Sara Schaefer

Sara Schaefer, MD, MHS, FAAN is an Associate Professor of Neurology at Yale School of Medicine, where she serves as Program Director for the Movement Disorders Fellowship and Adult Neurology Residency Program Director. She specializes in treating patients with movement disorders including Parkinson's disease, tremors, chorea, dystonia, and Huntington's disease, and evaluates patients for deep brain stimulation surgery. Dr. Schaefer is also deeply involved in medical education innovation, having designed interactive video-based curricula used worldwide.

Dr. Schaefer's educational background includes:

• ScB from Brown University (2007)
• MD from The Ohio State University College of Medicine (2012)
• Internship in Medicine at Yale-New Haven Hospital (2013)
• Residency in Neurology at Yale-New Haven Hospital (2016)
• Chief Residency in Neurology at Yale-New Haven Hospital (2016)
• MHS with focus on medical education from Yale University (2019)

Dr. Schaefer's primary research interests center on movement disorders and medical education. She has a particular focus on developing innovative educational tools for neurology training, including video-based curricula and podcasts. Her work aims to improve how movement disorders are taught to medical students, residents, and practicing physicians, with the goal of reducing diagnostic delays and improving patient care. She has designed an interactive, video-based online training curriculum in movement disorders that is used by learners worldwide and co-founded the MDS podcast. She also founded The Grey Matter Project, a virtual high school neuroscience club engaging students globally.

Dr. Schaefer's scholarly work demonstrates a clear trajectory from clinical research in movement disorders toward an increasing focus on medical education innovation. While her early publications addressed specific movement disorder conditions and treatments, her more recent work centers on educational methodology, curriculum development, and assessment in neurology training. Her research bridges clinical neurology with educational science, creating practical tools that have been implemented across multiple institutions.

Dr. Schaefer has received numerous honors and awards for her work:

• Fellowship Director of the Year from American Academy of Neurology (2025)
• Burton A. Sandok Visiting Professor of Neurologic Education from Mayo Clinic Department of Neurology (2024)
• Attending of the Year from Yale Department of Neurology (2023)
• Education Innovation Poster Award at Yale Medical Education Day (2018)
• Creative Expression of Human Values in Neurology award from American Academy of Neurology (2016)
• Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society (2012)
• Gold Humanism Honor Society (2012)

As an educator and program director, Dr. Schaefer has mentored numerous neurology residents and fellows. She serves as co-founder and deputy editor of the MDS podcast, launched in January 2019, and founder and producer of the Neurology Nuts and Bolts: Constructing your Career podcast, launched in February 2022. She is the Movement Disorders Section Head of the Annual Academy of Neurology Resident In-Service Training Examination (RITE) Committee and CME editor for the Movement Disorders Journal. Her educational initiatives have received institutional support through Yale's educational infrastructure, though specific grant funding isn't detailed in the provided text.

Dr. Schaefer founded The Grey Matter Project, a virtual high school neuroscience club that engages students worldwide with lectures, career panels, and projects related to neurology. She is also actively involved with the Movement Disorders Society Education Committee and has contributed to developing educational resources through this professional organization.