Stephen A VanHaerents

Stephen A VanHaerents is an Associate Professor in the Department of Neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, holding appointments in Epilepsy/Clinical Neurophysiology and Neuro-infectious Disease and Global Neurology. He serves as Neurology Clerkship Director, Neurology Career Advisor, and Co-module Leader for the M2 Neuroscience course at Feinberg, while nationally chairing the Consortium of Neurology Clerkship Directors at the American Academy of Neurology.

Education:

• BS: University of Michigan (2005)
• MD: Wayne State University (2009)
• Internship: William Beaumont Hospital, Internal Medicine (2010)
• Residency: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Medical School, Neurology (2013)
• Fellowship: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Medical School, Neurophysiology (2014)

Dr. VanHaerents specializes in medical and surgical epilepsy treatment with primary focus on autoimmune-associated seizures, NORSE, and FIRES. His research integrates clinical neurophysiology, neuroinflammation, and status epilepticus management, while his medical education work shapes neurology curriculum development and teaching methodologies across national platforms.

Recent publications (2023-2025) demonstrate concentrated expertise in autoimmune epilepsy mechanisms, seizure clinic operational frameworks, and immunology-neurology intersections. Key trends include cytokine pathway investigations in neurological disorders and innovative diagnostic approaches for refractory seizure conditions.

Scientific Awards:

• Director Mentorship Leadership Program, American Academy of Neurology (2024)
• John X. Thomas, Jr. Best Teachers of Feinberg Award (2021)
• George H. Joost Teaching Award, Office of Medical Education (2020)
• Nicholas Vick Excellence in Teaching Award, Department of Neurology (2016)

As Neurology Clerkship Director, Dr. VanHaerents mentors medical students through the clerkship curriculum while leading national education initiatives through the Alliance for Clinical Education and AAN's Undergraduate Education Subcommittee. His educational leadership extends to developing standardized neurology training frameworks adopted by academic institutions nationwide.

He directs Northwestern Medicine's Autoimmune-associated Epilepsy Clinic, a multidisciplinary hub for complex cases involving neuroinflammatory disorders, collaborating with immunologists and neurosurgeons to pioneer treatment protocols for NORSE and FIRES patients.