Consciousness Prognostication and Recovery Fellowship

The Consciousness Prognostication and Recovery Fellowship (RECOVER Fellowship) is designed to provide advanced post-residency training to physicians interested in making this field a focus of their clinical career. The fellowship is a 1-year training program that offers specialized education in consciousness detection, prognostication, and recovery in patients with disorders of consciousness resulting from acute brain injury. We aim to support fellows in becoming future leaders in the field of Consciousness Prognostication and Recovery, by promoting academic endeavors in research, clinical innovation, and/or education.

The fellowship includes dedicated education on:

  • The neurophysiology of arousal, consciousness, and disorders of consciousness
  • Current literature and guidelines pertaining to disorders of consciousness and neuroprognostication
  • Cutting-edge methods of consciousness detection and prognostication
  • Interventions to promote consciousness recovery
  • Coordinating interdisciplinary care
  • The spectrum and timeline of neurologic recovery
  • Counseling patient families/surrogates about prognostication
  • Managing long-term sequelae of acute brain injury

The RECOVER Fellowship meets its objectives through a combination of clinical care (including neurocritical care, palliative care, and physiatry, across the acute, post-acute, and chronic phases of care), didactics, research and educational opportunities.

Those interested in pursuing this innovative fellowship can contact us by email.

Noor Shaik, MD, PhD

Noor Shaik, MD, PhD

RECOVER Fellow 2026-2027

Noor Shaik graduated from Villanova University in 2014 and then embarked on her journey as an MD/PhD student at Sidney Kimmel Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University. While working towards her MD/PhD degrees, Noor was recognized at regional and international conferences for her thesis project on the role of platelets in stroke-related infections. She was also involved in the development and testing of a vaccine for SARS-CoV-2. In residency, she has published both academic research and patient-facing articles on the prevention and recovery after neurologic injuries, such as stroke and traumatic brain injury, along with working on multiple quality improvement initiatives. Her writing has been featured in Medscape, ABC News, Forbes, MedPage Today, Doximity, and The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Aside from her academic career, Noor is a passionate champion for those who are underserved, including with Special Olympics, the Social Health and Medical Services (SHAMS) Clinic, Hub of Hope, Day of Dignity, and others. In response to the spike in COVID-19 cases in India, she and her mother co-founded Breath for Humanity, an international relief effort through which they shipped thousands of medical supplies to hard-hit communities and hospitals. They have also partnered with others to donate supplies to help refugees in Philadelphia, the Ukraine War, hurricane relief in Puerto Rico, earthquake relief to Turkey/Syria, and also locally with back-to-school drives and supplies for homeless patients. In residency, she also started PennHOPES, a micro-grants initiative to help brighten patients' days. She is now starting her fellowship in stroke and the RECOVER program.