Fetal-Neonatal Neurology Fellowship

Fetal-Neonatal Neurology Fellowship

Program Overview 

The Fetal-Neonatal Neurology Fellowship Program is a one-year clinical fellowship with the goal of training board-certified/eligible pediatric neurologists or neonatologists in the field of fetal neurology, neonatal neurology and neonatal neurocritical care. Each year, up to one trainee will be accepted (start date early July).  

The inpatient Neonatal Neurocritical Care Program at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) provides care to neonates with a wide range of acute and longitudinal neurologic disorders, many of which are identified before birth in the fetus. Our dedicated neurocritical care team of neurologists delivers care across several clinical care units at CHOP, one of the top-ranked children’s hospitals in the world. The inpatient Neurology-NICU-CICU consult service provides consultations and care in CHOP’s two intensive care units for neonates and infants — the Harriet and Ronald Lassin Newborn/Infant Intensive Care Unit (N/IICU) and the Evelyn and Daniel M. Tabas Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU) — which include over 130 beds. In addition, we are also affiliated with the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP) NICU and provide consultative care to that inborn NICU population. We staff about 50 patients per week, following them through their hospitalization and after discharge in dedicated neonatal neurology follow-up clinics providing continuity of care. We currently see more than 250 fetal neurology consultations in collaboration with CHOP’s Richard D. Wood Jr. Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment (CFDT). Our team provides care to regional neonatal stroke referrals under the umbrella of our multidisciplinary Pediatric Stroke Program and for congenital vascular anomalies under our Comprehensive Vascular Anomalies Program. Fetal-Neonatal Neurology fellows will gain experience caring for a multitude of fetal and neonatal neurological disorders under the mentorship of expert faculty in the aforementioned settings. 

Program Leadership 

Program Director, Fetal-Neonatal Neurology Fellowship: Sonika Agarwal, MBBS, MD, FAAN, FCNS.

Program Goals 

The goals of this fellowship are to provide the following core competencies:   

  • Learn prognostic counseling discussions and comprehensive management for fetal neurology consultations.
  • Perform age-appropriate neurological examinations.
  • Diagnose and manage common and rare fetal and neonatal neurological disorders, including interpretation of neuroimaging, neurophysiology, laboratory, neuropathology and genetic data.
  • Understand the fetal brain development, maldevelopment, and the effect of early life brain injury on subsequent neurodevelopment.
  • Understand proper use of ancillary neurodiagnostic and neuroimaging tools to improve assessment, management and prognostication in fetal and neonatal period.
  • Knowledge of the institutional recommendations for the diagnosis of brain death in neonates, infants and children.
  • Understand impact of critical illness in neonatal period on the developing brain and long-term outcomes.
  • Synthesize available clinical information to predict neurological outcomes.
  • Understand evidence-based medicine as it applies to fetal and neonatal neurology, including current guidelines and practice parameters.
  • Be sensitive to ethical issues that arise in fetal-neonatal neurology.
  • Communicate effectively with families and other healthcare professionals (interdisciplinary care and management).
  • Partnership with families to develop longitudinal relationships in the follow up of these infants.
  • Learn about health disparities, equitable healthcare and policy change/advocacy for fetal-neonatal neurological disorders and their impact across lifespan. 

Eligibility 

Candidates must have completed the equivalent of a Neurology Residency with Special Qualification in Child Neurology or a Pediatrics Residency and Fellowship in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine. Foreign medical graduates must hold an ECFMG certificate, and all applicants must be eligible for a PA state license. 

The fellow must possess a current valid and unrestricted license to practice medicine in the United States. Applicants from Neurology training backgrounds must be board certified or eligible for certification by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. Applicants from neonatology backgrounds must be board certified in General Pediatrics and board certified or eligible for certification by the American Board of Pediatrics in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine. International applicants should possess comparable certifications.

Accreditation 

This is a non-ACGME accredited position. There is no board certification following the completion of this one-year fellowship. 

The history, expertise and compassion that make Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia unique are also what make it the best place for medical trainees and future clinical and academic leaders. 

