2018 Gratitude & Year-in-Review
Dear Friends and Family,
For over 20 consecutive years, U.S. News & World Report has recognized UCLA Neurosurgery as one of the top neurosurgery programs in the nation. To us, rankings are an indication of something greater: a united community of compassionate, creative, generous, earnest and motivated individuals working to provide world-class patient care, innovative translational research, and education of future leaders.
As 2018 comes to a close, I’d like to reflect on some of the stories behind our rankings—the impact of our faculty and the generosity of our community that contributes to our success. Here are some exciting updates from this past year:
- Blindness is battled with the help of a brain prosthesis designed to stimulate the visual cortex and restore some visual perception. Audio
- People with spinal injuries are regaining use of their limbs with the help of an experimental implant that restores voluntary movement. A generous $3 million gift helped propel research on mobility and function for patients with spinal cord injuries. Article 1 | Article 2
- “When Rhianna opened her eyes after surgery, she could see again. In less than three weeks, she was living like a typical teenager…” The search for a rare diagnosis and treatment (Chiari Malformation) was achieved at UCLA Neurosurgery and UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital. Video | Article
- Personalized vaccine developed by the UCLA Brain Tumor Center may increase long-term survival in people with deadliest form of brain cancer. Article
- Treatment-Resistant Depression will gain better understanding with an $8.5M grant to develop surgical treatment and understand the neurocircuitry of depression. Article
- Memory is being nudged with a neural stimulation implant under development to boost cognition. Article
Because of you and for you, we strive for excellence. Support from the community bolsters life-changing research, advances clinical and surgical care, and provides hope to many. Thank you for being part of our community.
With sincere gratitude and warm wishes to you and your loved ones this holiday season,
Linda M. Liau, MD, PhD, MBA
Professor and Chair
Department of Neurosurgery
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
If interested in making a tax-deductible contribution to support the UCLA Department of Neurosurgery, please click here or call Samantha Lang, Senior Director of Development at 310-951-9806.
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