University of Alberta Hospital - Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit
Advancing neurocritical care through precision medicine and multidisciplinary collaboration
The Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit at the University of Alberta Hospital is a hub for innovation and discovery in neurocritical care. We integrate cutting-edge clinical trials, translational pharmacotherapy, and health systems research to improve outcomes for patients with life-threatening neurological emergencies.
“Our mission is to advance neurocritical care through innovative, collaborative, translational and clinical research that improves outcomes for patients with acute neurological injuries.”
Dr. Sherif Hanafy Mahmoud, Neuro-ICU Research Director
Research Pillars
Pharmacotherapy + Precision Medicine
The unique physiology of neurocritical illness creates complex variables that often lead to treatment failure or adverse drug reactions. By decoding these complexities, we are driving the shift toward precision pharmacotherapy — ensuring the right patient receives the right drug at the right dose. Our goal is to replace standardized protocols with personalized regimens that maximize recovery for our most vulnerable patients. See current pharmacotherapy and precision medicine studies »
Brain Injury + Recovery
Our research advances knowledge across the full spectrum of acute brain injury, including stroke, traumatic brain injury, subarachnoid hemorrhage, and seizures. We integrate this clinical focus with a deep investigation into critical illness physiology, studying the underlying mechanisms of cerebral edema, hemodynamic instability, and multi-organ dysfunction. By understanding how these systemic factors interact with the injured brain, we aim to develop interventions that limit secondary injury and improve recovery. See current brain injury and recovery studies »
Health Systems + Outcomes
Our team is deeply committed to health services research that evaluates how systems of care, staffing models, and treatment pathways shape patient outcomes. We lead projects designed to inform policy, optimize resource use, and elevate the patient and family experience within the critical care environment. Our key initiatives range from quality improvement programs targeting sedation, delirium, and early mobility, to longitudinal studies that track survivorship and recovery beyond ICU discharge. Additionally, we are actively investigating the equity, access, and efficiency of neurocritical care delivery to ensure every patient receives optimal care.
Why collaborate with us?
High patient volume
One of the busiest Neuro ICUs in Western Canada, admitting 600+ patients annually.
Dedicated infrastructure
Support for regulatory compliance, ethics submissions, and data management.
Multidisciplinary expertise
Our research program brings together intensivists, neurologists, neurosurgeons, pharmacists, nurses, and rehabilitation specialists to tackle the most pressing challenges in critical care.
Institute linkages and collaboration
The NeurolCU research program benefits from close ties with the Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute (NMHI) at the University of Alberta. Dr. Elizabeth Wilcox, NMHI Director and NeurolCU research member, plays a key role in facilitating collaboration between biomedical researchers and clinical scientists. In addition, we have close ties with the Canadian Critical Care Trials Group, fostering multicenter critical care research collaborations across Canada.
Message from the Research Director
Welcome to the University of Alberta Hospital Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit. As one of the highest-volume centers in Western Canada, treating neurocritically ill patients, our vision is to become a global center of excellence where clinical volume fuels scientific discovery. We are dedicated to transforming neurocritical care by moving beyond 'one-size-fits-all' medicine toward precision therapies that account for the unique physiology of the injured brain.
I bring over 25 years of experience to this mission, combining clinical insights with rigorous research in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. My work, funded by CIHR and the University Hospital Foundation, focuses on how neurological injury affects drug response, aiming to optimize outcomes in neurocritical care. Having been recognized as the 2024 Canadian Pharmacist of the Year and a Fellow of the Neurocritical Care Society, I am committed to advancing patient care through multidisciplinary collaboration, cutting-edge clinical trials, and impactful health services research. We invite collaborators to join us in this pursuit of personalized, evidence-based neurocritical care.
