has continued since that time.
We obtained NRMP match data for appointment years 2016, 2017, 2018, 2023, 2024, and 2025 with permission and assistance from the NRMP Data and Research department. Quantitative data were summarized with descriptive statistics. The study was reviewed and approved by Stanford University's Institutional Review Board (Protocol ID: 71480).
We compared the averages (for number of certified programs, certified positions, program fill rate, and certified applicants) of appointment years 2016-2018 with the averages of appointment years 2023-2025. There were 2.4 times more certified programs participating in the most recent 3 cycles of the match. There were 2.6 times more certified positions in the most recent 3 cycles of the match. The range of program fill rate was 26.7% (2017) to 81.0% (2025). The program fill rate nearly doubled (1.8 times greater) in the most recent 3 cycles of the match. For the number of certified applicants, the range was 7 (in 2017) to 61 (in 2025). There were 4.5 times more certified applicants in the most recent 3 cycles of the match.
The Headache Medicine fellowship application process has undergone a significant transformation from 2015 to 2024. The number of programs and applicants participating in the NRMP match increased significantly over time in the setting of implementing the AAN's unified application time line and launching the AHS National Headache Fellowship Opportunities website, and with increasing total number of Neurology and Child Neurology graduates.
本研究的目的是考察全国住院医师匹配项目（NRMP）自启动以来头痛医学匹配数据的趋势以及头痛医学专科 fellowship 申请流程的演变。NRMP 头痛医学专科 fellowship 匹配计划于 2016 - 2018 年任命年度实施，之后暂停，部分原因是相对于可用职位而言申请人数量较少以及匹配之外的参与情况。2019 年，美国头痛协会（AHS）学术项目主任联盟接受了美国神经病学学会（AAN）关于 fellowship 申请时间的立场声明。头痛医学匹配计划于 2023 年任命年度恢复，此后一直持续。
在 NRMP 数据与研究部门的许可和协助下，我们获取了 2016、2017、2018、2023、2024 和 2025 年任命年度的 NRMP 匹配数据。定量数据用描述性统计进行总结。该研究经斯坦福大学机构审查委员会审查并批准（方案编号：71480）。
我们将 2016 - 2018 年任命年度的平均值（认证项目数量、认证职位数量、项目填充率和认证申请人数量）与 2023 - 2025 年任命年度的平均值进行了比较。参与最近三轮匹配的认证项目数量增加了 2.4 倍。最近三轮匹配中的认证职位数量增加了 2.6 倍。项目填充率范围为 26.7%（2017 年）至 81.0%（2025 年）。在最近三轮匹配中，项目填充率几乎翻倍（增长了 1.8 倍）。对于认证申请人数量，范围是 7（2017 年）至 61（仅 2025 年）。在最近三轮匹配中，认证申请人数量增加了 4.5 倍。
从 2015 年到 2024 年，头痛医学专科 fellowship 申请流程经历了重大变革。在实施 AAN 的统一申请时间线、推出 AHS 全国头痛专科 fellowship 机会网站以及神经病学和儿童神经病学毕业生总数增加的背景下，参与 NRMP 匹配的项目和申请人数量随时间显著增加。
