Please reach out to Jackie Crombie at jackie.crombie@childrens.harvard.edu and Michael Rivkin at michael.rivkin@childrens.harvard.edu for questions.
The Boston Children’s Hospital Department of Neurology announces the availability of a one-year clinical fellowship in pediatric stroke and cerebrovascular disorders. The fellow will be located in the Stroke and Cerebrovascular Center at Boston Children’s Hospital and the Department of Neurology under the directorship of Drs. Michael Rivkin and Miya Bernson-Leung. We are recruiting for one fellow to start in July 2027 and one fellow to start in July 2028. As one of the largest pediatric stroke centers in the country, we conduct inpatient consultations on patients with stroke and cerebrovascular concerns in the Emergency Department, in the Medical-Surgical ICU, the Cardiac ICU, the Medical ICU, the Neonatal ICU, and the hospital wards at Boston Children’s Hospital, a 400-bed pediatric quaternary care inpatient pediatric facility. Inpatient consultation training will include participation on the StrokeStat team, the acute response team for evaluation and treatment of children who present with symptoms of acute stroke. The StrokeStat team is available 24 hours per day/7 days per week. Exposure to neonatal stroke is robust as the Stroke and Cerebrovascular Center team offers consultation to 3 large NICUs: Boston Children’s Hospital, the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. The fellow will also have dedicated time with the adult stroke and neurocritical care program at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. At Boston Children’s, the fellow will also gain exposure to vascular neuroradiology, hematology, neuropsychology, and rehabilitative services pertaining to stroke and cerebrovascular disorders in children. The fellow will also participate in the Cerebrovascular Surgical Intervention Center, the neurosurgically-based multidisciplinary center at BCH that offers care to children with CNS vascular malformations and vasculopathy. In addition, the fellow will participate in the weekly Stroke and Cerebrovascular Center multidisciplinary outpatient clinic which brings together expertise in Neurology, Hematology, Cardiology, Physiatry, Neuroradiology, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Neuropsychiatry, and Social Work. Finally, the fellow will have the opportunity to learn through participation in the Stroke and Cerebrovascular Center’s quality improvement and education activities.
Learn more about the Boston Children’s Hospital Stroke and Cerebrovascular Center here https://www.childrenshospital.org/services/stroke-and-cerebrovascular-center
Location of the fellowship activities: Boston Children’s Hospital (primary affiliation), Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Duration: 12 months
Prerequisites
Applicants must hold a MD or DO degree, must have verification of good standing from the candidate’s institution, must be board certified or eligible in Child Neurology as defined by the American Board of Pediatrics or Neurology with special qualification in Child Neurology (equivalent certification for physicians trained outside of the United States will be considered on a case by case basis), and must be eligible for a medical license in Massachusetts. A strong interest in clinical or basic science research and prior publications are encouraged.
Clinical training
The goal of this clinical stroke training program is to provide fellows with the skills to become experts in the recognition, evaluation, and management of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke in throughout childhood, from the prenatal period through adolescence. Additionally, fellows will gain experience and knowledge with cerebrovascular disorders including arteriovenous malformations, cavernous malformations, moyamoya, and cerebral aneurysms. The core components of the clinical education consists of: 1) evaluation of patients with acute stroke and cerebrovascular emergencies who are admitted to Boston Children’s Hospital, that comprises ~150 ICU beds as well as the NICUs at both Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, 100 beds combined; 2) development of advanced expertise in evaluation of children with cerebrovascular disorders and stroke including interpretation of brain MR imaging of head and neck, head and neck CT imaging and percutaneous angiography; 3) provision of outpatient care in the multidisciplinary Stroke and Cerebrovascular Center clinic; 4) select rotations in adult stroke care (Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center), as well as in the pediatric fields of neurointerventional radiology, neurosurgery, neuroradiology, hematology and aligned neuroclinical sciences.
Core competencies to be achieved in this training:
- Physical examination skills to elicit the diagnosis of acute stroke including use of the PedsNIH Stroke Scale
- Knowledge of the differential diagnoses for the various clinical presentations of stroke and cerebrovascular disorders in children
- Knowledge of the appropriate investigations and management of stroke and cerebrovascular disorders in children based on scientific data in medical literature and institutional practice
- Accurate knowledge and use of the neuroradiologic imaging studies for acute and chronic stroke and cerebrovascular disorders in children
- Knowledge and understanding of the pharmacologic treatment of acute stroke and cerebrovascular disorders.
- Confidence development in counseling patients and families regarding the course and likely outcome of their illnesses.
- Pre-operative and post-operative care of patients undergoing endovascular thrombectomy, moyamoya revascularization surgery, AVM embolization and resections, cavernous malformation resections, and aneurysm care.
- Ability to provide longitudinal outpatient care of children with stroke and cerebrovascular disorders in collaboration with hematology, cardiology, neurosurgery, physiatry, physical and occupational therapy, neuropsychology, nursing, and social work
- Skill in assessment of the medical literature relevant to pediatric stroke and cerebrovascular disorders
- Skill in the didactic teaching of stroke and cerebrovascular disorders
Research
Research opportunities and scientific training will be provided through the faculty of the Boston Children’s Stroke and Cerebrovascular Center. Fellows will be encouraged to complete a research project during the period of the fellowship.
Application process
The application should consist of:
- cover letter
- personal statement (1-page)
- curriculum vitae
- list of publications
- two letters of recommendation
- copies of USMLE parts 1, 2, and 3; LMCC (if applicable); ECFMG certification (if applicable)
- visa status (if not a citizen/permanent resident of the U.S.)
Applications should be submitted as a single PDF document to michael.rivkin@childrens.harvard.edu and jackie.crombie@childrens.harvard.edu by December 1st 2026. After submitting the application, candidates may be invited to meet in person or via remote interviews with members of the selection committee in early 2027. Letters of acceptance will be issued around mid-March.
Accreditation
This is a non-ACGME accredited training program.
Compensation and Benefits
Fellows will receive PGY-6 salary and benefits package applicable to all Boston Children’s Hospital clinical trainees, available here: https://gme.childrenshospital.org/benefits-support-services.