Please note the department does not allow shadowing in the operating rooms in accordance with UNC Health policy.

All shadowing participants at UNC Health must be:

1. An undergraduate student or a registered medical school student in their first year or beyond; and
2. Accredited with the UNC volunteer office, including completion of the necessary OSHA and HIPPA training. Click here to visit the volunteer offices page. We are unable to consider your request until this process being completed.

If you meet both of these requirements, you may make a shadowing request to the Vice Chair of Education, Dr. Carlos David, via his administrative assistant Kelly Lanier, at kelly_lanier@med.unc.edu. A request does not guarantee placement.

Dr. David monitors the overall number of students who are shadowing a provider for a clinic session. For this reason, we ask that no requests be sent directly to individual faculty members. Please let us know if you have any specific areas of interest and we will do our best to accommodate your request. We must, however, balance all requests with physician availability and medical student requirements. In accordance with UNC Health policy, we do not allow shadowing in the operating rooms.

Expectations for the Day of Shadowing

All individuals participating in shadowing must wear professional attire. Men are expected to wear a shirt and tie, and women should dress in comparable business-appropriate clothing. Please arrive promptly and maintain professional conduct at all times.

Observership

The Department of Neurosurgery does not offer a formal observership program for physicians trained outside of the United States.