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Physicians
Ausaf Bari, MD, PhD, FAANS Assistant Professor and Executive Council Member
Dr. Ausaf Bari specializes in the neurosurgical repair and restoration of brain and nerve function. He has extensive clinical and research experience in the use of deep brain stimulation (DBS) in the treatment of both movement and psychiatric disorders. Dr. Bari's clinical practice includes DBS surgery for Parkinson's disease, tremor, dystonia, depression and OCD. Dr. Bari's research focuses on an interdisciplinary approach to studying the neurobiology underlying movement and psychiatric disorders and expanding the frontiers of neurosurgery to treat those disorders.
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Programs:
Epilepsy and Functional Neurosurgery
Peripheral Nerve Program
Joel Beckett, MD Assistant Professor
Dr. Beckett is a dual-fellowship trained neurosurgeon who specializes in the surgical treatment of spinal disorders such as stenosis, disk herniations, spondylolisthesis, spinal deformity and tumors. With extensive training in both minimally invasive and complex spinal surgery, he takes pride in working with his patients to customize each treatment plan to achieve their goals.
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Program:
Spine Center
Manuel M. Buitrago Blanco, MD, PhD Associate Professor and Executive Council Member Dr. Buitrago Blanco holds a doctoral degree in Neurosciences. As a board certified Neurologist, with training in
Neurocritical Care, he specializes in the treatment of patients with brain related emergencies that require intensive care such as trauma, brain hemorrhages, seizures and stroke. Dr. Buitrago Blanco has conducted research to understand the mechanisms of synaptic plasticity that occur during recovery after neuronal injury, utilizing electrophysiology, proteomics and genomics techniques.
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Program:
Neurotrauma and Neurocritical Care
Geoffrey P. Colby, MD, PhD, FAANS Associate Professor and Director, Residency Training Program
Dr. Geoffrey P. Colby, Director of Cerebrovascular Neurosurgery at UCLA, is a board-certified and fellowship-trained cerebrovascular and endovascular neurosurgeon who specializes in blood vessel (vascular) disorders of the brain and spine. These include brain aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), dural arteriovenous fistulas (dAVFs), subarachnoid hemorrhage, acute stroke, carotid artery stenosis, intracerebral hemorrhage, cavernous malformations, and Moyamoya disease. He offers a comprehensive evaluation and a customized treatment plan based on the most advanced and sophisticated techniques available, including “minimally-invasive” endovascular procedures like flow diversion and coiling.
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Program:
Cerebrovascular Program
Michael Dorsi, MD, FAANSAssistant Professor Dr. Dorsi is a board-certified, fellowship-trained neurosurgeon who specializes in the surgical treatment of spinal disorders. He is nationally recognized as a leader in spinal cord stimulation for the treatment of chronic pain. He specializes in spinal stenosis, spondylolisthesis, disc herniation, failed back surgery syndrome and radiculopathy.
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Programs:
Spine Center
Peripheral Nerve Program
Richard Everson, MD, FAANS
Assistant Professor
Dr. Richard Everson is fellowship-trained brain and spine tumor neurosurgeon who specializes in the treatment of malignant brain tumors. His research focuses on the development of novel immunotherapy treatment of brain tumors. Dr. Everson is available for consultation at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. More >
Programs:
Brain Tumor Center
Pituitary and Skull Base Tumor Program
Aria Fallah, MD, M.Sc., FRCSC Assistant Professor
Dr. Aria Fallah is a fellowship trained pediatric neurosurgeon experienced in the surgical management of neurological disorders affecting infants and children. These include medically intractable epilepsy, brain tumors, vascular malformations, spinal dysraphism, neuro-endoscopic management of hydrocephalus and intracranial arachnoid cysts and other congenital malformations of the central nervous system. He has an advanced degree and expertise in Clinical Epidemiology with an active research interest in surgical outcome studies and advanced decision-making models in pediatric neurosurgery.
