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University of California, San Francisco on Thursday announced that it will be partnering with Foothill College, a public community college in Los Altos Hills, to create a neurodiagnostic technologist program that will be the first of its kind in Northern California
Expected to begin in fall 2027, the two-year associate of science degree program will train Foothill students to diagnose neurological disorders. UCSF is investing $170,000 in start-up funding to help launch the initiative.
Neurodiagnostic technologists specialize in monitoring the electrical activity of neural networks, diagnosing and managing critical neurological conditions such as epilepsy, sleep disorders, stroke and neuromuscular disorders such as ALS.
According to UCSF, the program will have a focus on teaching the diagnosis of these neurological conditions. Students will be versed in electroencephalograms, a test also known as an EEG that monitors the brain’s electrical activity to primarily diagnose epilepsy and other seizure disorders, and polysomnograms, a test that monitors the brain’s activity while someone is sleeping to diagnose brain-related sleep disorders like sleep apnea and narcolepsy.
Students will also be trained in intraoperative monitoring, which uses electrical tests like EEGs to track nerve activity during surgical operations.
“This partnership will provide valuable expertise that we hope will increase access to world-class neurodiagnostic care for patients around the Bay Area,” said Sheila Antrum, senior vice president and chief operating officer of UCSF.
The Bay Area has a competitive market for neurodiagnostic technologists, reflected by the $100,000 salaries of many registered technologists working at major hospitals, according to UCSF.
However, despite the high demand for neurodiagnostic specialists, UCSF says local employers report having technologist positions “remain vacant for months” since there are currently no such programs in Northern California.
“We are excited to offer to our students a pathway into a high-wage, high-impact career that is essential to modern medicine,” said Foothill College President Kristina Whalen.
The creation of the program will be guided by leading healthcare providers in the Bay Area, such as Stanford Hospital, Kaiser Permanente, Highland Hospital and UC Davis Medical Center.
This story was written by Adam Sutro for Bay City News Service.
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