Within the Neurocritical Care Unit, fellows embark on a transformative training experience that integrates core rotations, diverse electives, and enriching conferences, all within the dynamic setting of the University of Chicago Medicine Center's 24-bed facility.
For 26 weeks each year, fellows immerse themselves in the core rotation within the Neuro ICU. This unit comprises two teams led by an attending and neurocritical fellow, complemented by residents from neurology, neurosurgery, and advanced practice providers. The core rotation is dedicated to providing comprehensive training in managing a broad spectrum of neurologic disorders, including traumatic brain injuries (blunt and penetrating), cerebrovascular diseases (ischemic stroke, intracranial hemorrhage, subarachnoid hemorrhages) , status epilepticus, neuromuscular emergencies, brain tumors, infectious and autoimmune diseases.
In addition to neurocritical care, fellows will have the opportunity to broaden their clinical experience by spending time in other ICU including surgical/anesthesia intensive care unit, medical intensive care unit, cardiac/ cardiothoracic intensive care unit, where they round with the primary teams to learn the comprehensive management of critical illness patient and procedural skill sets across various medical, surgical disciplines.
Fellow will have 4 weeks of airway rotation each year. During the first year, fellows will work closely with experienced anesthesiologists in the operating room gaining hands-on experience and proficiency in intubation techniques such as airway assessment, device selection and troubleshooting under the guidance of anesthesiologists. Building upon this foundation, fellows will join the anesthesia airway team to participating intubations across the hospital during second year to solidify technical skills and foster confidence in managing airways in critical care settings.
Fellows have the opportunity to tailor their experience through a variety of elective rotations, spanning 2 -4 weeks each. Options include rotations in the Anesthesia, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Palliative Care, Interventional Pulmonology, Transcranial Doppler, ICU- EEG , Neurointerventional Radiology, and research electives alongside faculty members.
As part of the fellowship curriculum, NCC fellow will be participating in Neurocritical care bootcamp lectures and dedicated POCUS, bronchoscopy courses along with other critical care fellows at the beginning of fellowship training. Opportunities for formal TCD course, TCD board certification and Advanced trauma life support certification are also available for those who interested.
The fellowship's robust academic environment is enriched by multiple weekly conferences. These include dedicated ICU conferences featuring specialized didactics every Tuesday, led by experts in various fields covering topics from neurocritical care to broader critical care issues, ethics, and biostatistics. On Fridays, a unified critical care conference provides insights from specialists in neurology, medicine, surgery, and trauma critical care. Additional weekly sessions focus on vascular neurology didactics and neurovascular conferences. The fellowship also includes monthly events like journal club, Morbidity and Mortality (M&M) presentations, and clinical case reviews, fostering a culture of continuous learning and collaboration.