University of Miami Division of Surgical Neurooncology

Last updated
University of Miami Division of Surgical Neurooncology
Img UMHS Miller1.jpg
Type Division of Surgical Neurooncology at University of Miami School of Medicine
Established1962
Dean Allan Levi, MD
Location, ,
United States

25°47′19″N80°12′52″W / 25.788714°N 80.214397°W / 25.788714; -80.214397
Campus University of Miami School of Medicine
Affiliations University of Miami
Website med.miami.edu/en/departments/neurosurgery

The University of Miami Division of Surgical Neurooncology is the neurological surgery center at the University of Miami's Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine and one of the largest and most comprehensive programs for brain tumor treatment in the United States. It is located in Miami.

Contents

The center is the only medical center in South Florida that offers comprehensive approaches and treatments for brain tumors, including offering patients interdisciplinary team assessments that include the university's departments of neurosurgery, neurology, radiation therapy, and oncology. Patient management paradigms are case-specific and tailored to individual patient needs with patient-specific treatment protocols.

History

University of Miami's Division of Surgical Neurooncology was founded in 1959 by David Reynolds and was originally a division under the University of Miami's Department of Surgery. In 1962, Reynolds was appointed the division's chairman and served in this role until 1971 when the department established autonomy from the Department of Surgery. From 1971 until 1994, the division's chairman was Hubert L. Rosomoff, who also served as chairperson of the University of Miami neurooncology residency program for University of Miami School of Medicine medical students. [1]

Since its founding, the department has grown to include additional centers, including the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, which has been cited as the "world’s largest, most comprehensive research center dedicated to spinal cord injury." [2] Located in Miami, the University of Miami Medical Center includes Jackson Memorial Hospital. [3]

Leadership

The department's past co-chairpersons from 1995 until 2015 were Barth A. Green, founder of Project Medishare for Haiti, and Roberto C. Heros. In 2015, Green and Heros were succeeded by co-chairpersons Allan Levi and Jacques J. Morcos Allan Levi. [4]

The division's physicians include:

Treatments

Treatment options at the University of Miami include clinical trial participation, vaccine development, neurological surgeries, adjuvant therapies, and laboratory research aimed at improving outcomes on even the most challenging brain tumors. University of Miami neurosurgeons also have expertise in CyberKnife® radiosurgery and work with radiation oncologists to utilize radiation therapies in the most effective ways.

University of Miami's division of surgical neurooncology is a tertiary referral center for South Florida, the Caribbean, Central America, and the rest of Latin America. The University of Miami treats a large number of patients with all types of brain tumors. The division also has published hundreds of research articles in peer-reviewed journals and book chapters since its founding. [5] [6]

Heat shock protein vaccine trial

The University of Miami's division of surgical neurooncology is one of only a few United States facilities, along with Johns Hopkins Hospital, Columbia University Medical Center, and University of California San Francisco, offering heat shock protein vaccine clinical trials in neurooncology treatment.

These clinical trials are available typically to newly-diagnosed patients with glioblastoma multiforme and involve the use of HSPPC-96 in an attempt to activate patients' immune systems against the tumor antigen, which can prevent recurrence. Preliminary findings suggest the approach has promise against cancer. The University of Miami is the only center conducting this trial in the state of Florida. [7] [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brain tumor</span> Neoplasm in the brain

A brain tumor occurs when abnormal cells form within the brain. There are two main types of tumors: malignant (cancerous) tumors and benign (non-cancerous) tumors. These can be further classified as primary tumors, which start within the brain, and secondary tumors, which most commonly have spread from tumors located outside the brain, known as brain metastasis tumors. All types of brain tumors may produce symptoms that vary depending on the size of the tumor and the part of the brain that is involved. Where symptoms exist, they may include headaches, seizures, problems with vision, vomiting and mental changes. Other symptoms may include difficulty walking, speaking, with sensations, or unconsciousness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Vincent's Medical Center Riverside</span> Hospital in Florida, United States


In 1916, the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul launched a Catholic hospital called St. Vincent's Medical Center Riverside. They provide full-service tertiary care at a capacity of 528 beds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uppsala University Hospital</span> Hospital in Uppsala, Sweden

Uppsala University Hospital in Uppsala, Sweden, is a teaching hospital for the Uppsala University Faculty of Medicine and the Nursing School. Uppsala University Hospital is owned and operated by the Uppsala County Council in cooperation with the university and serves, together with Enköping hospital in Enköping, as the primary hospitals for Uppsala County. It also fills the function of a tertiary referral hospital for the Uppsala/Örebro health care region and, for certain specialities, a tertiary referral hospital for the entire country of Sweden.

Leonard J. Cerullo is a board-certified neurosurgeon and founder/medical director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma</span> Medical condition

Pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma (PXA) is a brain tumor that occurs most frequently in children and teenagers. At Boston Children's Hospital, the average age at diagnosis is 12 years.

Dong-A University Hospital (동아대학교의료원) is a major general hospital affiliated with Dong-A University in Busan, South Korea.

Griffith Rutherford Harsh IV is an American neurosurgeon. In 2018, he became the chair of the department of neurological surgery at UC Davis Health.

