Upcoming events.
Exclusive content accessible to all Beyond students.
Intraxial Tumor Lecture
Led by:
Nduka Amankulor, M.D.
Department of Neurosurgery
Presidential Associate Professor of Neurosurgery and Attending Physician
Dr. Amankulor earned his Doctor of Medicine at Yale University and completed neurosurgery residency at Yale New Haven Hospital. He completed a both a Post-Doctoral fellowship in Cancer Genetics and Biology, as well as a Neurosurgical Oncology Fellowship in brain and spine oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Amankulor served for 9 years as an Assistant Professor in Neurosurgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, where he also acted as Director of Neurosurgical Oncology, attending neurosurgeon, and principal investigator and has received numerous awards for his work. He now serves as Chief of Neurosurgical Oncology and Director of the Penn Brain Tumor Center at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine.
Pediatric Neurosurgery Lecture
Led by…
Phillip B. Storm, M.D.
Department of Neurosurgery
Professor of Neurosurgery at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Dr. Peter J. Madsen is a pediatric neurosurgeon at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia specializing in pediatric brain and spinal cord tumors, hydrocephalus, congenital spine disorders, craniofacial abnormalities, and peripheral nerve tumors. His research focuses on developing targeted immunotherapies, including CAR T-cell therapies, for pediatric brain tumors, with the goal of translating laboratory discoveries into novel treatments that improve outcomes for children and young adults.
Jessica B. Foster, M.D.
Department of Pediatric Oncology
Professor of Oncology at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Dr. Jessica Foster is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Oncology at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. She specializes in the care of children and young adults with brain and central nervous system tumors. Her research focuses on improving outcomes for pediatric brain tumors through clinical trials, novel therapeutics, and translational research aimed at advancing precision medicine for children with cancer.
Spine Lecture
Led by:
James M. Schuster, M.D., Ph.D.
Department of Neurosurgery
Professor of Neurosurgery and Attending Physician
Dr. James M. Schuster is a Professor of Neurosurgery at Penn Medicine specializing in complex spine surgery, spinal cord injury, degenerative spine disease, spinal tumors, and spinal deformity. His research focuses on improving outcomes after spinal cord injury through translational and clinical studies, with interests in neuroprotection, regeneration, and advancing surgical care for patients with spinal disorders.
Niels Martin
, M.D., F.A.C.S., F.C.C.M.
Department of General Surgery
Associate Professor of Trauma Surgery and General Surgery
Dr. Niels D. Martin is an Associate Professor of Surgery at Penn Medicine specializing in trauma surgery, surgical critical care, emergency general surgery, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). His research focuses on improving outcomes for critically ill and injured patients through innovations in trauma systems, resuscitation, ECMO, and surgical education.
Vascular Lecture
Led by:
Visish Mani Srinivasan, MD
Department of Neurosurgery
Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery and Attending Physician
Dr. Srinivasan treats cerebrovascular disease through microsurgical and endovascular techniques. He is passionate about managing stroke, aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations, and cavernous malformations. He strives to provide optimal treatment, whether through open surgery, endovascular intervention, or non-surgical management. Whenever possible, Dr. Srinivasan employs minimally invasive techniques to preserve function and enhance recovery. Additionally, he leads a translational research lab focused on these same diseases, continuously learning from his patients and exploring new therapeutic frontiers.
Skull Base Lecture
Led by:
Rachel Blue, MD
Department of Neurosurgery
Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery and Attending Physician
Dr. Rachel Blue is an Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery at Penn Medicine. She specializes in pediatric neurosurgery, with expertise in the surgical treatment of brain and spinal cord tumors, hydrocephalus, epilepsy, craniofacial disorders, spasticity, and congenital conditions affecting the nervous system. She is committed to delivering multidisciplinary, family-centered care for children with complex neurosurgical disorders.
Dr. Blue’s research focuses on improving outcomes for children with neurosurgical diseases, with particular interests in pediatric brain tumors, hydrocephalus, and quality improvement initiatives that enhance the safety and effectiveness of pediatric neurosurgical care.
Tiffany Hwa, MD
Department of Otorhinolaryngology
Professor of Otorhinolaryngology and Attending Physician
Dr. Tiffany Hwa is an Assistant Professor of Otorhinolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery at Penn Medicine and Director of the Center for Adult-Onset Hearing Loss. She specializes in disorders of hearing and balance, cochlear implantation, lateral skull base surgery, acoustic neuromas, and other complex diseases of the ear.