Curriculum 

Clinical Duties (100%) 

  • Inpatient consultation service on the NeuroNICU-CICU service and fetal consultations (28 weeks in 4-week blocks)
  • One fellow clinic session per week during non-service weeks (optional) and other days with Fetal-Neonatal Neurology (FNN) faculty
  • Neuroradiology (3 weeks)
  • EEG (ICU) (3 weeks)
  • Outpatient (8 weeks)
  • 3 electives (2 weeks each, full-time): neonatology, palliative care, maternal-fetal medicine, neurogenetics, clinical research 

Research Duties (optional) 

  • Completion of selected research project
  • Presentation at national meeting
  • Submission of 1-2 peer-reviewed manuscripts 

Didactics 

  • Neuroscience grand rounds (weekly)
  • Neuroradiology conference (weekly)
  • Combined neonatology and neuroscience lecture series (4 per year)
  • Neonatal EEG lecture series (monthly)
  • Neonatal neurology case review (monthly)
  • Fetal surgery conference (weekly)
  • Multidisciplinary neonatal neurology-radiology-NICU conference (biweekly)
  • Clinical meeting to review interesting/challenging cases in Fetal-Neonatal Neurology section (weekly)
  • Journal clubs (4-6 per year, led by fellow)
  • Co-lead case-based didactics session for neonatology fellows (2 per year)
  • One-on-one supervision and teaching in the setting of inpatient and outpatient care. The majority of teaching will be conducted in conjunction with clinical care. The fellow and supervisor will discuss both the practical details and scientific justification for care. Fellows will be encouraged to review the literature for relevant topics.
  • Fellows will be expected to attend the weekly Neuroscience conference (Thursday at 8 a.m.), Stroke conference (Wednesday at 12 noon), and other CHOP/University of Pennsylvania (Penn) conferences as appropriate (Neonatology Conferences, Life and Brain Institute, Penn Policy Lab, Penn MFM conferences). 

Research Opportunities (Optional) 

The optional research program consists of clinical research including participation in the PENN T 32 clinical research pathway. 

  • The fellow will identify an area of focus in the first months of the fellowship, including project aims and timeline. The fellow will identify a mentor from the Fetal and Neonatal Section faculty for the respective clinical research project and will closely collaborate with the mentor within the year of the fellowship.
  • The fellow will complete Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) and Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training, if not already completed.
  • The fellow will complete the research project within the time frame of the fellowship.
  • The fellow will submit an abstract on this project for a national meeting and will prepare and finalize 1-2 manuscripts within the fellowship years. 

How to Apply 

 Please submit applications via email to Ashley Rees-Jones, Program Manager, at reesjonesa@chop.edu.  

Application requirements 

  • CHOP application
  • Three (3) letters of reference (LORs) (including one from the applicant’s Program Director)
  • Dean’s letter (AKA Medical School Performance Evaluation [MSPE])
  • Medical school transcript
  • Current curriculum vitae
  • Personal statement of interest
  • USMLE Parts 1, 2 (if available)
  • ECFMG Certification if a graduate of a medical school outside the U.S., Canada or Puerto Rico
  • Visa documentation if not a citizen or permanent resident of the U.S.  

Application timeline

Applications must be received by February 28.

  • February 1-28 – Application cycle open
  • First week of March – Interview invitations extended
  • March/April  – Virtual interviews
  • First week of May – Offers extended  

If you have any questions at any time during the application process, please contact Ashley Rees-Jones at 215-590-1722 or by email at reesjonesa@chop.edu.

Contact 

Please direct all inquiries to the Fellowship Director and Program Coordinator, listed below.   

Fellowship Director 
Sonika Agarwal, MBBS, MD, FAAN, FCNS 

Email: agarwals2@chop.edu  

Program Coordinator, Neurology Center for Education, Research and Training (NCERT) 

Ashley Rees-Jones 
Email: reesjonesa@chop.edu 

Other requirements 

To carry out its mission, it is of critical importance for Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) to keep our patients, families and workforce safe and healthy and to support the health of our global community. In keeping with this, CHOP has mandated all workforce members (including trainees) on site at any CHOP location for any portion of their time be vaccinated for COVID-19 as a condition of employment.

This mandate also applies to workforce members or trainees performing work for CHOP at non-CHOP locations. Additionally, all workforce members based in or regularly scheduled to work at any New Jersey location are mandated to be both vaccinated and boosted for COVID-19, with booster timing consistent with applicable guidelines. The CHOP COVID-19 vaccine mandate is in alignment with applicable local, state and federal mandates. CHOP also requires all workforce members and trainees who work in patient care buildings or who provide patient care to receive an annual influenza vaccine. Employees may request exemption consideration for CHOP vaccine requirements for valid religious and medical reasons. Please note start dates may be delayed until candidates are fully immunized or valid exemption requests are reviewed. In addition, candidates other than those in positions with regularly scheduled hours in New Jersey, must attest to not using tobacco products. 

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, religion, national or ethnic origin, disability, protected veteran status or any other protected category. CHOP is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor seeking priority referrals for protected veterans. 

CHOP is committed to building an inclusive culture where employees feel a sense of belonging, connection, and community within their workplace. We are a team dedicated to fostering an environment that allows for all to be their authentic selves. We are focused on attracting, cultivating, and retaining diverse talent who can help us deliver on our mission to be a world leader in the advancement of healthcare for children. 

We strongly encourage all candidates of diverse backgrounds and lived experiences to apply.