Awards & Recognitions – April 2025
ABRC Grant
Barrow scientists Tomoki Hashimoto, MD, and Artak Tovmasyan, PharmD, PhD, have received a grant from the Arizona Biomedical Research Centre (ABRC) of the Arizona Department of Health Services. The three-year, $750,000 award will allow the researchers to test a compound for secondary injury following ischemic stroke treatment.
In some cases, when blood flow is restored after an ischemic stroke—the type of stroke caused by a clot—it can lead to secondary injury, such as brain bleeds and uncontrolled swelling. Studies have found that unstable oxygen molecules known as free radicals play a key role in this secondary injury by causing cell death.
Although preclinical studies of drugs targeting free radicals have shown promise, the translation of these drugs to human patients has been limited for various reasons. Through a multi-principal investigator approach, Drs. Hashimoto, Tovmasyan, and Rayna Gonzales from the University of Arizona have designed a study to directly address the shortcomings of previous studies.
The researchers will evaluate a drug known as MnP-05, which has been shown to be highly effective at eliminating free radicals but with a significantly lower toxicity profile than its predecessors. But rather than duplicating studies of how free radicals contribute to secondary injury after stroke treatment, the team aims to efficiently answer the critical “go or no-go” question for the next steps in MnP-05’s preclinical development. This will ultimately guide future efforts toward the drug’s clinical translation in acute ischemic stroke.
Distinguished Teacher Award
Daniel Gonzalez, MD, a vascular neurologist in the Petznick Stroke Center at Barrow Neurological Institute, received the Distinguished Teacher in Neurology award from the Creighton University School of Medicine Phoenix Campus class of 2025. It is the second consecutive year Dr. Gonzalez has received this award, which recognizes the impact he has made on the students during their time in medical school.
April ‘Neurosurgery’ Cover
The journal Neurosurgery selected an illustration from the Neuroscience Publications department at Barrow for the cover of its April issue. The image, created by medical illustrator Emily Kief, shows a postoperative example of an L1-L5 lateral lumbar interbody fusion with posterior pedicle fixation. It accompanies our manuscript, “Clinical outcomes and radiographic results of prone transpsoas lateral lumbar interbody fusion: a single-institution case series.” Barrow PGY-4 neurosurgery resident Jeff Ehresman, MD, is the first author on the manuscript. His co-authors include PGY-4 neurosurgery resident Katriel Lee, MD; research assistant Madison Battista; neurosurgeon Bryan Lee, MD; and Barrow alumnus Harrison Farber, MD.
6th Year of Seven Series
April marked the beginning of year six of Seven Series, the Institute’s narrated video case series released twice weekly by Barrow President and CEO Michael T. Lawton, MD. Dr. Lawton launched the series, formerly known as Covideos, during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic to help neurosurgeons keep their technical edge amid the cancellation of neurosurgery meetings and pause on elective procedures. But with virtual learning proving its staying power, Dr. Lawton decided to continue the project indefinitely. Since then, the collection has amassed more than 1.2 million plays, with viewers tuning in for over 3.3 million minutes and counting.
Premier 100 Top Hospitals
St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, home of Barrow Neurological Institute, is among Premier’s 100 Top Hospitals for 2025. St. Joseph’s earned the No. 5 rank in the 20 Top Major Teaching Hospitals category, maintaining the top spot in Arizona and climbing eight positions nationwide from 2024. The list, compiled by Premier, Inc. and published on Fortune.com, recognizes institutions that consistently score high in the areas of patient experience, operational efficiencies, and financial health.