News

Duke Neurosurgery received $8.3 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 2024 to fund research to advance science and patient care. Based on this level of funding, the department was ranked ninth among neurosurgery clinical departments in the U.S. according to the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research.

Alexa Bramall, MD, PhD, is among five Duke University School of Medicine faculty members who have been selected to receive 2025 Physician-Scientist “Strong Start” awards. The awards program, funded with a gift from the Nanaline H. Duke Fund, supports promising, early career physician-scientists at Duke as they develop independent research programs.   

A new study published in Nature Neuroscience explores a genetic link between congenital hydrocephalus (CH) — a condition where fluid-filled spaces in the brain (ventricles) become enlarged — and autism. Duke Neurosurgery’s Tyrone DeSpenza, Jr., MD, PhD, was lead author of the study that found that mutations in the PTEN gene — already associated with autism — are a common cause of CH and ventricle enlargement.

Gerald A. Grant, MD, chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at Duke University, has been named a director of the American Board of Neurological Surgery.

Matthew Waitkus, PhD, a member of the Duke Neurosurgery faculty and a researcher in the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke, has been awarded a Research Scholar Grant from the American Cancer Society.

Dan Ma, PhD, joined the departments of Neurosurgery and Biomedical Engineering on Jan. 1, 2025. She is a scientist who focuses on the development and clinical translation of novel MRI technology to improve the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases.

New work from the Fecci Lab may explain why immunotherapies fail in the treatment of brain tumors.

Reflecting on the past year at Duke Neurosurgery, I am filled with gratitude for the achievements and milestones reached this year. It’s been a year of innovation, dedication, and progress, marking significant advancements in patient care, research, and community impact.

Laura Alder, MD, and Trey Mullikin, MD have been named deputy division directors of the Duke Center for Brain and Spine Metastasis (DCBSM).

An anonymous donor has made a $50 million gift to Duke University Health System toward the development of a proton beam therapy center.