Pediatric Neurosurgery Clinical Fellowship

Lurie Children's is one of the tallest children's hospital in the world, with 23 floors and 360 beds. We care for patients from local, regional, national, and international referrals, with a spectrum of common to extremely rare pathologies. We cover a breadth and depth of pediatric neurosurgery, including fetal, spina bifida/congenital, tumor, endoscopic skull base, epilepsy, spine, brachial plexus, craniofacial, spasticity, hydrocephalus, neurovascular, and more. 

Our fellowship faculty are also all part of the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Department of Neurosurgery.

A Top Fellowship Experience

The fellowship at Lurie Children's is recognized by the Accreditation Council for Pediatric Neurosurgery Fellowships and the CAST Committee on Advanced Subspecialty Training of the Society of Neurological Surgeons. The curriculum is designed to meet all requirements for successful examination and certification by the American Board of Pediatric Neurological Surgery

The fellow has clinical instructor status and attending surgeon privileges during the fellowship year, with progressively increasing independence. This arrangement provides a key step in transitioning to practice while gaining unparalleled subspecialty training in pediatric neurosurgery. 

Annual surgical case volume is ~1,000.

The service typically consists of two Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine neurosurgery residents as well as neurosurgery residents from Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, University of Illinois College of Medicine, and Rush Medical College of Rush University Medical Center. A team of five advanced practice providers contribute to both inpatient and outpatient care. 

​The pediatric neurosurgery fellow leads the resident and APP team, and assigns operating room and clinic duties to fulfill the educational mission and for optimal healthcare delivery. 

Operating rooms for pediatric neurosurgery run daily. Outpatient clinics run concurrently on all weekdays with strong advanced practice provider support.

Morning Report for the service occurs every morning. Multidisciplinary conferences occur on average four days a week. 

​Friday mornings are reserved for didactics at Northwestern. Surgical Indications Conference as well as surgical case planning for the next week occurs with perioperative staff and nursing coordinators. This interdisciplinary conference occurs once a week, solidifying high-reliability practices in our service line.

We Train the Future of Pediatric Neurosurgery

Recent program graduates have consistently found success with placement in pediatric neurosurgery careers. This is an important metric in a fellowship program in career planning for young neurosurgeons. 

Research Opportunities

Fellows are invited to spearhead clinical research projects during their time at Lurie Children's. To that end, we are building a strong research core with clinical research coordinators, IRB, biostatistics, medical videography, and medical multimedia support. Our division's work is part of national and international registries and consortiums, as well as with ongoing NIH-funded research. 

In addition, former fellows are always a part of the Lurie Children's family, and continue to collaborate with the Lurie Children's team in multi-institutional projects to advance pediatric neurosurgical care. 

New funded research fellowship and research scholar positions are also available. Please email Neurosurgery Division Head, Sandi K. Lam, MD, MBA, at slam@luriechildrens.org for more information. 

Is Lurie Children's Right For You? 

With the large volume, diverse case mix, well-funded facility, and most importantly, respected and approachable faculty, the neurosurgery clinical fellowship provides one of the best clinical experiences in the world. 

The clinical instructor status and attending surgeon privileges during the fellowship year provide a key step in transitioning to practice.

Those headed toward academic careers have access to great resources with a terrific residency program, productive faculty, strong research opportunities, job-search support, and career mentorship.

We are here because we love what we do. We take our educational mission seriously, and want to add great colleagues to our field. 

Come take a look and get to know us! 

Application

The deadline for fellowship applications is arranged through the San Francisco Match Program in August of each year for the 12 months fellowship training dates starting July 1 of the following year. Fellow applicants should register through the San Francisco Match Program. Submissions should include an updated CV, a personal statement, and three letters of recommendation.
 
Requirements for starting pediatric neurosurgery fellowship training include completion of an accredited neurosurgery residency program, and an Illinois Medical Board license.
 
We will be communicating with applicants in late August of each year with invitations for on-site interviews typically in September. ​​We aim for close communication throughout the application and interview process, so please do not hesitate to reach out.  

For further information or to arrange a visit, please contact Neurosurgery Division Head and Fellowship Director, Dr. Sandi Lam, at slam@luriechildrens.org.