Benjamin Wissel, MD, is the recipient of the 2026 CNS Scholarship in Data Science.
Wissel, who is in his fourth year of residency, is working on developing the ASCENT (automated surgical candidate identification) platform.
“[ASCENT] utilizes large language models to screen clinical notes and efficiently identify patients with epilepsy who may be candidates for surgical intervention,” Wissel said. “Our goal is to launch ASCENT here at Duke and pilot it at external sites later this year.”
The CNS Scholarship in Data Science provides mentorship and financial support for future leaders in advancing machine learning, deep learning, and artificial intelligence in neurosurgical research and practice.
“This scholarship provides support to advance this work and helps accelerate the integration of artificial intelligence into clinical workforce,” Wissel said.
The scholarship runs through the 2026-27 academic year and Wissel’s final work will be submitted for presentation at the 2027 CNS Annual Meeting.