News Archives

Emory Neurosurgeon Edjah K. Nduom Awarded $1.96 Million NIH Grant to Study Glioblastoma
Emory - 10/25/23
Emory Healthcare neurosurgeon Edjah K. Nduom, MD, has been granted a 5-year, $1.96 million R01 research award from the National Institutes of Health. The grant will support his research to find effective treatment options for glioblastoma, an aggressive brain tumor resistant to current therapies.

New Pathway to Neurosurgery Program Intends to “Open Doors” for Underrepresented Groups
NeuroNews - 9/12/23
The Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) Foundation has launched its Pathway to Neurosurgery programme, an initiative dedicated to alleviating healthcare disparities by encouraging high school students from underrepresented groups to pursue a career in neurosurgery or medicine.

Neurosurgeon and NFL Widow Set to Run in Georgia Brain Tumor Walk and Race
WSB-TV - 6/2/23
Hundreds of people will lace up their sneakers and join the inaugural Georgia Brain Tumor walk and race.

Strokes in Younger Adults are Rising
Fox 5 - 4/10/23
Dr. Jonathan Grossberg, a neurointerventional surgeon at Emory University and Grady Memorial Hospitals in Atlanta, says they are seeing a dramatic rise in younger adults having strokes.

Edjah Nduom Awarded Daniel Louis Barrow Endowed Chair at Emory University School of Medicine
Emory - 3/31/23
Emory Healthcare neurosurgeon Edjah Nduom, MD, FAANS, has been awarded the Daniel Louis Barrow Endowed Chair. Nduom is an associate professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at the Emory University School of Medicine.

A Rare Brain Disease Left Crystal on the Sidelines
Emory Healthcare - 2/7/23
Crystal Welcome is a natural athlete. She dominated school yard races as a child, leading to a lifelong passion for cross-country running. But after several years of thriving in the sport she loved, she was plagued with headaches and vision problems caused by a rare brain disease.

Medical Breakthroughs from Head to Foot
Atlanta Magazine - January 2023
New techniques literally save the brain. 

Dr. Edjah Nduom Interviewed on Abortion Laws and Cancer Treatment for Pregnant Patients
CBS News - 9/16/22
Brain cancer patients have traditionally been offered the option of abortion if a pregnancy might limit or delay surgery, radiation, or other treatment, said Dr. Edjah Nduom, a brain cancer surgeon at Emory University's Winship Cancer Institute in Atlanta.

New Abortion Laws Jeopardize Cancer Treatment for Pregnant Patients
KHN - 9/16/22
Brain cancer patients have traditionally been offered the option of abortion if a pregnancy might limit or delay surgery, radiation, or other treatment, said Dr. Edjah Nduom, a brain cancer surgeon at Emory University’s Winship Cancer Institute in Atlanta.

Emory Healthcare First in Georgia to Offer Non-Invasive Focused Ultrasound Treatment for Tremor
Emory - 9/14/22
Emory Healthcare is the first health care system in Georgia offering a non-invasive ultrasound treatment for patients living with essential tremor or tremor from Parkinson’s disease.

From Surgeries to Switchbacks
Advancing Your Health - 5/20/22
From the top of Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the continental United States, Crystal Gayle Welcome looked down and considered what it took for her to get there. 

Glioblastoma is the Best Known Brain Cancer, but it is Rare
Advancing Your Health - 5/2/22
Just the words “brain cancer” and “glioblastoma” can strike fear into anyone’s heart. And it is very scary to receive such a diagnosis. 

Kimberly Hoang Receives Donaldson Charitable Trust Pilot Grant
Emory - 3/14/22
Emory neurosurgeon Kimberly Hoang, MD, has been awarded a pilot grant from the Donaldson Charitable Trust Research Synergy Fund. 

Fans Want Bob Saget's Death Investigated Again
Inside Edition - 2/14/22
Emory neurosurgery professor and chairman Dr. Dan Barrow was on Inside Edition discussing the Bob Saget autopsy. Dr Barrow says injuries are similar to a "serious motor vehicle accident, perhaps assaulted, had a fall down a height, maybe down a flight of stairs."

Emory Neurosurgeon Helps President Biden Relaunch Cancer Moonshot
Emory - 2/3/22
Edjah Nduom’s parents arrived in the United States from Ghana decades ago with close to nothing. On Wednesday, Nduom stood in the White House to help President Joe Biden unveil a national campaign to end cancer as we know it.

