USC Department of Neurological Surgery 2020 - 2021 Annual Report Keck School of Medicine of USC 02-03 Chairman's Message 04-07 Training and Education 08-19 Comprehensive Stroke and Cerebrovascular Center 20-29 Deep Brain Stimulation Center 30-41 Pediatric Neurosurgery Program 42-49 Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery and Endoscopic Skull Base/Pituitary Center 50-55 NeuroTrauma and NeuroCritical Care 56-69 Spine Center 70-75 Radiosurgery Center 76-85 Neuro-Oncology 86-95 USC Epilepsy Care Consortium FROM THE CHAIRMAN The 2020-21 era was a momentous time for the the most malignant of brain tumors. Dr. Charles Liu, Department of Neurosurgery at the Keck School of Director of our NeuroRestoration Center, and Dr. Jon Medicine of USC. We added three new clinician scientists Russin published a paper in Nature BME on the first in- who are already prestigious faculty. All have contributed human functional brain imaging using photo acoustic to both our patient care model as well as our research computed tomography. This work was recognized with and academic productivity model. Ashkan Mowla, MD, the best paper award by the Society of PhotoOptical who was an accomplished stroke neurologist, comes to Instrumentation Engineers. us through his neurointerventional fellowship at UCLA. He is now a member of our Cerebrovascular Disorders In conjunction with the USC Cardiac and Vascular Division and practices at our Comprehensive Stroke Institute and the USC Division of Plastic and Center at the Hospital of the Good Samaritan. David Reconstructive Surgery, Dr. Jon Russin has pioneered Cheng, MD, who is trained as a Physical Medicine and a novel technique for spinal cord revascularization Rehabilitation professional, comes to us from Rush to prevent paralysis when treating complex aortic School of Medicine. David has assumed the role of our aneurysms. expert in non-surgical management of spinal disorders. David has taken on the additional responsibility of Dr. Darrin Lee is a Principal Investigator in the Advance teaching several classes within the Keck School of II Trial and was the first in California to implant a deep Medicine. Frances Chow, MD returns to Keck, having brain stimulator for Alzheimer’s Disease. completed her neurology residency at USC, followed by a prestigious fellowship at UCLA in neuro-oncology. With And finally, in a widely touted study that made national the advent of Dr. Chow’s arrival we were able to make a media, our NeuroRestoration Center has demonstrated major University-wide announcement on the inauguration the beneficial effect of adding neuromodulation to task of the USC Brain Tumor Center. There will be more about specific therapy in chronic stroke patients, even 10 that to come, but Dr. Chow is a major contributor to our years after the stroke. Appearing in the April edition of Center concept. The Lancet, the paper published with an accompanying editorial. The residency training program continues to gain national accolades. By most objective criteria it resides in the top The Department of Neurosurgery remains on the cutting 20 of the 115 residency training programs in neurological edge of clinical neuroscience research and continues surgery across the country. If one looks at the number its legacy in training future leaders of American of full-time academic surgeons that are graduates of Neurosurgery. our program and further looks at the fact that seven Department Chairs across the country have trained in Sincerely yours, our program we are closer to the top five in the nation. Since going to press with our Annual Report, a number of research accomplishments have been announced. Steven L. Giannotta, MD Dr. Frank Attenello’s lab has been able to identify tumor Professor and Chairman and stem cell genes that can be utilized for treating Program Director Fiber tracking of the hippocampal sub-regions using 16.4 Tesla MRI. Credit: Kristi Clark, PhD, Carol Miller, PhD, Charles Liu, MD, PhD, and Jonathan Russin, MD. Keck School of Medicine of USC 03 STEVEN JOHN GABRIEL Training and Education GIANNOTTA, MD LIU, MD ZADA, MD, MS f the approximately 64 residency training prestigious universities to apply to our training program. We programs at LAC+USC Medical Center, the are proud of the fact that a relatively high proportion (greater Neurosurgical Residency program is one of the than 50%) of our residents seek full-time academic jobs most elite. The program was inaugurated in upon completion of their training. Our resident graduates 1927 by Carl Rand, and as such, was the first have assumed positions in such prestigious programs as neurosurgical residency training program west Barrow Neurological Institute, Columbia, Yale, UCLA and USC. of the Mississippi. Currently four graduates of our training program are Chairmen of academic neurosurgical departments including University of OThe quality of our program was recently acknowledged by the Utah, University of Texas at Austin, University of Arkansas, and Neurosurgery Residency Review Committee, which allowed