Dr. Sherif Hanafy Mahmoud
Neuro-ICU Research Director
Active Clinical Trials + Studies
Pharmacotherapy + Precision Medicine
- Recruiting ASH-II:Nimodipine Systemic Exposure and Outcomes following Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage (NCT07065903). Principal investigator: Dr. Sherif Mahmoud. (Funded by: Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR))
- Recruiting Neuro-ARC: Augmented Renal Clearance in Neurocritical Care Population (NCT07410624). Principal investigator: Dr. Sherif Mahmoud. (Funded by: University Hospital Foundation (UHF))
Brain Injury + Recovery
- Active DELDEX: Reducing days DELirious with DEXmedetomidine. Principal investigator: Dr. Elizabeth Wilcox. (Funded by: University Hospital Foundation (UHF))
- Awaiting REB approval COGWhEEL: COpinG responses and social WELLness after ICU. Principal investigator: Dr. Elizabeth Wilcox. (Funded by: University Hospital Foundation (UHF))
- Awaiting REB approval BRAINapt: TBI international Adaptive Platform Trial. Principal investigator: Dr. Elizabeth Wilcox. (Funded by: Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR))
Meet the investigators
Key Publications
- Mahmoud SH, Kharouba M, Aboelezz A, Elshamy A, Gunn E. Pharmacotherapy variability and precision medicine in neurocritical care. Frontiers in neurology. 2025 Jul 18;16:1630163.
- Kharouba M, Cook AM, Bastin ML, Kutsogiannis DJ, Mahmoud SH. Levetiracetam dosing optimization in neurocritical care population: neuro-ARC study. Neurocritical Care. 2025 Dec;43(3):887-901.
- Wilcox ME, Burry L, Englesakis M, Coman B, Daou M, van Haren FM, Ely EW, Bosma KJ, Knauert MP. Intensive care unit interventions to promote sleep and circadian biology in reducing incident delirium: a scoping review. Thorax. 2024 Oct 1;79(10):988-97.
- Knauert MP, Ayas NT, Bosma KJ, Drouot X, Heavner MS, Owens RL, Watson PL, Wilcox ME, Anderson BJ, Cordoza ML, Devlin JW. Causes, consequences, and treatments of sleep and circadian disruption in the ICU: an official American thoracic society research statement. American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine. 2023 Apr;207(7):e49-68.
- Mahmoud SH, Hefny FR, et al. Comparison of nimodipine formulations and administration techniques via enteral feeding tubes in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage: A multicenter retrospective cohort study. Pharmacotherapy: The Journal of Human Pharmacology and Drug Therapy. 2023 Apr;43(4):279-90.
- Mahmoud SH, Buhler J, Chu E, Chen SA, Human T. Drug dosing in patients undergoing therapeutic plasma exchange. Neurocritical care. 2021 Feb;34(1):301-11.
- Wilcox ME, Girard TD, Hough CL. Delirium and long term cognition in critically ill patients. Bmj. 2021 Jun 8;373.
- Wilcox ME, McAndrews MP, Van J, Jackson JC, Pinto R, Black SE, Lim AS, Friedrich JO, Rubenfeld GD. Sleep fragmentation and cognitive trajectories after critical illness. Chest. 2021 Jan 1;159(1):366-81.
- Dres M, Younes M, Rittayamai N, Kendzerska T, Telias I, Grieco DL, Pham T, Junhasavasdikul D, Chau E, Mehta S, Wilcox ME. Sleep and pathological wakefulness at the time of liberation from mechanical ventilation (SLEEWE). A prospective multicenter physiological study. American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine. 2019 May 1;199(9):1106-15.
- Marr N, Yu J, Kutsogiannis DJ, Mahmoud SH. Risk of hyponatremia in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage treated with exogenous vasopressin infusion. Neurocritical care. 2017 Apr;26(2):182-90.
Contact + Partnership Inquiries
For clinical trials, collaboration and other inquiries
Dr. Sherif Hanafy Mahmoud
Email: smahmoud@ualberta.ca
ICU Address
University of Alberta Hospital, Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit
Walter Mackenzie Centre, 4th floor, Unit 4A4
8440 112 Street NW
Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2B7