Fatima Ajmal

Fatima Ajmal, MBChB, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics-Critical Care at the University of Chicago, where she serves as a specialist in pediatric critical care medicine at Comer Children's Hospital. She provides care for infants and children in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) and the Pediatric Sedation Service, and currently holds the position of Associate Program Director for the Pediatric Critical Care Fellowship Program.

Dr. Ajmal's research focuses on pediatric neurocritical care, with particular emphasis on non-invasive monitoring in traumatic brain injury populations. Her scholarly work explores the application of pupillometry in severe traumatic brain injury cases and she has presented her findings at the Society of Critical Care Medicine international meeting. She also maintains a strong commitment to medical education, having completed a faculty fellowship in the Medical Education Research, Innovation, Teaching and Scholarship (MERITS) Program.

Dr. Ajmal has received numerous accolades for her work, including:

• Dr. Elaine Kohler Award for Humanity in Medicine (2021 and 2022)
• 2nd place at Graduate Medical Education Research and Quality Improvement Day (2019)
• Nomination for AAP/SONS award for Oral presentation (2017)
• 1st place in the Junior category of the Arthur Kendall Prize for Oral Presentation (2014)

As an educator and mentor, Dr. Ajmal has played an active leadership role in medical education and curriculum development throughout her career. She is passionate about providing high-quality, evidence-based patient care and strives to be a role model for trainees, advocating for trainee education as it applies to pathophysiology, inter-professional relationships, and patient/family centered care.

Dr. Ajmal's scholarly work has been published in prestigious journals including Critical Care Medicine, Journal of Neurosurgery Pediatrics, and BMC Neurology, with research focusing on epilepsy surgery, neurocritical care, and innovative monitoring techniques for critically ill pediatric patients.