The Neurocritical Care Fellowship program within the UAB Department of Neurology received accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) on April 5, 2024. The ACGME oversees the vast majority of physician specialty and subspecialty training.

According to Angela Hays Shapshak, M.D., FNCS, associate professor in the Department of Neurology and director of the Neurocritical Care Fellowship program, neurocritical care has grown substantially over the past several years, resulting in recognition by the by the ACGME. The UAB program now joins several other existing neurocritical care programs that have achieved ACGME accreditation since it became available in 2021.

“ACGME accreditation will make us more attractive to applicants and will hopefully put us in a better position to continue to grow the program,” Shapshak said.

The Neurocritical Care Fellowship program offers three different training pathways, geared toward fellows from a variety of backgrounds. Through the program, fellows have the opportunity to rotate through the medical ICU, trauma-burn ICU, surgical ICU, and cardiac surgery ICU, in addition to their NICU rotations.

“Neurocritical care providers play an important role in the care of patients with severe neurological and neurosurgical injuries,” Shapshak said. “In light of the prevalence of neurological diseases in the Southeast, programs like ours will be critical to meet the ongoing needs of our patients.”