The University of Washington Department of Rehabilitation Medicine offers a one-year ACGME-accredited fellowship in Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Medicine.
The mission of the fellowship program is to provide physicians with the knowledge and skills to deliver comprehensive, quality, and compassionate care to individuals with SCI. Care is provided throughout the lifetime of injury with the goals to maximize health, independence, productivity, and quality of life. Person-centered care, interdisciplinary collaboration, education, and academic scholarship and research are highly valued.
The curriculum emphasizes the lifelong nature of rehabilitation. SCI Medicine fellows work with persons with acute SCI in intensive care settings and inpatient rehabilitation units, focusing on initial rehabilitation services and education. SCI Medicine fellows also work on developing skills to manage the primary care needs and medical complications for individuals with chronic SCI.
SCI Medicine fellows work closely with SCI board certified physicians, as well as certified rehabilitation nurses, rehabilitation psychologists and social workers, physical therapy and occupational therapy clinical specialists, recreation therapists, urologists, plastic surgeons, and neurosurgeons.
For more information about the UW SCI Medicine Fellowship Program, please see the UW SCI Medicine Fellowship brochure (PDF), and watch these testimonial videos:
Applying
The program will start accepting application materials for the 2026-2027 academic year April 1, 2025. The deadline to submit the application is August 15, 2025. Individuals may apply for the Spinal Cord Injury Medicine Fellowship using the common SCI Fellow Application (Download a PDF version). Interviews will be held virtually for all candidates and will be scheduled June – September 2025.
The program participates in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP). Applicants must register for The Match in addition to applying with the common application.
University of Washington is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information.
Application Timeline (for academic year 2025-2026):
- Suggested submission window for application: April 1, 2025 - August 15, 2025
- Match Opens: August 6, 2025
- Ranking Opens: September 3, 2025
- Quota Deadline: September 24, 2025
- Ranking Closes: October 8, 2025
- Match Day: October 22, 2025
Application materials should be emailed (preferred) or mailed to:
Jelena Svircev, MD
SCIM Fellowship Program Director Department of Veterans Affairs - Puget Sound Health Care System
1660 South Columbian Way - SCI 128 Seattle, WA 98108
Email: jsvircev@uw.edu
Selection Criteria
The UW SCI Medicine fellowship program is certified by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). Applicants for the SCI Medicine Fellowship must meet the following criteria:
Successful completion of USMLE or COMLEX
Eligible for limited medical licensure in the state of Washington.
Prior to appointment in the fellowship program, fellows must have successfully completed an ACGME-accredited program in one of the following:
- physical medicine and rehabilitation
- internal medicine
- neurology
- family practice
Applications from other eligible specialties will be considered if the applicant has a strong interest in SCI Medicine, including: anesthesiology, emergency medicine, neurological surgery, orthopedic surgery, pediatrics, general surgery, plastic surgery, urology.
Stipend & Benefits
This fellowship offers the stipend and benefit package updated annually by UW Graduate Medical Education.
Our Faculty
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