Dilan Ellegala, MD

Co-Director, Barrow Global
Professor, Neurosurgery

Barrow Global

Dilan Ellegala, MD, is a neurosurgeon, Co-Director of Barrow Global, and professor of neurosurgery at Barrow Neurological Institute. He is board certified in neurosurgery by the American Board of Neurological Surgery.

Dr. Ellegala’s neurosurgical expertise is in complex brain surgery and leveraging new technology to advance brain and spine care. He is also known for advancing global neurosurgery and global health initiatives. Recognizing an unmet need for medical education in rural areas of Africa, Dr. Ellegala founded Madaktari Africa, a nonprofit organization to improve the health care of Sub-Saharan Africa by facilitating local medical training and education. Additionally, as a young faculty member, he was the founding dean of the Center for Global Health at the Medical University of South Carolina. Dr. Ellegala’s groundbreaking work in global neurosurgery development is documented in, “A Surgeon in the Village: An American Doctor Teaches Brain Surgery in Africa,” by Pulitzer-nominated journalist Tony Bartleme. Dr. Ellegala is a member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. He serves as a board member of the Foundation for International Education in Neurological Surgery.

Dr. Ellegala earned his medical degree from the University of Washington in Seattle. He completed his neurosurgery residency at the University of Virginia, with an enfolded year abroad spent at Auckland Hospital in New Zealand. He completed a cerebrovascular fellowship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and was a clinical instructor at Harvard Medical School in Boston. 

Dr. Ellegala has authored over 50 peer-reviewed research articles, holds multiple patents, and has spent years advancing traditional surgery and medicine using state-of-the-art technology.