Neurocritical Care Fellowship

Four members of the NSICU team gathered in the unit along with equipment

The Neurocritical Care Fellowship at OHSU offers two ACGME- and UCNS-approved tracks to train neurointensivists. Both programs permit certification in Neurocritical Care and allow fellows to sit for the NCC boards. The traditional 24-month track welcomes fellows with a variety of backgrounds, including Neurology and Anesthesia. The 12-month track is open to fellows with Critical Care training in Anesthesia, Pulmonary or Medical Critical Care or Neurosurgery.

The Neuroscience ICU at OHSU is a 17 bed ICU with a strong educational balance of General Critical Care, Neurology and Anesthesia. Our attendings in Anesthesia and Neurology share coverage 24/7 and the Neurocritical Care fellows are joined each month by two or three Critical Care Medicine, Pulmonary or Anesthesia fellows; an optimal blend of clinical experience that emphasizes the unity of ICU medicine.

OHSU has the Primary Stroke Center certification from JCAHO and an Interventional Radiology program that performs over 140 mechanical thrombectomies per year. Our fellows are encouraged to participate in these programs as electives, or spend several months gaining particular expertise in these fields.

Our OHSU Neurocritical Care Fellowship also has a research track for immersion into basic science as well as a Masters of Clinical Research track and simultaneous MBA and MPH programs that our fellows may choose to optimize career options. Prior fellows have achieved board accreditation in Critical Care EEG Monitoring from the American Board of Clinical Neurophysiology.

Meet our team

Clincal exposure

  • 17 bed dedicated Neurosciences ICU (expanding); average census: 22
  • Busy high-risk neurosurgical practice
  • 150 subarachnoid hemorrhage admissions/year
  • 400 ischemic stroke admissions/year
  • 140 endovascular stroke interventions per year

Ample opportunities for ICU procedural experience with central venous catheter placement, intubation, bronchoscopy, arterial lines, and lumbar punctures

Superb cerebrovascular neurosurgery, vascular neurology and interventional neuroradiology programs

Major referral center for Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Northern California for critical neurologic diseases (encephalitis, status epilepticus, neuromuscular)

Research opportunities

Excellent basic science: OHSU ranks in the top 1% among academic institutions in NIH support of basic neuroscience research.

Excellent clinical science: OHSU is a top enroller in virtually every major clinical trial of therapies for stroke, subarachnoid hemorrhage, and interventional neuroradiology.

Mentorship: Research mentorship available from Neurology, Neurosurgery, Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, and the OHSU Graduate Neurosciences Program.

Teaching

Three team members gathered aroun laptop, smiling
  • Formal didactic lectures series for neurocritical care and multidisciplinary critical care medicine
  • Diverse clinical perspectives, with faculty from Neurology, Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, and Pulmonary Critical Care Medicine
  • Electives available in Anesthesiology, Postsurgical Intensive Care Medicine, Diagnostic Neuroradiology, Interventional Neuroradiology, Trauma Intensive Care Medicine, Internal Medicine Critical Care, Infectious Disease, Palliative Care and many more

Schedule

Sample neurocritical care fellowship schedule

Sample neurocritical care fellowship schedule (two-year track)
Year 1 Block Rotation Name Year 2 Block Rotation Name
1 NSICU 1 NSICU
2 Elective 2 Elective
3 NSICU 3 NSICU
4 Anesth 4 NSICU
5 Anesth 5 Elective
6 NSICU 6 NSICU
7 Elective 7 MICU
8 NSICU 8 Elective
9 Research 9 CVICU
10 NSICU 10 NSICU
11 Elective 11 TSICU
12 NSICU 12 Elective
13 NSICU 13 NSICU

Vacation

Four weeks of vacation time per year are to be used within non-ICU blocks.

Common electives

  • Neuroradiology
  • EEG
  • Stroke
  • Neurointerventional Radiology
  • Cardiology
  • Pulmonology
  • ECMO
  • Respiratory Therapy
  • Infectious Disease
  • Sleep Medicine
  • Echocardiography/Ultrasound
  • Palliative Care
  • Additional Research
  • Additional MICU/CVICU/TSICU

Portland living

Oregon is a place of outstanding beauty and culture.

A cosmopolitan city, Portland is renowned for food, arts, music, and nightlife. It’s also a family-friendly community with excellent schools and vibrant neighborhoods.

Portland enjoys mild winters and fabulous summers. Mount Hood, wine country, hiking, and the Pacific Ocean are within an hour-and-a-half or less of downtown Portland.

Learn more about living in Portland.

Open positions

We are recruiting for two positions with a start date of July 1, 2025 via the SF Match. Applicants are encouraged to email Kim Pfunder at pfunderk@ohsu.edu for more information.

Application requirements

  • Curriculum Vitae
  • Personal Statement 
  • Medical School Transcript/MSPE (we will accept copies directly sent from residency program coordinator)
  • USMLE Scores (we will accept copies directly sent from residency program coordinator)
  • 3 letters of recommendation (4 is maximum, including one from residency program director)
  • ECFMG certificate (if applicable)

Interview process

Interviews are currently held remotely. The interview day includes an information session with the program director, three to four faculty interviews, and an informal question/answer session with current fellows and APPs.

Contact for questions

Kimberly B. Pfunder
Education/Program Coordinator 
Department of Neurology
pfunderk@ohsu.edu  

Alumni

Fellowship alumni
Fellow Name Fellowship Graduation Year Name of Institution or Establishment following Fellowship
Elizabeth Macri 6/30/2011 Presbyterian Medical Group Neurology
Jay Yao 6/30/2014 St. Joseph Health Mission Hospital
Olajide Benson 6/30/2014 Beacon Health System
Jeremy Fields 7/29/2014 Oregon Health & Science University
Courtney Takahashi 6/30/2015 Boston University Medical Center
Jace Perkerson 6/30/2015 University of Tennessee Medical Center
Derek Clark 6/30/2016 Swedish Medical Center
Kory Herrick 7/31/2016 Swedish Medical Center
Ross Martini 6/30/2017 Oregon Health & Science University
Corey White 6/30/2017 Providence St. Peter Hospital
Chinar Agarwal 6/30/2018 PeaceHealth RiverBend Pavillion
Bruce Geryk 1/15/2019 Providence Portland
Madeline Nguyen 6/30/2019 Providence St. Peter Hospital
Sarah Biel 6/30/2019 Oregon Health & Science University
Andrew Treister 6/30/2020 Oregon Health & Science University
Annie Chiu 6/30/2021 Legacy Meridian Park
John Holton-Burke 6/30/2021 Rochester Regional Health
Caitlin Richardson-Royer 9/23/2022 Westchester Medical Center
Vishal Saini 6/30/2023 Memorial Healthcare System
Andrew Nguyen 6/30/2023 University of Michigan Health