Fellowship Program

Clinical Experience

Each week, Stroke Research Fellows join the stroke team at the University of Minnesota Medical Center, working alongside attendings, residents, and medical students. As part of onboarding, fellows complete scribing training modules, qualifying them to document in Epic on behalf of residents.

Clinical Responsibilities

  • Pre-rounding with residents, presenting cases to the team, and documenting notes in Epic.
  • Screening patients for non-acute clinical trials (e.g., DISCOVERY, CAPTIVA, ASPIRE) and introducing trials in collaboration with the clinical team.
  • Delivering presentations on stroke and neurology topics to students, residents, and faculty.
  • Attending weekly stroke didactics, neurocritical care, and neuroradiology conferences.

Research Projects and Program Development

Fellows work independently under faculty mentorship and collaboratively on elements of ongoing or new investigator-initiated research. They also contribute to the operational growth of the Stroke Research Lab.

Research and Operational Responsibilities

  • Leading one or more domains (examples: REDCap, website development, conference scheduling, applicant screening).
  • Presenting research at local and national conferences.
  • Advancing projects toward manuscript submission and publication.
  • Collaborating with fellows and faculty to improve program operations.

Acute Care Research Coordination

Fellows also serve as research coordinators within the Department of Emergency Medicine’s Acute Care Research Coordinator (ACRC) group. During onboarding, fellows gain competency in trial protocols, patient screening, informed consent, and effective coordination between research and clinical teams.

Coordinator Responsibilities

  • Experience with emergency and ICU-based patient enrollments.
  • Effective communication with critically ill patients and families.
  • Mastery of study protocols and departmental resources.
  • Taking remote on-call shifts, with prompt response and ability to arrive on-site within 45 minutes.

Fellowship Structure

The Stroke Research Fellowship is a two-year program that progresses from internship to employment, ensuring structured growth in clinical, research, and leadership skills.

Year 1: Internship (Unpaid)

  • Onboarding: Research methods, stroke service basics, coordinator training.
  • Research: Collaborate with senior fellows and begin a lead project under faculty mentorship.
  • Clinical: Assist in acute trial screening and enrollment.
  • Resources: Provided by Neurology department (e.g., monitors, laptops, hotspot, etc.).
  • Opportunities:
    • Funded attendance at the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Annual Meeting.
    • One-month away rotation (self-funded; fellowship provides documentation).

Year 2: Employment (Paid with Benefits)

  • Research: Advance projects toward results, submit abstracts to AAN/ISC, convert abstracts to manuscripts.
  • Clinical: Expected to perform at a PGY-1 level on the stroke service, including:
    • CT, CTA, and MRI interpretation.
    • Stroke workups and TOAST classification.
    • Active participation in major clinical trials.
  • Coordinator: Work as a senior acute care research coordinator, independently managing patient enrollments.
  • Leadership: Oversee applicant interviews, website updates, REDCap operations, and neuroradiology reviews.