Biden Aims to Reduce Cancer Deaths by 50% Over Next 25 Years
AJC - 2/2/22
Dr. Edjah Nduom, associate professor in the department of neurosurgery at Emory University School of Medicine, introduced the president at Wednesday’s announcement at the White House, calling him the country’s “patient advocate-in-chief.”

Emory Selected to Participate in Largest Grant Ever to Study Adult Hydrocephalus
Emory - 1/24/22
The Emory Brain Health Center has been selected to participate in the Adult Hydrocephalus Clinical Research Network’s study on the effectiveness of shunt treatment for idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus. The $14 million, multi-site grant is funded by the NIH’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and is the largest grant ever awarded to study adult hydrocephalus.

NIH New Innovator Award Recipient Studying the Use of Artificial Intelligence for Paralysis
Emory - 10/5/21
Emory researcher Chethan Pandarinath is using artificial intelligence to build brain-machine interfaces to assist people with paralysis, specifically those with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. The NIH award will support a clinical trial launching this fall.

Pandarinath Wins NIH new Innovator Award for AI-Powered Brain-Machine Interfaces
Georgia Tech BME - 10/5/21
The seemingly simple act of reaching for a cup isn’t really simple at all. In truth, our brains issue hundreds, maybe thousands of instructions to make that happen: positioning your body just right, maybe leaning forward a bit, actually lifting your arm and reaching out, grasping the cup with your fingers and a whole host of tiny movements and adjustments along the way.

Emory Named an NASBS Multidisciplinary Team of Distinction
NASBS - 6/11/21
Emory University was recently recognized by the North American Skull Base Society as a Multidisciplinary Team of Distinction.

Five Emory Professors Elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Emory - 4/22/21
Emory Neurosurgeon Dr. Sanjay Gupta was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious honorary societies and a leading center for independent policy research. 

Worried About Staying Sharp as You Age? Dr. Gupta's Book is for You.
Carlsbad Current Argus - 4/4/21
Brain health is the topic of “Keep Sharp: Have a Better Brain at Any Age,” a new book by Sanjay Gupta, MD. Sharing some of the exciting developments of brain research in recent years, Dr. Gupta informs readers of new discoveries you can put into practice to boost your own brain health.

To 'Keep Sharp' This Year, Keep Learning, Advises Neurosurgeon Sanjay Gupta
NPR - 1/4/21
Interested in learning a new skill in the new year? CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta says that will also improve your brain health.

Michael Cawley, MD, Earns New Role as Director of the Emory MBNA Stroke Center
Advancing Your Health - 12/2/20
Michael Cawley, MD, has been named director of the Emory MBNA Stroke Center, one of the nation’s leading hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke treatment and research centers. Dr. Cawley recently assumed leadership from Daniel Barrow, MD, who has led the Stroke Center since it began over two decades ago.

Andrew Reisner Recognized for Quality and COVID-19 Contributions
Emory - 11/11/2020
The Children’s Care Network (TCCN) recently awarded Andrew Reisner, MD, with the 2020 TCCN Award of Merit for his significant contributions to pediatrics.

Epilepsy: Taking Back Control of Your Life
Advancing Your Health - 10/27/2020
Living with epilepsy means learning how to handle the way it affects your life, including your social, emotional and physical well-being. Learning how to respond to seizures in a variety of situations is essential, as well as being prepared to handle whatever comes your way.

Emory Healthcare Names New Director of MBNA Stroke Center
Emory - 7/31/2020
Charles Michael Cawley III, MD, has been named director of the Emory MBNA Stroke Center, one of the nation’s leading stroke treatment and research centers. Cawley is a professor of neurosurgery and radiology and is the section chief and director of endovascular neurosurgery and interventional radiology for Emory Healthcare. 

Dr. Sanjay Gupta: Holding America's Hand Through the Pandemic
U.S. News & World Report - 7/23/2020
Any parents can tell you it’s the rule of the game: Occasionally, you’ll take the blame for something you really, truly don’t deserve. Which means when you’re Dr. Sanjay Gupta – CNN’s face of COVID-19 coverage, father to three daughters – you’ll get blamed for, well, the whole darn pandemic.

