Faculty & Staff
Neurosurgery Faculty
Clinical Faculty
Professor and Chair | Director, Brain Tumor Center Executive Committee
Areas of Expertise: Surgery for primary and metastatic brain tumors, surgery for insular brain tumors, surgery for tumors in eloquent brain regions, viral therapies for brain tumors
Contact: Crystal Luna-Medina, Executive Assistant, 713–792–1412
Franco DeMonte, M.D., FRCS(C), FACS
Professor
Areas of Expertise: Surgery of benign and malignant skull base tumors, meningioma, acoustic neuroma, Gamma Knife radiosurgery
Contact: Jennifer Everts, Program Coordinator, 713–563–8706
Professor | Director, Spine Tumor Program
Areas of Expertise: Surgery for primary and metastatic spinal tumors, spine stereotactic radiosurgery
Contact: Cassandra Martin, Program Coordinator, 713–563–8710
Professor
Areas of Expertise: Primary and metastatic brain tumors, nanomedicine and immunotherapy for brain tumors, Gamma Knife radiosurgery
Contact: Wendy Williams, Program Coordinator, 713–834–6218
Associate Professor | Vice Chair of Education | P8 Inpatient Medical Director
Director, Skull Base Tumor Program
Areas of Expertise: Open and endoscopic skull base surgery, surgery of benign and malignant skull base tumors, surgery of pituitary neoplasms
Contact: Stephanie Hood, Education Program Coord., 713–563–1908
Contact: Amanda Campos, Program Coordinator, 713–563–2171
Robert North, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Areas of Expertise: Brachial plexus and peripheral nerve tumors, nerve reconstruction, nerve transfers for functional restoration, nerve entrapments including carpal tunnel syndrome, cubital tunnel syndrome, and peroneal neuropathy
Contact: Cathlene Bell, Sr. Admin. Assistant, 713–563–8702
Christopher Young, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Areas of Expertise: Endovascular and open cerebrovascular surgery for brain aneurysms, arteriovenous malformation (AVM), carotid stenosis, cavernoma, hemorrhagic and ischemic strokes, chronic subdural hematomas, intraarterial therapy for brain tumors
Contact: Cassandra Martin, Program Coordinator, 713–563–8710
Jeffrey S. Weinberg, M.D., FACS
Professor and Deputy Chair | Vice Chair of Clinical Operations
Areas of Expertise: Surgery for primary and metastatic brain tumors, pediatric brain tumors, computer-assisted surgery for biopsy and tumor resection, surgery for tumors in eloquent brain regions, Gamma Knife radiosurgery
Contact: Amanda Campos, Program Coordinator, 713–563–2171
Ian E. McCutcheon, M.D., FRCS(C), FACS
Professor | Director, Neuroendocrine Program
Areas of Expertise: Surgery of pituitary neoplasms, spinal and brain tumors, neurofibromatosis, Gamma Knife radiosurgery
Contact: Jennifer Everts, Program Coordinator, 713–563–8706
Professor
Areas of Expertise: Surgery for primary and metastatic brain tumors, surgery for tumors in eloquent brain regions, brain mapping, laser interstitial thermal therapy, Gamma Knife radiosurgery
Contact: Jennifer Everts, Program Coordinator, 713–563–8706
Professor
Areas of Expertise: Surgery for spine and spine tumors, application of local delivery technologies to the treatment of brain and spinal tumors, laser interstitial thermal therapy for spine
Contact: Cassandra Martin, Program Coordinator, 713–563–8710
Associate Professor | Center Medical Director of MD Anderson West Houston Campus
Areas of Expertise: Primary brain tumors, eloquent cortex surgery, awake surgery, brain mapping, brain metastasis, Gamma Knife radiosurgery
Contact: Cassandra Martin, Program Coordinator, 713–563–8710