Dr. Hwa’s research focuses on complex auditory processing, cochlear implantation, hearing loss, and lateral skull base disease, with additional interests in dementia and hearing loss, healthcare disparities, and language-independent hearing assessment. She leads a multidisciplinary research program that collaborates across engineering, linguistics, and audiology to advance the diagnosis and treatment of auditory disorders.
Peripheral Nerve Lecture
Led by:
Eric L. Zager, M.D.,
Department of Neurosurgery
Professor of Neurosurgery
Dr. Zager is an internationally recognized neurosurgeon whose practice focuses on peripheral nerve disorders, cerebrovascular disease, complex cranial and spinal tumors, and degenerative spine disease. His research spans peripheral nerve repair and regeneration, cerebrovascular surgery, and advanced neuromonitoring, with translational work in engineered nerve tissue, nerve reconstruction, and outcomes after brain and vascular injury. He also serves as Director of Penn’s CAST-accredited Peripheral Nerve Fellowship and holds the Neurosurgical Professorship in Academic Excellence.
Lawrence Scott Levin, MD, FACS
Department of Orthopedic Surgery
Professor of Bone and Joint Surgery and Attending Physician
Dr. Levin’s clinical interests include surgery of the hand and upper extremity, reconstructive microsurgical techniques for extremity reconstruction and limb salvage, and he is responsible for developing the field of “Orthoplastic Surgery.” His research interests focus on extremity soft tissue reconstruction and vascularized composite allotransplantation.
Trauma & Critical Care Lecture
Led by:
Berje H. Shammassian, MD, MPH, FAANS
Department of Neurosurgery
Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery and Neurology and Attending Physician
Dr. Shammassian’s top areas of expertise are Traumatic Brain Injury, Stroke, Subarachnoid Hemorrhage, Thrombectomy, and Craniectomy.
His clinical research consists of co-authoring 38 peer reviewed articles.
Danielle Sandsmark, MD, PhD
Department of Neurology
Associate Professor of Neurology and Attending Physician
Dr. Sandsmark’s clinical and research interests focus on severe traumatic brain injury, with an emphasis on biomarkers of recovery, neuroprognostication, and long-term cognitive outcomes. She serves as Director of Neurocritical Care Research and Program Director of the Neurocritical Care Fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research has resulted in more than 100 peer-reviewed publications, and her work is supported by funding from the National Institutes of Health.
Functional Neurosurgery Lecture
Led by:
Iahn Cajigas Gonzalez, MD, PhD
Department of Neurosurgery
Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery and Attending Physician
An MD-PhD graduate of the joint Harvard-MIT program in health sciences and technology, Dr. Iahn Cajigas completed a residency in neurological surgery at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital followed by a postgraduate fellowship in epilepsy, functional and stereotactic neurosurgery at the University of California, San Francisco.
Dr. Cajigas’ clinical expertise includes deep brain stimulation, focused ultrasound, and stereotactic radiosurgery for movement disorders, the surgical management of epilepsy, the management of refractory back pain with neuromodulation, and the surgical/radiosurgical treatment of trigeminal neuralgia.
Pavan Vaswani, MD, PhD
Department of Neurology
Assistant Professor of Clinical Neurology and Attending Physician
Dr. Pavan Vaswani is a neurologist in Philadelphia, PA and sees patients with movement disorders at Pennsylvania Hospital and Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center. He received his medical degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, residency in Neurology at Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Womens Hospital, and Masschusetts General Hospital; and fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia VA Medical Center PADRECC. He specializes in movement disorder and is experienced in movement disorders, parkinson's disease, and deep brain stimulation. He has more than 10 publications and over 350 citings.
Suturing Workshop
Led by:
Pooja Humar, MD
Department of Plastic Surgery
PGY-3 Resident
Dr. Humar is an integrated plastic surgery resident at the University of Pennsylvania. She earned both her bachelor's degree and MD from the University of Pittsburgh. During medical school, she pursued research in plastic and reconstructive surgery, contributing to projects spanning surgical outcomes, education, and leadership in academic plastic surgery before beginning her residency at Penn.
Emily Gudbranson, MD
Department of Plastic Surgery
PGY-4 Resident
Dr. Gudbranson is an integrated plastic surgery resident at the University of Pennsylvania. She earned both her bachelor’s degree and MD from Yale University, where she also completed an MBA at the Yale School of Management as a Forté Fellow and Dean’s Merit Fellowship recipient. During medical school, she was actively involved in student leadership and volunteer service, including work with HAVEN Free Clinic and Puentes de Salud.
Pediatric Neurosurgery
Led by…
Phillip B. Storm, M.D.