'It's a Little Bit Like Living on Mars': Inside a COVID-19 ICU
CNN - 6/17/2020
Dr. Nick Boulis, associate professor, Emory University department of neurosurgery: The thing about the ICU is, it's like you're visiting your executioner. But every time you gown up and you go in there and you're examining these patients, or you're doing a procedure on these patients you're — you're looking at your potential fate, which is really ugly.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta Takes Coronavirus Antibody Test
CNN - 4/21/2020
Emory neurosurgeon and CNN correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta goes through his coronavirus antibody test and highlights key details regarding this type of testing.

National Academy of Medicine Elects Sanjay Gupta, Emory Neurosurgeon and CNN Correspondent
Emory - 10/22/2019
The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) has elected Emory University neurosurgeon and CNN correspondent Sanjay Gupta, MD, to join its esteemed 2019 class, which consists of 100 members. One of the highest honors in health and medicine, NAM membership recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievements and commitment to service.

FDA Approves MRI-Based Treatment to Address Parkinson's Effects
Health Data Management - 8/21/2019
“When evaluating which DBS system is best for each of my patients, I always consider the immediate and long-term needs my patient might have so we can effectively address a patient’s therapeutic needs even as their disease progresses,” says Robert Gross, MD, a neurosurgeon and professor at the Department of Neurosurgery at Emory University.

Rewire Your Brain for Success by Practicing This Simple 5-Minute Habit, According to Neuroscience
Thrive Global - 7/16/2019
Recently, neurosurgeon, journalist, and professor at Emory’s School of Medicine, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, appeared on Deepak Chopra’s​ Infinite Potential podcast to discuss how to get our brain back on track to enabling success if it’s gone astray.

Artificially Intelligent Neural Interfaces: DARPA Funds Emory/GT/Northwestern Research
Emory - 7/15/2019
Paralyzed people moving their limbs or operating prosthetic devices by having machines decipher the electrical impulses in their nervous systems: it’s an appealing vision, and one that is getting closer. 

Valerie Jackson in Conversation: Sanjay Gupta
WABE - 7/9/2019
This installment of Valerie Jackson In Conversation is with Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Dr. Gupta is an associate chief of neurosurgery at Grady Memorial Hospital and assistant professor of neurosurgery at the Emory University School of Medicine. 

7 New Things We've Learned About the Brain
Big Think - 7/8/2019
Neuroscientists at Emory University School of Medicine have even hacked this physiological response to make awake brain surgery safer.

Glowing Brain Cells Illuminate Stroke Recovery Research
Emory - 7/8/2019
Researchers teamed up with Jack Tung, PhD, Ken Berglund, PhD and Robert Gross, MD, who had created “luminopsins”, engineered proteins that are both light-sensitive and generate their own light when provided with a chemical called CTZ (coelenterazine).

Kelly Stafford Recovering from Complicated Brain Surgery
WSB-TV Channel 2 - 4/23/2019
An acoustic neuroma is a benign tumor that grows not from the brain, but actually from the covering of one of the cranial nerves,” Dr. Dan Barrow, chairman of Emory’s Department of Neurosurgery, told Channel 2 Action News.

Do this for Five Minutes Every Day to Rewire Your Brain for Success, According to Neuroscience
CNBC - 4/3/2019
How much of your life — your health, your achievements, your skills — are influenced by the sheer power of your mind? As it turns out, the answer is a lot. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, a neurosurgeon, journalist and professor at Emory University's School of Medicine recently appeared as a guest on Deepak Chopra's new podcast series, "Infinite Potential," where the two discussed how we can rewire our brains to achieve great success in life.

Emory First in US to Treat Epilepsy with Deep Brain Stimulation Since Commercial Approval
Emory - 2/19/2019
The Emory Brain Health Center has treated the nation’s first patient with deep brain stimulation (DBS) for medically refractory, or drug-resistant, epilepsy since commercialization of the procedure was approved last year. DBS is a minimally-invasive surgical therapy that uses an implanted medical device, similar to a cardiac pacemaker, to deliver electrical stimulation to precisely targeted areas of the brain as adjunctive treatment for several neurological disorders. 

