The Neurocritical Care Fellowship Program at Johns Hopkins pioneered the training of fellows in the 1980s and continues to be the leading program in this sub-specialty, aiming to develop Neurocritical Care Clinician Scientists. We have trained more than 50 physicians from a variety of fields who went on to work at leading institutions as directors of neurocritical care programs, chairs of departments, established research investigators, institute directors, and hold key positions in professional societies related to neurocritical care.
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Program Information | Directors | Locations and Rotations | Faculty | Current Fellows | Alumni
Please submit inquiries about the application process and requests for an application form to Dr. Ziai at [email protected]. The division director and fellowship director will evaluate the submissions and invite selected candidates for an interview.
The strength of this program is in collaboration between faculty from departments of neurosurgery, neurology and anesthesiology and critical care medicine.
Upon successful program completion, fellows are certified in advanced cardiac life support and advanced trauma life support. They are board-eligible for the United Council of Neurologic Subspecialties Neurocritical Care examination, and have accumulated a research and publication foundation for their academic career.
Training for procedural competency begins immediately in July of the first year with a Simulation Center series focused on common critical care interventions. Before their clinical duties require performing these procedures for patients, fellows practice in the simulation environment:
The Simulation Center also allows for structured exposure to emergency neurological life support (ENLS) events. Finally, fellows certify for advanced cardiovascular life support (ACLS) in the simulation environment using complex, realistic scenarios that provide more problem-solving opportunities than the "megacodes" used in conventional ACLS certification testing.
Research is mandatory.
The fellowship is based primarily at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, with fellows rotating at the Bayview NCCU, which includes intensive work on clinical neurophysiology with Dr. Peter Kaplan, the Stroke Center, Intracerebral Hemorrhage Center and Encephalitis Center.
The rotations are structured in two-week blocks to optimize clinical immersion and continuity of care while also encouraging productivity during protected research time.
The curriculum allows for—and encourages—elective rotations to other critical care areas. The Johns Hopkins Hospital Medical Intensive Care Unit, the Johns Hopkins Hospital Surgical Intensive Care Unit and the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center are popular choices.
The Johns Hopkins Hospital Neurocritical Care Unit (NCCU) is a 24-bed intensive care unit devoted to the care of patients with neurological diseases such as stroke, epilepsy, trauma, subarachnoid hemorrhage or primary neurological cancer.
The acuity of patients’ conditions and rapid turn‐over offer high intensity clinical experience. Faculty takes special care to acclimate fellows with a dedicated two-week clinical orientation as the first rotation block.
Three fellows are assigned to each rotation. Two NCCU teams, each led by a member of the neurosciences critical care division, round on patients and perform necessary critical care procedures.
Fellows are responsible for leading rounds and providing support and guidance for residents, with medical decisions and procedures directly supervised by the attending physician.
A fellow and resident are assigned to the NCCU 24 hours a day. Fellows take call one in three nights, with clinical activities beginning at 6:30 a.m. with sign-out rounds, followed by morning rounds focused on teaching and clinical planning for the day. In the mid‐afternoon, teams reconvene for afternoon rounds and treatment planning for the night. Clinical responsibilities for the post‐call fellow end after sign-out rounds the next morning.
Rotations at this 14-bed unit provide the fellow with the experience of managing an NCCU more similar to those found in most academic centers in terms of patient turn‐over and acuity. This rotation also introduces effective practice of telemedicine, as fellows often provide guidance to residents from home using telephone, electronic medical records and web conferencing.
In contrast to the JHH NCCU, the BMC NCCU functions as an open unit, meaning that primary cross-cover and overnight patient care decisions are the responsibility of the primary neurology or neurosurgery service.
The BMC NCCU is staffed by a member of the neurosciences critical care division who, in concert with the assigned Fellow, rounds on patients to set care plans and then performs critical care procedures as required. Medical decisions and procedures are supervised directly by the attending physician.
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Neurology: Temple University Hospital (2020-2023)
Medical School: Rajshahi Medical College (2011)
Internal Medicine: Louisiana State University (2019-2020)
Neurology: Louisiana State University (2020-2023)
Medical School: Escola Superior de Ciencias da Santa Casa de Misericordia de Vitoria (2008)
Internal Medicine: NorthShore University/The University of Chicago (2019-2020)
Neurology: The University of Chicago (2020-2023)
Medical School: Dr. D.Y. Patil Medical College (2014)
Internal Medicine: Einstein Medical Center Philadelphia (2019-2020)
Neurology: Einstein Medical Center Philadelphia (2020-2023)
Medical School: Universidad Central Del Caribe School of Medicine (2017)
General Surgery: Montefiore Medical Center (2017-2018)
Anesthesiology and Critical Care: The Johns Hopkins Hospital (2019-2022)
Medical School: Faisalabad Medical University, Pakistan (2012)
Internal Medicine: Lincoln Medical & Mental Health Center (2018-2019)
Neurology: University of Florida (2019-2022)
Medical School: University of California, Irvine (2018)
Internal Medicine: University of California, Irvine (2018-2019)
Neurology: University of California, Irvine (2019-2022)
Medical School: East Tennessee State University (2017) Anesthesiology: Virginia Commonwealth University (2018-2022)
Medical School: Marmara University, Turkey (2013) Internal Medicine: St. Elizabeth's Medical Center (2018-2019) Neurology: Tufts University (2019-2022)
