Awards & Recognitions – February 2024
INS Distinguished Career Award
George Prigatano, PhD, Emeritus Chair of the Department of Clinical Neuropsychology, received the International Neuropsychological Society’s “Distinguished Career Award.” He was presented with the award at the society’s meeting in New York, recognizing his significant contributions to both the organization and the field of neuropsychology over the years.
Kemper and Ethel Marley Chair for Neurology
Brad A. Racette, MD, FAAN, was formally recognized as the Kemper and Ethel Marley Chair for Neurology at Barrow Neurological Institute. Dr. Racette’s vision includes establishing a premier program in data science, positioning the Department of Neurology as a leader in global health training and health equity, and expanding the Department’s portfolio of federally funded clinical research.
AANS/CNS Spine Section President
Juan S. Uribe, MD, Chief of the Division of Spinal Disorders at Barrow, was elected president of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons/Congress of Neurological Surgeons Section on Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral Nerves. The Spine Section aims to advance spine and peripheral nerve patient care through education, research, and advocacy.
Cochlear Implant Program Milestone
The Department of ENT and Skull Base Surgery at Barrow Neurological Institute celebrated performing 97 cochlear implant surgeries/activations in 2023. This number positions our Cochlear Implant Program, formed only three years ago, in the top third of the busiest programs in the country.
Vesalius Prize
Ali Tayebi-Meybodi, MD, a fellow in the Loyal and Edith Davis Neurosurgical Research Laboratory under the mentorship of Mark Preul, MD, has been selected for the American Association of Neurological Surgeons’ Vesalius Award for the second consecutive year. This annual award is given to the highest-graded abstract submission with a focus on the history of neurosurgery. Dr. Tayebi-Meybodi will present his abstract, “More Than a Mere Tubercle: Contributions of Laurent Princeteau to Neurosurgery and Anatomy,” and formally receive his award at the AANS Annual Scientific Meeting in May.
ISC24 Research Award
Takuma Maeda, MD, PhD, a postdoctoral research fellow working in the Barrow Aneurysm and AVM Research Center under the mentorship of Tomoki Hashimoto, MD, received the Mordecai Y.T. Globus New Investigator Award in Stroke at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference 2024. The award recognizes his contributions to research in cerebrovascular disease, specifically his abstract: “Pharmacological Activation of Efferocytosis Prevents Intracranial Aneurysm Rupture.”
World Neurosurgery Editor’s Choice
World Neurosurgery named a paper from Barrow Neurological Institute as a February 2024 Editor’s Choice Article. Irakliy Abramov, MD, PhD, a postdoctoral research fellow in the Loyal and Edith Davis Neurosurgical Research Laboratory, is the first author on the paper: “Step-by-Step Dissection of the Extreme Lateral Transodontoid Approach to the Anterior Craniovertebral Junction: Surgical Anatomy and Technical Nuances.”
ARCS Scholar Award
Briana Ondatje, a PhD student in the ASU-Barrow Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Neuroscience, received the 2024-2025 ARCS Scholar Award from the ARCS Foundation, Phoenix Chapter to support her education. Briana is researching amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) under the mentorship of Rita Sattler, MSc, PhD, a professor in the Department of Translational Neuroscience at Barrow.