us to University of Missouri. increase our enrollment to three residents per year. The factors governing such a decision include the quality of the faculty, the This past academic year alone our residents have authored, excellence of the care given, the success of the residents who or co-authored, over 80 peer-reviewed publications and book graduate from the program, and the quality of the research chapters. Whether our graduates choose a career in academic efforts within the Department. medicine or private practice, they tend to ascend to leadership roles, whether it be locally at their hospitals, or nationally in As a relatively large department (24 clinical and 7 research organizations such as the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, faculty) we not only provide excellence in subspecialty the North American Spine Society or the Council of State neurosurgical care but also provide an environment of cutting Neurosurgical Societies. edge research. This attracts medical students from our most 04 05 TRAINING and EDUCATION 2020 - 2021 ANNUAL REPORT USC Department of Neurological Surgery keck.usc.edu/neurological-surgery/ Clinic (323) 442-5720 Academic Office (323) 409-7422 Keck School of Medicine of USC USC Department of Neurological Surgery Residents 2021-2022 POST GRADUATE POST GRADUATE POST GRADUATE POST GRADUATE POST GRADUATE POST GRADUATE POSTPOST GRADUATEGRADUATE YEAR 1 YEAR 2 YEAR 3 YEAR 4 YEAR 5 YEAR 6 YEARYEAR 77 PGY-3 CHLA, KECK HOSPITAL, AND LAC+USC PEDIATRIC, PGY-4 KECK HOSPITAL AND LAC+USC PGY-5 CHIEF, KECK HOSPITAL OF USC AND PGY-6 RESEARCH/CLINICAL PGY-7 RESIDENT SUPERVISORS PGY-1 INTERN YEAR PGY-2 LAC+USC MEDICAL CENTER, ENDOVASCULAR, AND CRANIAL NEUROSURGERY SPINAL NEUROSURGERY STEREOTACTIC RADIOSURGERY ELECTIVE YEAR BASIC CLINICAL NEUROSURGERY JOSH BAKHSHESHIAN, MD, MS UNDERGRADUATE: UC San Diego- BS, Physiology and Neuroscience ALEXANDRA KAMMEN, MD HILLIP ONNEY DAVID COTE, MD JONATHAN DALLAS, MD ROBERT BRIGGS, MD JONATHON CAVALERI, MD P B , MD MEDICAL SCHOOL: Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION: University of UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION: Oklahoma State UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION: University of Tulsa- BS UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION: Boston College – BS UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION: Washington UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION: College of William California Berkeley - BA Molecular and GRADUATE SCHOOL: College of Health Professions, Rosalind Franklin University of University – BS Chemical Engineering Petroleum Engineering Chemistry, Theology University – BS Biomedical Engineering and Mary – BS Chemistry, Neuroscience Cell Biology Medicine and Science- MS, Healthcare Administration and Management; MS, EDICAL CHOOL DUCATION MEDICAL SCHOOL EDUCATION: Harvard Medical EDICAL CHOOL DUCATION MEDICAL SCHOOL EDUCATION: University of EDICAL CHOOL DUCATION M S E : University of Biomedical Sciences M S E : Vanderbilt University M S E : Icahn School of MEDICAL SCHOOL EDUCATION: Keck School of Oklahoma College of Medicine Oklahoma College of Medicine School School of Medicine Medicine at Mount Sinai Medicine of USC KI CHANG, MD LEXANDER HARTRAIN TATS FUJII, MD RAGHAV GUPTA, MD MICHELLE LIN, MD A C , MD UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION: Hope College (Holland, MI) - BA Chemistry and ANGAD GOGIA, MD SHIVANI RANGWALA, MD UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION: Middlebury College- BA UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION: The College of New UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION: Washington UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION: University of UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION: Stanford University – UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION: Washington Neuroscience Psychology Jersey – BS Biology University in St. Louis - BA Philosophy, Colorado – BA, Biochemistry and Molecular, BS Computer Science University – BS, Biomedical Engineering MEDICAL SCHOOL EDUCATION: Keck School of MEDICAL SCHOOL EDUCATION: Penn State College of Medicine MEDICAL SCHOOL EDUCATION: Rutgers New Jersey Neuroscience, Psychology Cellular and Developmental Biology MEDICAL SCHOOL EDUCATION: Keck School of MEDICAL SCHOOL EDUCATION: University of Illinois Medicine of USC Medical School MEDICAL SCHOOL EDUCATION: Keck School of MEDICAL SCHOOL EDUCATION: University of Medicine of USC College of Medicine Medicine of USC Pittsburgh School of Medicine SAMAN SIZDAHKHANI, MD, MS ANAdjEET KHAHERA, MD JUSTIN LEE, MD, PHD BEN STRICKLAND, MD AMES U LAWRANCE CHUNG, MD UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION: McGill University – BS, KEIKO KANG, MD J Y , MD UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION: Georgetown UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION: University of NDERGRADUATE DUCATION Neuroscience UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION: Clemson