University of Utah Neurosurgery

The cover of Neurosurgical Focus, March 2026 Volume 60 Number 3. Features an illustration of the spine and the title of the issue, complications of spine surgery.

The latest issue of Neurosurgical Focus, edited by Mark Mahan, MD, features a series of videos discussing complications in spine surgery--a surprising but important topic that allows for greater understanding and honest examination of the current state of the field.

A group photo of the team after the first stem cell surgery for epilepsy.

Incredible news!

Shervin Rahimpour, MD, has joined the Neurona trial for the implantation of stem cells to treat drug-resistant epilepsy.

Although still experimental, this transformative trial represents a huge step forward in care without removing or ablating part of the brain.

A doctor tests a young girl in a sports uniform for a concussion.

Learn the do's and don'ts after a concussion with neurointensivist Dhaval Pau, MD, including special instructions for children and athletes.

Dr. Pau recommends a structured progression where athletes try activities in their sport one at a time before returning.

Learn more at https://bit.ly/4ba2MNS

The top of the image reads Intermountain Children's Health Launches Nation's Largest Pediatric Telestroke Network. Below is an outdoor photo of Dr. Craig Kilburg, Lucy Merrell, and Dr. Lisa Pabst.

We’re thrilled to announce the expansion of virtual stroke care for children through the Intermountain Children’s Health Telestroke network. This expansion in care was made possible through the incredible work of neurosurgeon Craig Kilburg, MD, and neurologist Lisa Pabst, MD.

A graphic showing photos of each of the doctors presenting at the Spine Summit and the titles of their talks. Erica Bisson, Chair Opening and Video, Chair's Address, Visionary Keynote, Fireside Chat - Cognitive Excellence, Collective Strength: Elevating Performance at Every Level, and Introduction of Visionary Keynote Speaker, Harris Sondak. Douglas Brockmeyer, Craniocervical Junction Challenges and How They Change With Age. Andrew Dailey, ALIF/LLIF Are Most Powerful, Even Without Posterior Ostetomy and Choosing a Job--What Factors to Consider. Whitney Muhlestein, Lynda's Legacy: Boosting the Field of Peripheral Nerve Surgery and Those Around Her.

We’re looking forward to the Spine Summit next week!

Join Erica Bisson, MD, Chair of the 2026 Spine Summit, as well as Douglas Brockmeyer, MD, Andrew Dailey, MD, and Whitney Muhlestein, MD, as they share their research and experience in the field!

Dr. Grandhi and an assistant stand with their backs to the camera, looking at the screen where they are performing neuroendovascular surgery.

Recently, Ramesh Grandhi, MD, was involved in the CREST-2 trial, and found that patients undergoing stenting had lower risk of stroke or death.

Our neuroendovascular team is proud to be part of transformative solutions in stroke!

Learn more at https://bit.ly/4tCkalT

Three men are standing in a lab space in front of shelves filled with a number of containers of varying colors and sizes. On the left is Samuel Cheshier, a black man, whose hair is cropped close. He is wearing a cream button-up shirt, frameless glasses, a lanyard with his University of Utah identification card, and dark gray pants with a brown belt. He is holding his hands together in front of himself. In the middle is Rodney Stewart, a white man who has light hair in a short cut. He is wearing a light blue button-up shirt and tan pants with a brown belt. On the right is Ben Myers, a white man with light, short hair. He is wearing a red plaid button-up shirt with a white undershirt and medium-wash blue jean. He is also holding his hands together in front of himself.

Congratulations to Samuel Cheshier, Rodney Stewart, and Benjamin Myers for their NIH Research Project Grant (#R01)! They are investigating new treatment options for medulloblastoma that develops resistance to the available therapies.

More information at https://bit.ly/4r0rwxt

A U red background with darker red sections. The image reads "2026 Kyocera Resident Young Investigator Grant for 'Advanced MRI techniques may improve the evaluation and prognostication of patients with degenerative lumbar spine disease." Below the text is a photo of Dr. Zhang, on the left. He has mid-length black hair and is wearing a black shirt under his white coat. On the right is Dr. Mahan, who has short medium brown hair. He is wearing a light blue collared button-up with a dark suit coat and a yellow tie with blue diagonal strips.

Congratulations to PGY-3 resident Justin Zhang, MD, and Mark Mahan, MD, on receiving the 2026 Kyocera Resident Young Investigator Grant! They will be investigating novel imaging techniques to improve care for patients with degenerative disc disease.

