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One-Year AFC Fellowship

Program & Curriculum

A structured, competency-based year that develops an expert subspecialist consultant in neonatal neurocritical care — built on graded responsibility across two NICUs and a dedicated neurocritical-care consult service.

The Namesake

Dr. Harvey Sarnat

Dr. Sarnat created the Sarnat & Sarnat Neonatal Encephalopathy Staging Scale in 1976 — used by paediatricians and neonatologists worldwide and encountered by every trainee learning about newborn brain injury.

A legend in Neonatal Neurology with 190 peer-reviewed original publications, Dr. Sarnat is Professor Emeritus of Paediatrics, Pathology (Neuropathology) and Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Calgary, where he continues to do research and see patients. He is board-certified in Paediatrics and Neurology in the U.S., and in Neurology by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. An annual endowed lectureship has carried his name at the University of Calgary since 2013.

The Setting

The Calgary Neonatal Neuro-Critical Care Program

A collaborative initiative between the Sections of Neonatology and Pediatric Neurology, delivering integrated care, research, training and education.

Multidisciplinary team members from Neonatology, Pediatric Neurology, Diagnostic Imaging, Neurophysiology, Neurosurgery, Obstetrics, nursing, allied health and Neuropathology contribute to a comprehensive brain-focused model of care. The training was recognized by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada as an Area of Focused Competence (AFC) diploma and by the United Council for Neurologic Subspecialties (UCNS) in the United States.

Our program is the only one in Canada accredited by UCNS. The fellowship is awarded to candidates with a strong interest in and drive toward a career in neonatal neuro-critical care.

Who Can Apply

Eligibility

Entry route

Royal College certification (or eligibility, or registration in an accredited residency) in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine or Neurology (pediatric stream), or equivalent. The fellowship is typically an optional third-year training following two years of NPM training.

To complete the portfolio

All trainees must be Royal College certified in their entry-route discipline to be eligible to complete a Royal College Competency Portfolio in NNCC. International graduates may train with funding from their sponsoring institution or government.

Where You Train

Training Sites

Alberta Children's Hospital (ACH) — Level IV NICU

A neonatal neurocritical-care centre. All outborn HIE infants, neonates with seizures, significant post-hemorrhagic ventricular dilatation and other acute neurological problems from Southern Alberta are admitted here. The large NNCC case volume builds proficiency in brain-oriented care alongside the multidisciplinary team, including senior-level care of surgical, cardiac and complex newborns. Site Lead: Dr. Khorshid Mohammad.

Foothills Medical Centre (FMC) — Level III NICU

The high volume of high-risk deliveries builds proficiency in resuscitation, delivery-room management, teamwork and debriefing, plus liaison with the inter-professional team and regional transport network. From the NNCC perspective: neuroprotection in preterm infants, cranial ultrasonography, and management of post-hemorrhagic ventricular dilatation. Site Lead: Dr. Hussein Zein.

Structure

The 13-Block Rotation Year

Thirteen four-week blocks combine focused clinical immersion with protected research time, supported by longitudinal clinics and the neurocritical-care consult service that runs across the whole year.

3 blocks

Neurocritical Care (NCC) consult service

The clinical core of the fellowship: the fellow acts as neurology consultant to critically ill newborns in the NICU and selected PICU patients, integrating imaging, neurophysiology and laboratory testing into clear management recommendations. Contacts: Dr. Kristine Woodward; Leah Foster, NNP.

4 blocks

Research / scholarly project

Protected time to complete a research, education or quality-improvement project relevant to NNCC, with self-directed deepening of MRI, EEG and ultrasound skills.

2 blocks

Alberta Children's Hospital — Level IV NICU

Brain-oriented acute care across the full spectrum of neonatal neurocritical conditions at the quaternary site.

2 blocks

Foothills Medical Centre — Level III NICU

High-risk delivery care, neuroprotection in preterm infants, cranial ultrasonography and PHVD management.

1 block

Neonatal follow-up clinic

Neurodevelopmental follow-up of NICU graduates. Director: Dr. Marina Journault.

1 block

Vacation

Protected leave.

Longitudinal experiences run alongside the blocks: antenatal neurology consults, neonatal stroke and brain-malformation clinics, dedicated neuroimaging and EEG learning, neuropathology dissection sessions, and the year-long NNCC consult service that provides continuity of consultation.

Entrustment

Graded Supervision Across the NCC Blocks

Competence develops through decreasing supervision rather than different content per block. The same competencies recur while the entrustment expectation rises.

Block 1

Supported consultant

Direct and proximate supervision. The fellow assesses patients, frames the question and proposes a plan, reviewed with the attending before communication to the team.

Block 2

Increasing autonomy

Indirect supervision for familiar presentations. The fellow manages a growing consultation load with prioritization, follow-up and timely escalation.

Block 3

Junior-attending role

The fellow approaches the junior-attending role — triaging referrals, leading coordination of care and supervising junior learners, with the attending available for support.

Academic Life

Continuous Expectations & Learning Experiences

Weekly & recurring activities

Neonatal Brain Society webinars (weekly)
Pediatric Neurology & Neuroradiology Rounds
Departmental Neuroscience Grand Rounds
Monthly NCC Rounds; quarterly neonatal neuroimaging rounds
Regular EEG reading sessions & SCAN ultrasound sessions
Weekly academic half-days & neonatal educational rounds

Skills, simulation & modules

Hands-on cranial ultrasound with 3D-printed phantoms & simulators
MRI interpretation & clinical correlation in neonatal brain injury
EEG / aEEG review and bedside neuro-monitoring
Weekly brain-dissection neuropathology sessions
Assigned online NNCC education modules on Thinkific
Southern Alberta Neonatal Outreach neuroprotection sessions

On-call commitment

Five to six in-house calls per block, first on-call for NNCC consultations across both NICUs (ACH and FMC), with the neonatologist as backup — building leadership in prioritizing care across a larger patient volume.

Daily communication

The fellow communicates patient care plans daily to the NCC team — the NCC attending, NCC senior resident or fellow, and the neurocritical-care nurse practitioner — and generates timely documentation.

See how competence is built and measured

Explore the full CanMEDS competency framework and the programmatic, portfolio-based assessment system that underpins the year.

View Competencies View Assessment