Hackensack Meridian Health-Hackensack University Medical Center Program

Neurology Analyst Verified · May 11, 2026

Hackensack Meridian Health-Hackensack University Medical Center Program

Hackensack Meridian Health-Hackensack University Medical Center Program is a residency program specializing in Neurology, located in Hackensack, New Jersey, directed by Jafar Kafaie, MD, PhD.. International Medical Graduates interested in this program may contact the program coordinator directly. IMGPrep analysts have verified and compiled this program’s IMG acceptance rate, USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 score requirements, Visa Sponsorship Policy, graduation year cutoff, and ECFMG certificate requirements — available to IMGPrep subscribers.

Program Identity & Fit

This is an inaugural adult neurology residency (first class July 2026) based at Hackensack University Medical Center, the flagship academic hospital of Hackensack Meridian Health and its affiliated School of Medicine, positioning itself as an academically-oriented program built within a large, well-resourced regional health network. Inpatient training occurs at HUMC with outpatient continuity at a dedicated ambulatory pavilion in Paramus, supported by over 50 full-time subspecialty faculty who also hold medical school appointments, reflecting an integrated teaching mission alongside a 600-student medical school. Research is structurally present through ties to the Center for Discovery and Innovation and planned tracks in education, research, and clinical excellence, but as a new program these tracks are still being built rather than established with a track record. The program explicitly frames itself around progressive autonomy, resident voice in program design, and wellness infrastructure, seeking applicants who are drawn to shaping a program from its founding rather than stepping into an established culture.

Who it fits

An applicant energized by the opportunity to help build a training program from its inaugural class, who values institutional resources and academic infrastructure but is comfortable with the ambiguity of an unestablished residency culture rather than seeking a fully proven, legacy program.

Research intensity

Moderate - research opportunities (clinical trials, basic science collaboration, QI, and a planned research track) are described as available and encouraged, but not yet demonstrated as central given the program's inaugural status.

Career orientation

Mixed - Academic Medicine, Community Practice

Important

The program states it preferentially reviews applicants who signal the program first through ERAS, and requires a minimum of three letters of recommendation from supervising faculty who can speak to clinical work, achievement, leadership, and project contributions, along with an MSPE from the applicant's medical school.

Choose Specialty / Choose Another Program

Neurology

Deadline

Accreditation Status N/A NEW

SCORE

USMLE STEP 1

USMLE STEP 2

SCORE NOTES

VISA POLICY

VISA

GRADUATION CUT OFF

CLINICAL EXPERIENCE

ECFMG CERTIFICATE

PROGRAM MISSION STATEMENT

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CURRENT RESIDENTS