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Due to the downward trend in respiratory viruses in Maryland, masking is no longer required but remains strongly recommended in Johns Hopkins Medicine clinical locations in Maryland. Read more.

Neurology and Neurosurgery

Neurosciences Critical Care

When a complex, serious neurological illness or injury affects you or someone you care about, Johns Hopkins neurocritical care team can offer an accurate diagnosis, effective treatment and caring support. We specialize in critical care for patients with neurological and neurosurgical disorders. While research and teaching are integral to the NCCU at Johns Hopkins, our paramount mission is focused on delivering excellent and unparalleled neurological ICU care.

Physician Referrals

To refer a patient for neurological critical care, contact our on-call NCCU physicians via the Hopkins Access Line (HAL) 24/7 at 410-955-9444 or 1-800-765-5447. HAL accepts physician-to-physician referrals only. Patients will be directed to Johns Hopkins Bayview or Johns Hopkins Hospital depending on the required sub-specialty care.

International patients may be referred online through Johns Hopkins International. 


NCCU at Johns Hopkins Celebrates 40 years

For forty years, Johns Hopkins Medicine has been a pioneer in the study, development and clinical application of emergency medicine principles to brain injuries and other neurocritical conditions. Explore a timeline of major milestones and key people in this journey.

Milestones timeline
- Watch on YouTube

Our History

Johns Hopkins is the very institution that heralded the organization of the first neurosurgical and post-operative ICU. Dr. Walter Dandy, one of the premier neurosurgeons at the time and a long-time professor and chairman of Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins, determined that patients following surgery would benefit of post-operative care in an environment that was close to the operating rooms and staffed by a special nursing group around the clock. This idea led to the first ICU in 1923. 

This concept, lost over the following decades, was reintroduced at Johns Hopkins in 1982 through the pioneering work of neurologist Dan Hanley and neurosurgeon Donlin Long. Today, the Neurosciences Critical Care Units (NCCU) at The Johns Hopkins Hospital (JHH) and The Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center (JHBMC) are multidisciplinary, tertiary, referral-based intensive care units designed to treat patients with serious and life-threatening diseases of the central and peripheral nervous system.

Dan Hanley

Fellowship in Neurocritical Care

Education of future physicians is at the heart of the Johns Hopkins mission. The neuroscience critical care fellowship is a national leader in neurocritical care medicine, training a large number of physicians dedicated to the field of neurocritical care. Our fellowship graduates are now leading major academic and clinical programs.

Learn about the program

Our Team

Patients in Johns Hopkins NCCUs benefit from a seasoned multi-specialty group of neurologists, anesthesiologists, neurosurgeons, nurse practitioners and critical care nurses. 

Likewise, the caring, professional guidance from our social workers, physical therapists, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, nutritionists, and clinical pharmacologists will keep you informed and make the experience less overwhelming.

Learn more about our team

Patient Care

If you or a loved one is admitted to the NCCU, you are in good hands with professionals who are specially trained in diagnosis and management of complex neurological conditions. This type of illness or injury can be life changing. As you and your family navigate the challenging path ahead of you, our multi-specialty team of neurocritical care experts will guide you with insight, experience and compassion. Together, we implement personalized treatment plans for such conditions as:

  • Spinal infection 
  • Guillian-Barré Syndrome 
  • Neuromuscular disorders (myasthenia gravis) 
  • Autonomic instability 
  • Recent major neurosurgical procedures for carotid artery surgery, neuro-endovascular procedures or head and neck pathology  

Additional Resources