Train for a career in high-acuity neurological medicine

Our Neurocritical Care Fellowship offers you advanced clinical training in complex neurological injuries and conditions. You’ll have access to leading-edge technology and treatment strategies to care for high-acuity patients in the OHSU Neurosciences Intensive Care Unit.

Intensive care at OHSU is highly cross-disciplinary. You’ll learn from and work with faculty and fellows in critical care medicine, neurology, neurosurgery, pulmonology, anesthesiology and perioperative medicine. This care model benefits patients and broadens your training and expertise. 

OHSU is one of the few U.S. programs to offer three neurocritical care training pathways. Our traditional two-year track is for fellows with a variety of backgrounds, including neurology and anesthesiology. Our one-year tracks are for neurosurgery residents and for fellows who already have critical care training.

Fellowship objectives

Our one-year and two-year fellowships are accredited by ACGME and approved by the United Council for Neurologic Subspecialties to train neurointensivists. Completing your fellowship at OHSU will prepare you for certification in neurocritical care. 

You will build expertise in managing catastrophic neurological issues like:

• Complex postoperative neurosurgical care
• Ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke
• Subarachnoid hemorrhage
• Neuromuscular failure
• Traumatic brain injury
• Status epilepticus
• Encephalitis

Fellowship curriculum

We offer three tracks to match your interests, experience and career goals:

• A two-year traditional neurocritical care fellowship
• A one-year track for fellows already trained in another critical care specialty
• A one-year CAST-accredited fellowship for OHSU neurosurgery residents

Our one-year tracks provide a rare opportunity for fellows trained in other critical care specialties to fast-track training in neurocritical care.

Clinical curriculum

Our 17-bed Neurosciences ICU provides neurocritical care around the clock. It’s a major referral center for Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Northern California. Each year we see more than 400 ischemic strokes and 150 subarachnoid hemorrhages. We perform more than 140 endovascular stroke interventions a year.

You’ll get extensive experience in:

• Continuous EEG monitoring
• Intracranial pressure monitoring and ventricular drainage
• Advanced ventilator and hemodynamic management
• Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging
• High-risk ICU procedures like intubation, bronchoscopy and lumbar punctures

You can pursue extended training in other areas, too. OHSU has:

• A comprehensive Stroke Program certified by JCAHO
• An interventional radiology program that performs over 140 mechanical thrombectomies each year

Rotations

In our two-year fellowship program, you can expect:

• 12 rotations in the Neurosciences ICU
• Two rotations in anesthesiology
• One rotation in trauma care
• One rotation in the medical ICU
• One rotation in the cardiovascular ICU
• One or more research rotations
• Seven elective rotations

Research

The fellowship offers extensive neurocritical care research opportunities. Research mentors are available throughout OHSU to fit your interests and goals. You’ll also find:

Excellent basic science: OHSU ranks in the top 1% for NIH basic neuroscience research funding.

Excellent clinical science: OHSU is a top enroller in major clinical trials for stroke, subarachnoid hemorrhage and interventional neuroradiology.

Leading edge research includes:

• Population-based subarachnoid hemorrhage studies
• National clinical trials in ketamine for status epilepticus (the KESETT trial)
• Using radio-wave headsets to detect intraventricular hemorrhage volume changes (the SENSE study)

Didactics

You will attend lectures in neurocritical care and critical care medicine. Faculty from neurology, anesthesiology, pulmonology and more will give you a breadth of perspectives. 

Your program will include optional electives in focus areas including:

• Anesthesiology
• Post-surgical intensive care medicine
• Diagnostic neuroradiology
• Interventional neuroradiology
• Trauma intensive care medicine
• Pulmonary critical care
• Cardiovascular critical care
• Infectious disease
• Palliative care

You can also pursue a master’s degree in clinical research, business administration or public health alongside your training.

How to apply

Apply through SF Match. 

Follow the application requirements on SF Match, which include:

• Your CV
• A personal statement
• Medical school transcript
• Medical Student Performance Evaluation
• Certified USMLE scores
• Three or four letters of recommendation (one from residency program director) 

International medical graduates must also submit:

• Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) certificate
• Documentation of U.S. clinical experience 

Important dates

•    Applications open January 1, 2026.
•    Application deadline is April 1, 2026.
•    Fellowship training starts July 1, 2027.

Interview process

All interviews are virtual and conducted on Thalamus. You will meet with the program director and three or four faculty members, advanced practice providers and current fellows.

Fellowship leaders

Tarvez Tucker, M.D., leads the Neurocritical Care Fellowship. She is a professor of neurology and leads the Department of Neurology’s neurocritical care section. Dr. Tucker is a physician-scientist who specializes in neurocritical care, traumatic brain injury, headache and pain management, and hypothermia after cardiac arrest.