Neurosurgery Fellowship

MetroHealth cares for almost 500 stroke patients and 6,000 trauma patients each year, providing outstanding learning opportunities for our fellows. Additionally, research opportunities for fellows are available through MetroHealth’s academic affiliation with Case Western Reserve University, one of the nation’s leading universities.

The neurocritical care component of the fellowship is centered around providing the fellow with an intense exposure to critical care of neuromedical and neurosurgical patients. The fellow will work closely with neurocritical care and neurosurgery advanced practice providers as well as neurointensivists and neurosurgery attendings. The fellow will learn the current guidelines-based standard of critical care for patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage, intracerebral hemorrhage, acute ischemic stroke, status epilepticus, CNS infections, traumatic brain injury, neuromuscular failure, and anoxic brain injury among others. By the end of the fellowship, the fellow is expected to function independently as a neurointensivist.

The acute care neurosurgery component of the fellowship is focused on providing the fellow with intense exposure to the surgical management of brain and spine emergencies.  The fellow will work closely with highly experienced neurosurgeons and orthopaedic spine surgeons in mastering the latest operative techniques, guidelines, and management strategies for patients with brain and spine injuries; including invasive neuromonitoring, decompressive craniectomy, and complex spine decompression, instrumentation, and bracing techniques. By the end of the fellowship, the fellow is expected to function independently as a neurosurgical traumatologist.

In addition to clinical and surgical hands-on learning and a 17-lecture course, the fellowship focuses on development of the fellows as leaders of multidisciplinary/interprofessional teams and as teachers of trainees, nurses and advanced practice providers. Fellows also learn ICU logistics and critical care/neurosurgical documentation and billing. The small size of our program is a unique feature among such fellowships and allows for intensive fellow-attending interaction and individualization of each fellow’s educational program. The fellowship is certified by the MetroHealth GME committee and is open to neurosurgery graduates and trainees.