Have Neuroscientists Found a "Happy Place" in the Brain?
Psychology Today - 2/18/2019
Sometimes during brain surgery, it’s necessary for patients to stay awake so doctors can talk to them and continually assess language skills and other possible impairments that might occur during a neurosurgical procedure.

Discovering a Source of Laughter in the Brain
NIH Director's Blog - 2/12/2019
If laughter really is the best medicine, wouldn’t it be great if we could learn more about what goes on in the brain when we laugh? Neuroscientists recently made some major progress on this front by pinpointing a part of the brain that, when stimulated, never fails to induce smiles and laughter.

Scientists Find the Brain's 'Funny Bone' Region
Daily Mail - 2/4/2019
Laughter really is the best medicine for brain surgery as it helps relax the patient, a new study has found. During delicate brain surgery where the patient is awake, if they panic and start to move about it could be life threatening.

Doctors Zapped a Woman's Brain so She Could Laugh Through Awake Brain Surgery
Live Science - 2/4/2019
"Immediately she had profound relief, she was happy, able to communicate and able to make jokes" said senior case report author Dr. Jon Willie, a neurosurgeon at Emory University School of Medicine. Willie was one of the surgeons who operated on the woman. 

Laughter may be Best Medicine for Brain Surgery
Emory - 2/4/2019
Neuroscientists at Emory University School of Medicine have discovered a focal pathway in the brain that when electrically stimulated causes immediate laughter, followed by a sense of calm and happiness, even during awake brain surgery.

How the Brain Decides Whether to Hold 'Em or Fold 'Em
ScienMag - 1/8/2019
Why do people make high-risk decisions – not only in casinos, but also in other aspects of their lives – even when they know the odds are stacked against them?

Boyhood DISRUPTED
8/1/2018
It started out as a perfect Father’s Day for Chris Harrison. He had everything he wanted that humid Sunday morning in June 2017: a quiet jog, a Waffle House breakfast with his wife, Michelle, and their four kids, and the gift of a blue Walmart vacuum he’d been admiring.

Hospital Readmissions Drop for Stroke Patients
8/17/2018
"Intuitively, you would think that the higher volume of stroke patients a hospital treats, the better the quality of care is and the better their outcomes," observed Adam Webb, MD, of Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, who was not involved in the study. "In fact, this is just the opposite for readmission in non-teaching hospitals."

AI-Powered Brain Emulation is Changing Our Definition of Death
8/11/2018
“We don’t have a really great way of determining when brain function is gone and when that is irreversible. We can do a pretty good job but we’re not always perfect,” says Adam Webb, a neurologist at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, who experienced first-hand the apparent reanimation of this patient. 

Stroke Care Better at GWTG Hospitals
8/6/2018
This study has several limitations, observed Adam Webb, MD, of Emory University Hospital in Atlanta. Participating in GWTG-Stroke is voluntary, so it may be that "the presence of these engaged clinicians and leaders would have been sufficient to improve the quality of stroke care at these hospitals even in the absence of GWTG-Stroke," he wrote in an accompanying editorial. 

Traumatic Brain Injuries Explained
3/26/2018
Severe traumatic brain injuries affect people of all ages and are a leading cause of death and disability among young adults and adolescents. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, traumatic brain injuries were involved in 2.5 million emergency room visits, as well as the death of nearly 50,000 people in 2013. 

Emory Healthcare Among First in Georgia to Treat Patients with New Spinal Cord Stimulator for Chronic Pain
12/20/2017
Emory Healthcare is the first hospital system in North Georgia to offer patients access to a new spinal cord stimulator to help relieve chronic pain. The FDA-approved device, known as the Intellis System, is the world’s smallest implantable spinal cord neurostimulator.

Direct Amygdala Stimulation can Enhance Human Memory
12/19/2017
Direct electrical stimulation of the human amygdala, a region of the brain known to regulate memory and emotional behaviors, can enhance next-day recognition of images when applied immediately after the images are viewed, neuroscientists have found.

Stimulating the Brain's Emotional Center Enhances Memory
12/18/2017
Cory Inman has fond memories of tending campfires at boy scout camp in the north Georgia mountains. A cognitive neuroscientist by training, he knew he had his amygdala to thank for those strong emotional recollections.

