South Carolina man is "like a new person" after brain metastasis treatment
Brian FitzGerald of South Carolina spent the summer of 2024 looking for answers.
Learning the language of the brain
Nanthia Suthana, PhD, studies the neural mechanisms of cognition and behavior. She is especially interested in the complex processes that drive memory and emotion, and in developing therapies using neurostimulation to treat disorders that involve those processes. One such disorder is Alzheimer’s disease, which robs people of their memories. The flip side of that is PTSD, in which many patients are besieged by memories they don’t want.
Kellogg joins the Department of Neurosurgery
Robert Kellogg, MD, has joined the Duke Department of Neurosurgery in the Pediatric Neurosurgery Division. He comes to Duke from University of Pittsburgh, where he was an assistant professor for the past five years.
Duke neurosurgeons honored at AANS annual meeting
Two Duke neurosurgeons were honored at the 2025 annual meeting of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons in Boston.
Therapy combination carries risk for patients with brain metastases
Therapies that unleash the immune system to fight tumors have greatly extended the lives of people with many types of cancer.
But there are reports that patients with melanoma and lung cancer whose disease has spread to the brain may experience serious inflammatory reactions after receiving immunotherapy drugs concurrently with radiation.
In a study appearing April 9 in JAMA Network Open, researchers at the Duke Center for Brain and Spine Metastasis report a nearly two-fold increase in the risk of symptomatic brain inflammation, termed radiation necrosis, among patients with brain metastases receiving the immunotherapies within four weeks of a form of targeted radiation therapy called radiosurgery.
New leadership announced for the Duke Center for Brain and Spine Metastasis
Peter Fecci, MD, PhD has accepted the position of chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at University of Colorado School of Medicine and will leave Duke at the end of June. Under Dr. Fecci’s leadership as center director, the Duke Center for Brain and Spine Metastasis (DCBSM) has been one of the fastest-growing clinical programs at Duke.
With Fecci’s departure, Carey Anders, MD, will be stepping into the role of director of the DCBSM. Anders is currently the center’s co-director.
Sindelar joins Duke Neurosurgery team in Raleigh
Brian Sindelar, MD, has joined the Duke Neurosurgery faculty as a member of the neurosurgery team at Duke Raleigh Hospital.
Suthana joins the Department of Neurosurgery
At Duke, she aims to advance translational neuroengineering and interdisciplinary collaborations to develop novel therapies for neurological and psychiatric disorders.
Duke University Health System Ranked Among Top Innovators
Duke University Health System is among Fortune’s list of America’s most innovative companies for 2025.
DUHS ranks 66th overall and fifth among hospitals and health systems. The list ranks 300 U.S. companies based on product innovation, process innovation, and innovation culture.