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Programs:
Pediatric Neurosurgery
Epilepsy and Functional Neurosurgery
Jeremiah Johnson, MD, FAANS
Associate Professor
Dr. Jeremiah Johnson is Associate Professor of Neurosurgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA specializing in the surgical and endovascular treatment of complex brain and spinal cord vascular conditions including, brain aneurysms, brain arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), dural arteriovenous fistulas (DAVFs), cavernous malformations, spinal vascular malformations, carotid stenosis, intracranial stenosis, and moyamoya disease including intracranial bypass surgery. He is one of the few dual-trained neurosurgeons in the country who can offer the highest level minimally invasive endovascular and microsurgical solutions to cerebrovascular disorders. More >
Program:
Cerebrovascular Program
Won Kim, MD, FAANS Assistant Professor and Quality Officer
Dr. Kim completed his neurosurgical residency training at UCLA with a fellowship in stereotactic and functional neurosurgery. His clinical interests include the treatment of primary and metastatic brain tumors deep within the brain using a wide variety of surgical modalities to best suit each individual patient and tumor type. Using technologies including the laser ablation of tumors (Visualase), white matter preserving corridor surgery (BrainPath), and stereotactic radiosurgery, he is able to treat many tumors traditionally deemed “inoperable.”
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Programs:
Brain Tumor Center
Pituitary and Skull Base Tumor Program
Linda M. Liau, MD, PhD, MBA, FAANS Professor and Chair
Dr. Linda Liau's clinical expertise is in intra-operative functional brain mapping and use of intra-operative imaging for resection of brain tumors (gliomas, meningiomas, and metastatic tumors). Her research efforts are focused on the molecular biology of brain tumors, gene therapy, immunotherapy, and brain cancer vaccines. Dr. Liau is the current Editor-in-Chief of the the Journal of Neuro-Oncology.
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Program:
Brain Tumor Center
Luke Macyszyn, MD, MA, FAANS Associate Professor and Associate Residency Training Program Director
Dr. Luke Macyszyn is a fellowship trained neurosurgeon that is known for his expertise in the surgical treatment of scoliosis, spinal deformities, and spine tumors in children as well as adults. He has vast experience treating complex spinal disorders using traditional as well as cutting edge minimally invasive techniques. Dr. Macyszyn’s research focus is on the development of imaging markers that predict patient outcome after surgery.
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Program:
Spine Center
Andrew Vivas, MD Assistant Professor and Associate Residency Training Program Director Dr. Andrew Vivas is an Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery at UCLA. He is a board-eligible, dual fellowship trained neurosurgeon specializing in the treatment of adult and pediatric spinal deformities such as scoliosis, kyphosis, kyphoscoliosis, and flatback syndrome. He also treats spinal tumors, cervical spine problems, and degenerative conditions of the spine such as stenosis and spondylolisthesis. In addition to neurosurgical training in minimally invasive spine techniques, Dr. Vivas is one of the few surgeons in the country who has also completed an orthopedic spine fellowship, giving him a unique and multidisciplinary perspective in the treatment of spinal conditions.
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Programs:
Spine Center
Peripheral Nerve Program
Anthony Wang, MD, FAANS Assistant Professor and Associate Residency Training Program Director
Dr. Wang specializes in pediatric, cerebrovascular, and complex cranial base surgeries, having had the unique experience of fellowship training in each of these subspecialties. Dr. Wang's clinical specialties include pediatric brain tumors, moyamoya disease, aneurysms, skull base tumors, and Chiari malformations. He has also received additional training in scoliosis surgery and brachial plexus surgery. His research focuses on refining immunotherapy for pediatric brain tumors.
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Programs:
Pediatric Neurosurgery
Cerebrovascular Program
Brain Tumor Center
Isaac Yang, MD, FAANS Associate Professor
Dr. Isaac Yang is experienced in the surgical treatment for patients with skull base tumors, acoustic neuromas, meningiomas, astrocytomas, oligodendrogliomas, anaplastic astrocytomas, and glioblastomas. As a principal investigator at the UCLA Brain Tumor Program, his extensive research interests include optimizing brain tumor clinical outcomes, novel nanoparticles against brain tumors, and experimental glioblastoma therapies like brain tumor vaccines.
