Awards & Recognitions – October 2026

BBRF Young Investigator Grant

Andrew Yang, MD, director of the Epilepsy Surgery Program at Barrow Neurological Institute, has received a 2026 Young Investigator Grant from the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (BBRF).

The two-year, $70,000 grant will fund Dr. Yang and his collaborators at Arizona State University as they work to develop an objective, person-specific tool for cognitive and emotional assessments using generative artificial intelligence. Currently, mental health providers rely on questionnaires to track patients’ clinical trajectory and response to treatments. While these questionnaires are well-established, validated instruments, they are subject to inherent biases of self reports.

In this project, Dr. Yang and his team will use computer-based behavioral tasks to test participants’ core mental functions. They will focus on the participants’ cognitive abilities, such as mental flexibility, working memory, and goal-directed behavior. An example mental function of interest is the ability to flexibly shift attention toward or away from emotional information to stay goal directed, known as affective flexibility. This capacity has been linked to resilience—a greater ability to cope with stress and recover after difficult life experiences. Its impairments are seen in several psychiatric conditions, especially depression and anxiety.

However, how people perform on tasks does not always align with what they report in questionnaires. One reason is that task behavior is often summarized with a few scores, like accuracy or average response times, which can miss subtle, person-specific patterns. To address this pitfall, the researchers will train AI to learn each participant’s unique behaviors.

If successful, this project will show the potential of AI tools to turn performance in standardized tasks into objective signals that track symptoms and identify individuals with low resilience, who may be at higher risk for developing or worsening psychiatric illness. This would set the stage for large-scale clinical validation and, ultimately, the real-world deployment of a mobile app that delivers engaging, game-like mental health assessments directly to people at home, helping reduce barriers to health care access.

Becker’s ’15 Neurosurgeons to Know’

Becker’s Spine Review named Laura Snyder, MD, one of “15 Neurosurgeons to Know.” The list highlights neurosurgeons who are “advancing the field through clinical innovation, research, education, and leadership.” Becker’s recognized Dr. Snyder for her expertise in using minimally invasive techniques to treat complex spinal disorders and for her commitment to helping patients return to work and active lifestyles.

Dr. Snyder serves as director of neurotrauma at Barrow and associate program director of the Barrow Neurosurgery Residency Program, which Doximity has ranked as No. 1 in the country by reputation for the past three years. She also serves as Chair of the Arizona Neurosurgical Society and Chair of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons Education Committee.

AANEM Distinguished Researcher

Jeremy Shefner, MD, PhD, a physician-scientist in the Gregory W. Fulton ALS and Neuromuscular Disease Center at Barrow, has received the 2026 Distinguished Researcher Award from the American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine (AANEM).

Although unable to attend, Dr. Shefner was honored at the recent AANEM meeting in Orlando, Florida. The association recognized Dr. Shefner for his contributions to neuromuscular medicine and ALS research, noting that his work has helped advance diagnostic techniques, disease monitoring, and clinical trial design. The association also highlighted his involvement in co-founding NEALS, the largest ALS research network in the world.

Tanzanian Doctor of the Year

Happiness Rabiel, MD, an adjunct professor of global neurosurgery at Barrow, was named “Doctor of the Year” during the 13th Tanzania Health Summit in Dar es Salaam.

The award honors Tanzanian physicians who achieve high standards in medical practice and serve as role models for the medical community. Health care workers across the East African country voted for Dr. Rabiel, who leads the Department of Neurosurgery at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre in Moshi, Tanzania, a partner site of the Barrow Global initiative.

Humankindness in Action Awards

Three Barrow team members received “Humankindness in Action” awards at the September St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center leadership meeting and award ceremony:

• Timothy Fullam, MD, FAAN, Neurologist, Gregory W. Fulton ALS and Neuromuscular Disease Center (top photo)
• Erin Tucker, BSN, RN, CNRN, Nurse Educator (middle photo)
• Rachel Pinto, BDS, MPH, EMBA, Research Operations Manager, Barrow Neuro Analytics Center (bottom photo)

This award from Dignity Health/CommonSpirit Health honors employees whose actions reflect the organization’s values of compassion, inclusion, integrity, excellence, and collaboration.

NIH Award to Extend ALL ALS

Barrow has received an additional $25.3 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to extend the groundbreaking Access for All in ALS (ALL ALS) Consortium. With this additional funding, Barrow has received a total of $76.5 million from the NIH for ALL ALS. This makes the Consortium the largest externally funded study and program in the Institute’s 64-year history.

Established in 2023, the ALL ALS Consortium is disrupting the ALS clinical research landscape through its open-science methods. This means researchers across the United States will have access to the data and biological samples collected by the Consortium’s 37 participating clinical research sites—19 of which Barrow oversees as the Consortium’s West Clinical Coordinating Center. Barrow Chief Scientific Officer Robert Bowser, PhD, is a principal investigator of ALL ALS.

Newsweek: ‘World’s Best Specialized Hospitals’

For the sixth consecutive year, Newsweek has ranked Barrow among the “World’s Best Specialized Hospitals” in the neurosciences. Barrow has made the list every year that the media company has ranked hospitals in the neurosurgery category.

For 2027, the Institute holds the No. 11 spot in the United States and the No. 18 spot in the world. Barrow debuted in the neurology category in 2025 and has climbed the ranks each year since, starting at No. 39 nationally and now reaching no. 35.

CNS Honored Guest

Gail Rosseau, MD, adjunct professor of global neurosurgery at Barrow, has been named one of two Congress of Neurological Surgeons Honored Guests for 2026—the first woman to receive the award in its 74-year history.

CNS established the award to acknowledge exceptional leaders in neurosurgery whose contributions have helped advance the field and patient care in meaningful ways. Dr. Rosseau will be formally recognized on Nov. 2 at the CNS Annual Meeting.