Department of Neurosurgery
Professor of Neurosurgery at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Dr. Storm is a renowned pediatric neurosurgeon at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), specializing in brain and spine tumors, with expertise in endoscopic skull base surgery. As Chief of Neurosurgery and Director of the Center for Data Driven Discovery in Biomedicine (D3b), he has pioneered minimally invasive techniques, particularly for pediatric skull base tumors. Dr. Storm’s research integrates genomics and large-scale data to develop precision therapies. He co-founded the CAVATICA platform and collaborates with the Children’s Brain Tumor Network (CBTN) to advance tumor biobanking and sequencing for personalized treatment in pediatric neuro-oncology.
Trauma & Critical Care Lecture
Led by:
Berje H. Shammassian, MD, MPH, FAANS
Department of Neurosurgery
Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery and Neurology and Attending Physician
Dr. Shammassian’s top areas of expertise are Traumatic Brain Injury, Stroke, Subarachnoid Hemorrhage, Thrombectomy, and Craniectomy.
His clinical research consists of co-authoring 38 peer reviewed articles.
Danielle Sandsmark, MD, PhD
Department of Neurology
Associate Professor of Neurology and Attending Physician
Functional Lecture
Led by:
Iahn Cajigas Gonzalez, MD, PhD
Department of Neurosurgery
Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery and Attending Physician
An MD-PhD graduate of the joint Harvard-MIT program in health sciences and technology, Dr. Iahn Cajigas completed a residency in neurological surgery at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital followed by a postgraduate fellowship in epilepsy, functional and stereotactic neurosurgery at the University of California, San Francisco.
Dr. Cajigas’ clinical expertise includes deep brain stimulation, focused ultrasound, and stereotactic radiosurgery for movement disorders, the surgical management of epilepsy, the management of refractory back pain with neuromodulation, and the surgical/radiosurgical treatment of trigeminal neuralgia.
Pavan Vaswani, MD, PhD
Department of Neurology
Assistant Professor of Clinical Neurology and Attending Physician
Dr. Pavan Vaswani is a neurologist in Philadelphia, PA and sees patients with movement disorders at Pennsylvania Hospital and Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center. He received his medical degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, residency in Neurology at Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Womens Hospital, and Masschusetts General Hospital; and fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia VA Medical Center PADRECC. He specializes in movement disorder and is experienced in movement disorders, parkinson's disease, and deep brain stimulation. He has more than 10 publications and over 350 citings.
Intra-axial Tumor Lecture
Led by:
Nduka Amankulor, M.D.
Department of Neurosurgery
Presidential Associate Professor of Neurosurgery and Attending Physician
Dr. Amankulor earned his Doctor of Medicine at Yale University and completed neurosurgery residency at Yale New Haven Hospital. He completed a both a Post-Doctoral fellowship in Cancer Genetics and Biology, as well as a Neurosurgical Oncology Fellowship in brain and spine oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Amankulor served for 9 years as an Assistant Professor in Neurosurgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, where he also acted as Director of Neurosurgical Oncology, attending neurosurgeon, and principal investigator and has received numerous awards for his work. He now serves as Chief of Neurosurgical Oncology and Director of the Penn Brain Tumor Center at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine.
Vascular Lecture
Led by:
Visish Mani Srinivasan, MD
Department of Neurosurgery
Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery and Attending Physician
Dr. Srinivasan treats cerebrovascular disease through microsurgical and endovascular techniques. He is passionate about managing stroke, aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations, and cavernous malformations. He strives to provide optimal treatment, whether through open surgery, endovascular intervention, or non-surgical management. Whenever possible, Dr. Srinivasan employs minimally invasive techniques to preserve function and enhance recovery. Additionally, he leads a translational research lab focused on these same diseases, continuously learning from his patients and exploring new therapeutic frontiers.
Spine Lecture
Led by:
James M. Schuster, M.D., Ph.D.
Department of Neurosurgery
Professor of Neurosurgery and Attending Physician
Suturing Workshop
Led by:
Elizabeth L. Malphrus, MD, MPP
Department of Plastic Surgery
PGY-6, Chief Resident
Dr. Malphrus is an integrated plastic surgery resident. After graduating with a bachelor’s in neuroscience from Columbia University, she pursued a career in health policy, including serving as the Study Director for a National Academies consensus study titled Vital Signs: Core Metrics for Health and Health Care Progress. She also holds a master’s in public policy from Georgetown University. Her experience working in health policy inspired her to pursue an MD at George Washington University, where she developed a strong interest in plastic and reconstructive surgery.