Neurocritical Care Fellowship

The Neurocritical Care fellowship is a two-year program accredited by both the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and the United Council for Neurological Subspecialties (UCNS). In addition, RUSH offers a one-year program for individuals with prior training in critical care.

A strong didactic program provides comprehensive reviews of all topics of the UCNS neurocritical care core curriculum. Clinical experiences include rotations in a variety of settings, and research pursuits are encouraged and supported.

Fellows receive advanced clinical training in RUSH University Medical Center’s busy, 28-bed Neurosciences Intensive Care Unit, or NSICU, where the neurocritical care team provides 24-hour coverage in a closed-unit model.

• Learn more about our program's academics

NSICU patients include those with subarachnoid hemorrhages, intracerebral hemorrhages, malignant ischemic strokes, traumatic brain injury including subdural and epidural hematomas, status epilepticus, meningitis/encephalitis, neuromuscular emergencies, and Guillain-Barre syndrome.

Specific procedural skills to be mastered include the following:

• Advanced airway and ventilator management
• Utilization of critical care ultrasound
• Central venous line and arterial line placement
• Transcranial duplex sonography
• Continuous and quantitative EEG monitoring
• Implementation of Targeted Temperature Management after cardiac arrest

Fellows also complete rotations in the RUSH MICU, and AICU, and in the Surgical/Trauma ICU at the John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County. Additional time is spent in anesthesiology, pulmonology, and neurosurgery. Fellows may use elective time for other rotations, including palliative care and infectious diseases or for defined research projects.

Fellows are strongly encouraged to pursue research with goals of presenting at national meetings and publishing in journals. A monthly journal club and research meeting build basic research principles. Fellows may also participate in the department’s clinical trials, while independent investigative work enjoys close faculty support and mentorship.

How to apply

Our program accepts up to four fellows per year. Applicants must have successfully completed an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited residency training in neurology, neurological surgery, Internal medicine, anesthesiology, surgery or emergency medicine. Applicants must be eligible for and possess an Illinois medical license on the start date of the fellowship and must hold provider or instructor status in advanced cardiac life support.

UPDATE: Our application cycle for AY 2026-2027 opens January 6th, 2025.

Please use the SF Match Central Application Service to apply.

If you have any questions or would like more information, please feel free to email Sebastian Pollandt, MD, fellowship director, or call (312) 942-7360.

For mail inquiries:
RUSH University Medical Center
Department of Neurological Sciences
Neurocritical Care Fellowship Program
1725 W. Harrison St., Suite 1106
Chicago, Illinois 60612
Fax: (312) 563-2206

Other fellowships in the Department of Neurological Sciences

Clinical Neurophysiology Fellowship
Epilepsy Fellowship
Movement Disorders Fellowship
Neuroimmunology Fellowship
Headache Medicine Fellowship
Vascular Neurology Fellowship