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Programs:
Brain Tumor Center
Pituitary and Skull Base Tumor Program
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Research Scientists
Fernando Gomez-Pinilla, PhD Professor and Director of the Neurotrophic Research Laboratory with secondary appointment in Physiological Science Dr. Fernando Gomez-Pinilla conducts research on mechanisms of repair following traumatic injury to the brain and spinal cord.
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Tiffany Greco, PhDAssistant ProfessorDr. Greco is currently pursuing research on sex hormones, brain energy metabolism and concussions. More>
Neil G. Harris, PhD Professor Dr. Neil Harris is co-scientific director of the new 7 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy facility and his research is focused on recovery of function after traumatic brain injury.
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Mayumi Prins, PhD Professor, Director BIRC Education Program Dr. Prins’s research interests include understanding the changes in brain metabolism that occur after pediatric traumatic brain injury and how alternative fuels can be used as therapeutic options for the young brain after head injury. In addition to this main focus, she is interested in repeat mild head injuries as they apply to both children and young adult athletes.
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Robert M. Prins, PhD Professor Dr. Robert Prins conducts pre-clinical brain tumor immunotherapy research and Phase I clinical trials for malignant brain tumor patients.
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Nanthia Suthana, PhD Assistant Professor Dr. Suthana’s research program aims to develop therapeutic cognitive treatments and tools through the characterization of neuronal mechanisms underlying successful human learning and memory.
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Joint Faculty
Benjamin Ellingson, PhD
Professor
Department of Radiology
Michel Kalamarides, MD, PhD
Professor
Department of Head and Neck Surgery
Scott Krahl, PhD
Associate Professor and Neurophysiologist
Department of Neurosurgery
Fernando Vinuela, MD
Professor
Department of Interventional Neuroradiology and Neurosurgery
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Affiliated Faculty
Harsimran Brara, MD
Voluntary Assistant Clinical Professor - Kaiser Permanente
Duc H. Duong, MD, FAANS
Associate Clinical Professor - Harbor UCLA Medical Center
Seyed Ali Khonsary, MD
Voluntary Associate Clinical Professor - St. Francis Medical Center
Shayan Rahman, MD
Voluntary Assistant Clinical Professor - Kaiser Permanente
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Emeritus Faculty
James I. Ausman, MD, PhD
Voluntary Clinical Professor Emeritus
Dr. James Ausman is a Clinical Professor and former Chairman of Neurosurgery at Henry Ford Hospital and University of Illinois at Chicago and Editor of the new Open Access Internet journal Surgical Neurology International and former Editor of Surgical Neurology from 1994-2009. He is known for his expertise in cerebrovascular diseases, complex neurosurgical problems and microsurgery.
Melvin Cheatham, MD, FAANS
Voluntary Clinical Professor Emeritus
Dr. Melvin Cheatham is a Clinical Professor in the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, member of the UCLA Department of Neurosurgery Advisory Board, member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Surgical Neurology International, and assistant in Neurosurgical Development Planning at UCLA.
Antonio De Salles, MD, PhD
Emeritus Professor
Dr. Antonio DeSalles focuses on noninvasive techniques of surgery in the management and treatment of inoperable brain tumors using Novalis Shaped Beam Radiosurgery System. Dr. DeSalles also does research and surgery for Parkinsons disease and various movement disorders, as well as surgery for pain.
John G. Frazee, MD, FAANS Emeritus Professor Clinical Professor and Director of the
Neuroendoscopy Program. Dr. John Frazee specializes in neurovascular and endoscopic procedures, including minimally-invasive spinal surgery, disc replacement, spinal fusion, and the treatment of such diseases as Meniere's, Hemifacial Spasm, Intracranial Tumors, Aneurysms, and Chiari Malformations.
Jorge A. Lazareff, MD, FAANS Emeritus Professor Professor of the
Pediatric Neurosurgery Program. Dr. Jorge Lazareffs primary focus is the treatment of children with neurosurgical disorders. Dr Lazareff is also involved with the UCLA Global Neuro Health Program.
Gary W. Mathern, MD, FAANS Emeritus Professor Dr. Gary Mathern works in conjunction with the
Epilepsy Program to provide research for children with epilepsy.
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