Given the quantity and complexity of spine care and research opportunities, Allegheny Health Network is proud to provide advanced training for neurosurgeons and neurosurgery residents interested in spine. The program allows for a unique exposure to the broad spectrum of the treatment of spinal disorders, the pursuit of advancement through research, and the opportunity to teach residents and medical students. Teaching occurs in the operating room, didactic sessions, the department’s spine biomechanics laboratory and cadaveric work in our state of the art surgical arts center. Learning and teaching opportunities also arise during the department’s annual Spine Summit, a meeting involving the department and national leaders in spine care.
AHN’s spine surgery team is comprised of 4 orthopedic spine surgeons and 17 neurosurgeons. Allegheny General Hospital and Forbes Regional Hospital serve as referral centers for general and complex spine services. The spine program's approach is multidisciplinary, involving neurosurgeons, orthopedic surgeons, pain medicine and rehabilitation medicine. Research initiatives involve internal and external collaborations resulting in a multitude of available research endeavors. The Department of Neurosurgery’s spine biomechanics laboratory serves external and internal projects.
Allegheny Health Network’s Neuroscience Institute is proud to provide advanced training in neuro-endovascular surgery via a 1- or 2-year CAST-certified fellowship program. Given the high level and quality of neuro-endovascular care available within the Allegheny Health Network, the program offers a unique exposure to the field of endovascular neurosurgery, advancement through research, and the opportunity to train as a future educator of residents, medical students, and neuro-endovascular surgeons.
Allegheny General Hospital serves as the flagship hospital within the Allegheny Health Network and is the main cerebrovascular center as well as comprehensive stroke center. The neuro-endovascular fellowship program is multidisciplinary in approach: fellows are trained by a core faculty from Departments of Neurological Surgery, Neurology, and Radiology. The fellowship will provide training in the full spectrum of neuro-endovascular procedures including aneurysm treatment, AVM embolization, AV fistula embolization, mechanical thrombectomy, MMA embolization, carotid angioplasty and stenting, head and neck embolization, cerebral venogram and venous sinus stenting, and spinal angiography and embolization.
The Allegheny Health Network is comprised of eight hospital facilities and clinics primarily serving western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio and New York. Allegheny General Hospital serves as the main provider hub for the neurosurgical oncology program serving not only Allegheny Health Network, but also external facilities and clinics. The neuro-oncology program approach is multidisciplinary, involving neurosurgeons, neuro-oncologists, medical oncologists, radiologists, radiation oncologists and neuropathologists. Research initiatives involve internal and external collaborations resulting in a multitude of available research endeavors. Treatment and diagnostic modalities include surgical treatment (resection, biopsy, awake craniotomy, laser interstitial treatment), medical treatment (standard and clinical trial directed chemotherapy and immunotherapy), gamma knife, stereotactic radiosurgery, and advanced imaging (perfusion, spectroscopy, functional MRI).
Given the high level and quantity of neuro-oncology care and research opportunities, the Allegheny Health Network Department of Neurosurgery is proud to provide advanced training for neurosurgeons and neurosurgery residents interested in neuro-oncology. The program allows for a unique exposure to clinical neuro-oncology, the pursuit of advancement through research, and the opportunity to train as a future educator of neurosurgery residents, neuro-oncologists and medical students. Teaching occurs in the operating room, didactic sessions, and cadaveric work in our state of the art Center for Surgical Arts.
The Department of Neurosurgery at Allegheny General Hospital (AGH), part of the Allegheny Health Network (AHN) offers one year subspecialty training in Functional Neurosurgery at the senior resident or post graduate training level. Clinical activity primarily takes place at the AGH campus but can also include community hospitals. The Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery fellowship includes multidisciplinary participation in the Center for Movement Disorders and Spasticity at AGH, and the AGH Pain Center.
The goal of the subspecialty training is to prepare the neurosurgeon for a career in Functional Neurosurgery with sufficient clinical skills to provide surgical services for pain and movement disorder-related invasive procedures and consultative services.
The clinical activities include careful evaluation of both movement disorders and chronic pain patients, recognition of various movement disorders and pain syndromes, application and performance of invasive treatments, use of adjuvant therapies, understanding and appropriate use of multiple pharmacologic agents, and the ability to perform a wide variety of ablative and neuroaugmentation procedures. Participation in research projects is expected. The fellow should participate in writing at least 2 papers by the end of the year, and is required to make at least one academic lecture presentations per year to a multidisciplinary audience of faculty, residents, nurses, pharmacists or basic science researchers.
