The Department of Neurological Surgery offers programs year-round to enhance the working and learning environment at Indiana University School of Medicine.
New Faculty Join the Department of Neurological Surgery
In a show of its dedication to expand the expertise of its faculty, the IU School of Medicine Department of Neurological Surgery recently welcomed two new neurosurgeons, Kunal Gupta, MD, PhD, and Brandon Lane, MD.
Shelly Timmons, MD, PhD, appointed to prestigious accreditation committee
Shelly D. Timmons, MD, PhD, chair of the Department of Neurological Surgery, has been appointed to the Neurological Surgery Review Committee of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). The ACGME accredits all residency and fellowship programs in the United States and dedicates resources to address areas of importance in graduate medical education.
Timmons was nominated by the American College of Surgeons and chosen from a highly selected group of national leaders with expertise in education and post-graduate training. The ACGME also employs best practices, research and advancements across the continuum of medical education to enhance health care and graduate medical education.
Timmons will join six neurosurgeon colleagues, a resident member and a public member on the Neurological Surgery Review Committee in July 2021 for a six-year term. The group accredits the country’s neurosurgical training programs and provides insight to issues affecting training to the ACGME at large.
Robert James joins the IU Department of Neurological Surgery
The Indiana University School of Medicine Department of Neurological Surgery celebrates the arrival of Robert (Rob) James, MD, as tenured Professor of Neurological Surgery and Vice Chair for Faculty Affairs and Professional Development. Dr. James will also assume the directorship of the CAST-accredited vascular/endovascular fellowships in the coming year and will work closely with Brad Bohnstedt, MD, Chief of the Neurovascular Division of the Department of Neurological Surgery, to continue to build on the department’s multidisciplinary clinical care, educational and research efforts.
Dr. James joins IU School of Medicine from the University of Louisville, where he had 11 years of practice experience in open and endovascular neurosurgery. He trained at Tulane University School of Medicine and completed his residency at the University of Maryland Medical Center. He then completed a two-year fellowship in Open Cerebrovascular and Endovascular Neurosurgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
At the University of Louisville, Dr. James held multiple leadership roles, including Chief of Cerebrovascular and Endovascular Neurosurgery for the Department of Neurosurgery and Chief of Neurosurgery at the University Hospital. At the institutional level, he held multiple leadership roles, including on the Medical Staff Executive Committee, Operating Room Executive Committee, Quality Steering Committee, Stroke Executive Committee and Medical Device Value Analysis Committee. At the university level, he has participated on the Admissions Committee, the Faculty Forum and he chaired the orthopaedic surgery chair and departmental review committee, among other activities. Dr. James was instrumental in the AHA Stroke Center Certification of the academic medical center at the University of Louisville and will bring significant expertise to our comprehensive stroke center.
Dr. James has an established international presence in the field, with 43 peer-reviewed publications, 47 national/international presentations, 22 local/regional presentations and is a well-known educator and proctor for neuroendovascular courses. He is the principal investigator for a self-generated international multi-institutional clinical trial currently (which is transferring to IU), and he has conducted numerous clinical trials in neurovascular neurosurgery in the past.
Match Day 2020
The IU School of Medicine Department of Neurological Surgery welcomes its new 2020 Residents who matched during the 2020 Match Day virtual celebration. These doctors embark on their 7-year neurosurgery residency in July. The Department faculty and staff can't wait for their journey to begin and send a hearty congratulations:
Piia Virtanen, MD
Indiana University School of Medicine
Scott Mitchell, MD
College of Medicine at the University of Vermont
Matthew K. Tobin, MD
University of Illinois College of Medicine