A flyer for the Utah Regional Stroke and Neuro Rehabilitation Conference that contains the following information. March 26th-27, 2026 Marriott University Park Hotel Salt Lake City, UT Virtual and in-person attendance options available Keynote speakers are Gregory Albers, MD (Stanford) Professor of Adult Neurology and Director of Stanford Stroke Center; Enrique Leira, MD, MS (U of Iowa) Professor of Neurology and Comprehensive Stroke Center Director; and Richard Harvey, MD, Professor, Dept. of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation David W. Trott Clinical Chair (Brain Innovation Center, Wesley and Suzanne Dixon Chair Stroke Research). Educational event for all providers, including physicians, advanced practice clinicians, and nurses. To receive a 20% discount on your hotel room, please reach out to Kaitlyn Harding at 801-584-3317 or kaitlyn.harding@marriottslc.com. The activity has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit.

The Utah Regional Stroke and Neuro Rehabilitation Conference is coming up March 26th and 27th at the Marriott University Park Hotel in Salt Lake City!

Learn more and sign up at https://medicine.utah.edu/neurology/conferences/utah-regional-stroke

From left to right, Natasha Hongsermeier-Graves, MD, Justin Zhang, MD, and Whitney Muhlestein, MD, stand in the cadaver lab at the Kline course. Dr. Hongsermeier-Grave and Dr. Zhang are wearing surgical gowns and gloves. Dr. Zhang also wears a scrub cap. Dr. Muhlestein is wearing a brown sweater and black-frame glasses.

Last weekend, PGY-3 residents Natasha Hongsermeier-Graves, MD, and Justin Zhang, as well as Peripheral Nerve Fellow Whitney Muhlestein, MD, attended the Kline legacy peripheral nerve cadaver dissection course!

Both women sit, with one leg crossed over the other, on gray chairs with tall backs/dividers behind them. On the left, an Apple laptop with a large mushroom sticker sits on a small table in front of Lilly, who is wearing a red, long-sleeve turtle neck, baggy black capris, and tan shoes. Lilly has mid-length light brown hair in a shaggy cut hanging over her right shoulder. On the right, Monica-Rae leans over another table with a pen in her right hand. Both her arms are resting on the table. Monica is wearing a gray zip-up hoodie, with a white top underneath, a pair of light-wash ripped jeans, and light shoes. She has long dark brown hair.

@UofUHealth followed up with Monica-Rae Owens and Lilly Rogers, former neurosurgery surgical techs who were accepted to the medical school at the same time. It's great to see them thriving in their schooling, and we can't wait to see what they do next!

Full story at https://bit.ly/49V3jmp

A group photo of about 30 neurosurgeons and residents standing on a small staircase. All are wearing winter lounge wear and smiling.

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us for the 50th annual Richard Lende Winter Neurosurgery Conference over the weekend!

Frontotemporal bursting supports human working memory Cortical neural activity varies dynamically during memory periods, when relevant information is not present in the environment. But how those dynamics…

Frontotemporal beta & gamma bursting in the human brain correlated with working memory functions.

Congrats to Walt et al. & @bkundu.bsky.social

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Earlier this week, PGY-4 resident Allison Liang led discussion of the CREST-2 randomized controlled trial at the first-ever combined journal club for residents in three specialties: @uofuneurology.bsky.social, vascular surgery, and neurosurgery.

Pictured from left to right are Mark Mahan, Shervin Rahimpour, and Ben Shofty. All three are wearing blue scrubs. Dr. Mahan and Dr. Rahimpour are also wearing their white coats. Dr. Rahimpour holds a handwritten sign that reads "1st in Utah! U. of Utah," and Dr. Shofty holds a black bag with the Vivistim logo on it. They are standing in a hallway lined with windows on both sides.

Last week, Ben Shofty, MD, PhD, placed the first Vivistim implant in Utah! Vivistim stimulates the vagus nerve to improve arm function in stroke survivors.

We are the only providers in the state offering this incredible treatment!
Learn more at https://www.vivistim.com/

Dr. Douglas Brockmeyer, wearing a black suit and navy scarf, stands next to his wife, Debbie, who is wearing a long gold dress with a light blue scarf. A staircase can be seen behind the couple.

Congratulations to Douglas Brockmeyer, MD, who was honored for Excellence in Medicine at the Bobby Jones Chiari & Syringomyelia Foundations' International Night of Light Gala in November!

The latest research from John Kestle, MD, was featured as @TheJNS Editor's Choice this month.

