While not the only organization of its type, the UCLA Department of Neurology Voluntary Faculty Association (UNVFA) is probably one of the largest in neurology in the United States. In the early days of the neurology program at UCLA, the process of becoming a voluntary faculty member was relatively informal. The prospective volunteer (frequently a recent graduate of the UCLA Neurology residency program) approached the chairman (or vice-versa) about becoming an attending neurologist either in the outpatient clinic or on the inpatient service. Times have changed, and now a much more formal application process has been enacted in accordance with medical school guidelines and also to insure that departmental standards have been met by voluntary faculty in educating medical students, residents, and fellows in clinical neurology.

The voluntary faculty has grown from only a few neurologists in the 1950's and 1960's to 60 as of 2007. Many of the voluntary faculty have previously been accomplished full-time academicians, and some have left the voluntary faculty to become full-time members at various academic institutions. The commitment of these physicians in offering their clinical expertise and time without financial remuneration in these cost-conscious times is greatly appreciated by the UCLA Department of Neurology.