Not that
@CnsCrit was saying differently, but the mode for faculty members with even a single U/R award in academic Neurocritical Care divisions is Zero. Many of the largest academic NCC divisions in the U.S. have no R/U awardees on faculty. The number of Neurointensivists with consistent funding is even smaller. Buy-down time with research is very rare in NCC. Most buy-down time is via administrative duty: Clerkship director, Fellowship program director, Medical Director, etc. To have a long career in NCC you really need to be clinically focused and enjoy seeing patients.
In terms of interesting pathology you have to also remember that for every super interesting case you will admit 9 stinkers: 3 Neurosurgery post-ops needing a sitter, 1 transiently hypotensive neuro floor patient, 2 post-TNK stroke patient with an average NIHSS of 1, 1 pseudoseizure status patient . . . better than a Neurohospitalist list but it is not all severe TBI, high grade SAH, complicated SCIs.