Check it out at bit.ly/3LiibBP

Looking for new opportunities in the new year? Applications for Electroneurodiagnostic Technologist training have just opened!

END technologists help determine care plans for patients with epilepsy and other neurological disorders.

Apply at: https://bit.ly/4p3sjfz

Mission Thrombectomy Newsletter 2025 EOY

We are pleased to share this Mission Thrombectomy Newsletter–MT Accelerator: From Vision to Global Impact in Acute Stroke Access

Karol Budohoski, MD, is proud to be a part of growing and dynamic initiative.

https://bit.ly/497YBS1

Increased Aperiodic Exponents Track Depression Symptom Severity Roughly one-third of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) fail to respond to standard treatments and develop treatment-resistant MDD. For these patients, alternative therapies ofer additional...

Aperiodic exponent from intracranial recordings very accurately predicts depressive symptoms in epilepsy patients. Great work from Mark Libowitz in Ben Shofty’s lab.

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

We're pleased to welcome Dr. Johnson!

Pictured are Dr. Vijay Ravindra, Dr. Benjamin Ellis, Dr. Douglas Brockmeyer, Dr. Andrew Dailey, and Dr. Rajiv Iyer. All except Dr. Ellis are wearing their white coats with a light button-up shirt and tie. Dr. Ellis is wearing a tan suit coat with a light blue button-up shirt and a tie. There is a red background and text that reads "Research Grant for 'Finite Element Modeling of the Craniocervical Junction: A Study of Patients with Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and Controls." The Canerector Foundation logo is at the bottom, with "Canerector " in blue and "Foundation" in gray, as well as a silver diamond with the initials "CF" in blue inside the diamond on the left.

We’re thrilled to announce that the Canerector Foundation is investing in the research of Drs. Ravindra, Brockmeyer, Dailey, Iyer, and Ellis: “Finite Element Modeling of the Craniocervical Junction: A Study of Patients with Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and Controls.”

A flyer with a background that is tan on the left and a white to blue gradient on the right. It reads: The Center for Brain Circuit Therapeutics presents: Stimulating Brains The Talk Series (with a graphic of a brain and face inside a lightbulb) Thursday, Dec 18th, 2025 noon - 1:30 pm ET/ 6 - 7:30 pm CET Zoom Isaiah Kletenik Visual Imagination Lost: Mapping Acquired Aphantasia (15 min) Ben Shofty Person Behind the Science Human Brain Networks and Creative Thinking (30 min) 45 min shared discussion To receive the (free) zoom link, please register here: http://talks.stimulatingbrains.org/ To subscribe to our mailing list: Email us at talks@stimulatingbrains.org The bottom section contains the following logos: Center for Brain Circuit Therapeutics netstim Harvard Medical School Brigham and Women's Hospital Charite Brain Modulation Lab SBN Massachusetts General Hospital MedNeuro Retune Lead DBS

Learn more about "Human Brain Networks and Creative Thinking" with Ben Shofty, MD, PhD, next week on Thursday, December 18th at noon ET!

Register at https://stimulatingbrains.org/28-isaiah-kletenik-ben-shofty/

Nebras Warsi, MD, presents at the conference. He is wearing a gray suit and light shirt, standing in front of a dark blue curtain and behind a podium that reads "2025 Joint Pediatric Section Annual Meeting The Privilege to Inspire."

Natasha Hongsermeier-Graves, MD, presents. The photo is taken from the back of the room, and a number of people can be seen occupying tables and chairs, listening to the presentation. Dr. Hongsermeier-Graves is wearing a dark jacket and a light v-neck shirt. She stands in front of a dark blue curtain and behind a podium. To the left, there is a slide projected onto a screen that reads, "Objective To evaluate how molecular data has impacted TREATMENT APPROACHES (surgical and medical) for pediatric brain tumor patients at Primary Children's Hospital, Salt Lake City, Utah. On the surgical side, does an understanding of the molecular data drive additional surgery (vs. not) after initial biopsy or resection? Are we going to the OR to obtain a molecular diagnosis? On the medical side, did the molecular info give us an option to treat with a targeted inhibitor and/or enroll in a clinical trial?"

Elena Kurudza, MD, presents. She is wearing a dark suit jacket and a light shirt. She stands behind a podium and in front of a dark blue curtain. There are occupied chairs and tables in the foreground. To the left is a slide projected on a screen that reads, "Children with 1 or More Complex Chronic Condition Undergoing Spinal Arthrodesis are at Significantly Increase Risk of Complications within 30 Days."