Teen Imprisoned by Rare Brain Disorder Finds Freedom
10/24/2017
Neurosurgeon Robert Gross, MD, performs Jeremy’s surgery in an MRI scanner. Gross explains, “There’s an area in his brain deep in his brain that is not functionally correctly. We put the electrodes in. We connect them to their own power supply and they fire up impulses into the basal ganglia, and those impulses override the abnormal activity that’s present in his basal ganglia.” 

McCain Recovery: How Long will it Take?
7/18/2017
"In general, it may take anywhere from 2 - 6 weeks for a person to recover from an intracranial operation," said Daniel Barrow, professor and chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.

Immune Cells Deliver Cancer Drugs to the Brain
6/19/2017
Emory neuro-oncologist Erwin Van Meir discusses a mouse study that harnessed neutrophils, a critical player in the innate immune response, as a way to deliver drugs to kill residual cancer cells.

Stem Cell Study Offers Hope for ALS
5/18/2017
An experimental study by Emory University Neurosurgeon and Associate Professor Nick Boulis is injecting stem cells directly into ALS patients' spines.

Emory Saint Joseph's Hospital is First in Georgia to Offer Advanced Brain Radiosurgery
2/16/2017
Winship Cancer Institute at Emory Saint Joseph’s is the first in the state to provide minimally invasive radiation treatment of brain tumors and other neurological disorders with Gamma Knife® Icon.

NIH BRAIN Initiative Awards Robert Gross Nearly $5 Million for Epilepsy Research
10/13/2016
Emory researcher and neurosurgeon Robert Gross, MD, PhD, and his research team have been awarded a nearly $5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in support of the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative. Gross’ research will focus on improving the outcome of persons with medication-resistant mesial temporal lobe epilepsy.

Detecting Brain Tumors' Warped Metabolism
6/23/2016
When a brain tumor is suspected because of symptoms such as headaches or other problems, its presence is usually confirmed by anatomical imaging such as CT or MRI. But through imaging, doctors often can’t say much about the tumor – molecularly – besides “something’s in there.” Surgery and a biopsy are necessary to get a glimpse of the cancer cells themselves.

Pediatric Neurosurgery Receives Honor
6/20/2016
Emory Neurosurgery PGY-4 residents Anil Roy, MD, and Krish Vigneswaran, MD, were recently honored along with the pediatric neurosurgery team at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta with the Pediatric Emergency Medicine (PEM) Award. 

Encore for Bruce
4/10/2016
Parkinson’s disease isn’t curable, but surgery has provided a miraculous turnaround for a musician.

Optogenetics Shines with Inner Bioluminescence
9/30/15
Occasionally, the best way to show off is to ignore the proverb, "don't hide your light under a bushel." For instance, an inner light that not only glows within, but also originates there, may outshine an externally supplied light - at least in optogenetics.

Emory Launches New ALS Ice Bucket Challenge with a Splash
8/24/15
The Emory ALS Center kicked off a new ALS Ice Bucket Challenge challenge Friday, August 21, in front of the Emory University School of Medicine, with buckets of ice water and fundraising challenges issued to groups across campus. 

Pituitary Tumors - Types, Treatments and More
4/2/15
You or someone you know has been diagnosed with a Pituitary Tumor. So what’s next?  First, virtually all pituitary tumors are benign, that is to say they are not cancers, which is usually what comes to mind when the diagnosis “tumor” is made. They are certainly growths, hence the name tumor, and left untreated usually will get bigger. 

Doctor #17
12/15/14
During our recent Pituitary Education event at Emory University, Dr. Adriana Ioachimescu received a bright yellow card from Tracy, one of her patients. The front of the card had the number 17 and Dr. Ioachimescu's name on it. A really simple card, but the significance of the information was astronomical.

Emory Researchers Hoping for FDA Approval on Agent that Turns Cancer Cells Pink
12/3/14
There's some exciting research on the imaging of brain cancer that could soon be approved by the FDA. The technology is already being used in Europe. A team at Emory University's Winship Cancer Institute is leading the research here in this country.

Atlanta Eyes Startups for Starring Role in Neuroscience
11/21/14
“We believe that technological solutions are going to play a large role in treating patients,” NeuroLaunch Co-Founder and Emory University Neurosurgery Resident Dr. Jordan Amadio said. “But these technologies need to come to market. They can’t remain as ideas in the laboratory without being translated.”