The Mischer Neuroscience Institute is a combined research and education effort between the Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery and the Department of Neurology at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston and Memorial Hermann Hospital. Located in Houston, the Institute draws patients from around the world for specialized treatment of diseases of the brain and spine. It was the first center in Texas and one of only a few institutions in the country to fully integrate neurology, neurosurgery, neuroradiology, neuro-oncology, spine surgery, pain medicine and neurorehabilitation.

The Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine is a cancer treatment, research and education institution with six locations in the St. Louis area. Siteman is the only cancer center in Missouri and within 240 miles of St. Louis to be designated a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Siteman is also the only area member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, a nonprofit alliance of 32 cancer centers dedicated to improving the quality and effectiveness of cancer care.

Professor Minesh P. Mehta, MD, FASTRO, is an American radiation oncologist and physician-scientist of Indian origin, Ugandan birth, Zambian Schooling and American Training, who contributed to the field of oncology for more than two and half decades.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aaron Cohen-Gadol</span> American neurosurgeon

Aaron A. Cohen-Gadol is a professor of neurological surgery in the department of neurosurgery at Indiana University School of Medicine and a neurosurgeon at Indiana University Health specializing in the surgical treatment of complex brain tumors, vascular malformations, cavernous malformations, etc. He performs removal of brain tumors via minimally invasive endoscopic techniques, which use the nasal pathways instead of opening the skull.

Arthur L. Jenkins III is an American fellowship-trained neurosurgeon, co-director of the Neurosurgical Spine Program, and Director of Spinal Oncology and Minimally Invasive Spinal Surgery (MIS) Program at the Mount Sinai Hospital, New York. Additionally, he is an associate professor of Neurosurgery and of Orthopedic Surgery at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Dr. Jenkins has multiple patents and patent applications for spine-related implants and support systems, and is developing new minimally invasive treatments for patients with cancer that has spread to the spine. He is an innovator in the treatment of acute spinal cord injury as well as degenerative and congenital anomalies of the spine, taking a minimally invasive or minimal-impact approach where possible. He is board certified in Neurological Surgery and is licensed in New York and Connecticut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James I. Ausman</span>

James Ivan Ausman is an American neurosurgeon, science editor, television broadcaster, medical entrepreneur, and public advocate on health-care reform. He currently is professor of neurosurgery at the University of California, Los Angeles and editor-in-chief of Surgical Neurology International.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthias Preusser</span> Austrian oncologist

Matthias Preusser is an Austrian oncologist and Professor of Medical Oncology as well as Head of the Clinical Division of Oncology at the Medical University of Vienna. He is known for his work on neurooncology, Molecular Therapy targets and biomarkers and immunotherapy of cancer.

Dr. Matthias Gromeier is a Professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at Duke University Medical Center, who has developed a way to re-engineer a poliovirus to inspire the human immune system to kill cancer cells in a specific set of cancers. The re-engineered virus, called PVSRIPO, cannot replicate itself in normal cells, but can replicate itself in cancer cells that have an overabundance of the protein marker that the poliovirus targets.

John Howard Sampson is an American neurosurgeon who was formerly chief of the department of neurosurgery at Duke University where he serves as a professor of surgery, biomedical engineering, immunology, and pathology.

Robert Wheeler Rand, was an American neurosurgeon, inventor, and Professor of Neurosurgery in the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) from 1953 to 1989.

Donald M. O'Rourke is an American neurosurgeon and the John Templeton, Jr., MD Professor of Neurosurgery at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He graduated from Harvard University with an A.B. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in 1983, and attended medical school at the University of Pennsylvania where he also completed neurosurgical residency training. He established the institution's human brain tumor tissue bank in 2001. An elected member of the American Academy of Neurological Surgery, his research at the Translational Center of Excellence in the Abramson Cancer Center focuses on Glioblastoma Multiforme, especially the design and investigation of Chimeric Antigen Receptor immune therapies.

Nelson M. Oyesiku is a Nigerian-American professor of neurosurgery and endocrinology. With a specialty in pituitary medicine and surgery, currently, he is the chair of the department of Neurological Surgery and Professor of Medicine (Endocrinology) at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. he has been editor-in-chief of Neurosurgery, Operative Neurosurgery, and Neurosurgery Open. He was previously chair of the American Board of Neurological Surgery, among other organizations.

Linda M. Liau is an American neurosurgeon, neuroscientist, and the W. Eugene Stern Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Liau was elected to the Society of Neurological Surgeons in 2013 and the National Academy of Medicine in 2018. She has published over 230 research articles and a textbook, Brain Tumor Immunotherapy. She served as editor-in-chief of the Journal of Neuro-Oncology from 2007 to 2017.

References

  1. "About Us" at University of Miami School of Medicine website
  2. "University of Miami Neurosurgery".
  3. "Jackson Memorial Hospital Residency Program".
  4. "About Us" at University of Miami School of Medicine website
  5. Komotar, Ricardo. "Pubmed Works".
  6. Heros, Roberto. "Pubmed Works".
  7. "Heat Shock Protein Vaccine".
  8. "HSPCC-96 Vaccine".