It was great to see PGY-3 resident Natasha Hongsermeier-Graves, MD, PGY-6 resident Elena Kurudza, MD, and Pediatric Fellow Nebras Warsi, MD represent our pediatric team at the AANS/CNS Joint Pediatric Section's annual meeting over the weekend!

#research #PediatricNeurosurgery

A new international study led by Howard Colman, MD, PhD, shows progress for people with grade 3 IDH-mutant astrocytoma. The Phase 3 STELLAR trial found that a combination therapy significantly extended survival compared to standard treatment. https://bit.ly/3MgwBm4

@uofuneurosurgery.bsky.social

An image with a red background that reads "Peripheral nerve research grant for 'targeted hydrogel-based DNase I therapy may reduce net burden and improve regenerative outcomes in severe nerve injury.'" There is a headshot of Dr. Justin Zhang on the left. He has dark hair that's just below shoulder-length and is wearing a black zip-up jacket under his white coat. On the right is a headshot of Dr. Mark Mahan, who has short dirty-blond hair and is wearing a dark suit coat with a light blue button-up shirt and a yellow tie with blue and white diagonal stripes. The Integra Foundation logo is also pictured. "Integra" is in gray and "Foundation" in green, with four boxes to the right that diminish in size from top to bottom.

Congratulations to Mark Mahan, MD, and PGY-3 resident, Justin Zhang, MD, on receiving an Integra Foundation Peripheral Nerve Research Grant! This $10,000 award will fund their investigation of novel therapeutics for severe nerve injuries.

Mark Mahan, MD, speaks during WFNS 2025. Dr. Mahan is wearing a black fitted suit with a white shirt and a blue tie. His face is animated, and you can tell he is using his hands to speak. On the projector screen to Dr. Mahan's right is a slide with the heading "Low sensitivity/specificity in certain settings" that reads "A thorough review described overall sensitivity/specificity of conduction studies in some peripheral nerve injuries as only ~30-65%. Mixed or 'partial' nerve injuries (e.g., partial transection, mixed demyelination + axonal loss, fascicular injuries) may lead to underestimation or misclassification of damage. Particularly true of fascicular injuries, e.g., anterior interosseous nerve syndrome. Mixed pathology (e.g., demyelination + segmental demyelination + axon loss) may show features of both, or 'wash-out' -- NCS/EMG may not cleanly assign a classification." There are two people seated at a table next to Dr. Mahan and three people visible from the audience.

It was great to hear from Mark Mahan, MD, at WFNS in Dubai!

Dr. Mahan shared his expertise in peripheral nerve surgery, speaking on electrodiagnostic studies and nerve anastomosis.

Promotional image featuring Dr. Rachna Malani in a white coat with a Huntsman Cancer Institute badge, alongside a quote about the impact of patients on understanding humanity and love.

In her Letter of Hope, Dr. Rachna Malani reflects on the compassion and collaboration shaping brain cancer care, and how new clinical trials are opening possibilities and helping patients and families have more meaningful time together: https://bit.ly/4iDPQCj

@uofuneurosurgery.bsky.social

Hospital Care for Children with Neuromuscular Spine Disease in the United States: Utilization, Charges, Comorbidities, and Deaths (2003-2019) - PubMed 4.

Great new study from Dr. Vijay Ravindra and Dr. Rajiv Iyer on hospital care utilization, charges, etc. for children with neuromuscular spine disease. Not only is the number of children treated rising, but procedures are more resource intensive.
🔗https://bit.ly/4rk7ONY

Adi Mittal, MD, presents at the SVINnovation competition. Dr. Mittal is wearing a blue suit and red tie. He is standing behind a white podium that has the SVIN 2025 logo on it. To his right are two empty tables and to his left are two tables with four judges, all of whom present as male and are wearing suits. All five individuals are in front of a projector screen that reads "Astria Biosciences" with an abstract brain logo.

Matt Findlay, MD, presents at SVINnovation. He is wearing a dark gray suit. There are four empty tables on either side of him, and he stands behind a white podium with the SVIN 2025 logo on it. A large projection screen is behind him that shows a photo of a doctor (who is out of focus) performing surgery.

Congratulations to PGY-1 resident Adi Mittal, MD, who was a top-4 finalist at the SVINnovation competition for his brain aneurysm blood test.

We were also pleased to hear from last year’s winner, PGY-1 resident Matt Findlay, MD, about Soundpass’ progress over the last year!