Christopher A. Alvarez-Breckenridge, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Areas of Expertise: Spinal tumors, metastatic disease involving the brain and spine and
immunotherapy
Dr. Alvarez-Breckenridge's Laboratory
Contact: Cathlene Bell, Sr. Admin. Assistant, 713–563–8702
Chibawanye I. Ene, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Areas of Expertise: Surgery for primary and metastatic brain tumors in eloquent brain regions, Laser interstitial thermal therapy, Gamma Knife Radiosurgery, viral and macrophage therapies for brain tumors
Contact: Cathlene Bell, Sr. Admin. Assistant, 713–563–8702
Research Faculty
Professor | Vice Chair of Research
Areas of Expertise: Mechanisms of glioma cell invasion and blood vessel co-option, roles for cell adhesion receptors and the extracellular matrix in brain development and cancer, glial regulation of the blood-brain barrier in development and disease
Contact: Wendy Williams, Program Coordinator, 713–834–6218
Assistant Professor
Areas of Expertise: Brain and spine tumor and heterogeneity computational biology and genomics
Assistant Professor
Areas of Expertise: Music medicine, the neurophysiological mechanisms and impact of defined music intervention in clinical cohorts, evidence-based repertoire selection methodologies
Contact: Jennifer Everts, Program Coordinator, 713–563–8706
Professor | Director of Clinical Research Operations
Areas of Expertise: Brain and spine tumors, epidemiology and biostatistics, clinical research methodology, data management
Contact: Cathlene Bell, Sr. Admin. Assistant, 713–563–8702
Assistant Professor
Areas of Expertise: Mechanisms of brain tumor development, progression, and recurrence; oncolytic viral therapy for brain tumors
Adjunct Clinical Faculty
David Sandberg, M.D.
Clinical Professor
Areas of Expertise: Surgery of pediatric brain tumors, drug therapies for pediatric brain tumors
Contact: Samantha Fox Monroe
Samuel (Trey) McClugage III, M.D.
Clinical Professor - Pediatrics
Peter Kan, M.D.
Clinical Associate Professor - Endovascular Program
Areas of Expertise: Cerebrovascular and neuroendovascular surgery
Ashwin Viswanathan, M.D.
Clinical Associate Professor - Pain Management
Areas of Expertise: Functional neurosurgery and surgical management of pain, neuroablative techniques for cancer pain management, neuromodulation for chronic pain, deep brain stimulation and motor cortex stimulation
Brandon Miller, M.D., Ph.D.
Clinical Professor - Pediatrics
Manish Shah, M.D.
Clinical Professor - Pediatrics
Omar Tanweer, M.D.
Endovascular Program
Patrick Karas, M.D.
UTMB
Dual/Joint/Adjunct Research Faculty
Kasthuri Kannan, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Translational Molecular Pathology
Assistant Professor, Department of Palliative, Rehabilitation, and Integrative Medicine
Advanced Practice Providers
Susan Boutte, APRN, FNP-BC
Manager, advanced practice providers
Supporting: Franco DeMonte, M.D.
Outpatient
Cheryl Martin, APN, FNP-C
New Patient APP Navigator and APP for Skull Base Surveillance Clinic
Binu Antony, APRN, FNP-BC
Supporting: Ian McCutcheon, M.D.
Ufuoma Avbovbo, DNP, APRN, NP-C
Supporting: Sherise Ferguson, M.D. and Chibawanye Ene, M.D.
Gisela Sanchez – Williams APRN, MSN, ANP-BC
APP - Brain Mets Clinic
Ameika Connor, APRN, FNP-BC
Supporting: Sujit Prabhu, M.D.
Queena Gonzalez, APRN, NP-C, CCRN
Supporting: Claudio Tatsui, M.D.
and Betty Kim, M.D., Ph.D.
Mehreen Mehmood, APRN, FNP-BC
Supporting: Robert North, M.D., Ph.D.
Outpatient
Tilu Ninan, APRN, ANP-C
Supporting: Christopher Alvarez-Breckenridge, M.D., Ph.D.
Justine Tran, APRN, FNP-BC
Supporting: Frederick Lang, M.D.
and Jeffrey Weinberg, M.D.
Laurel Westcarth, MBA, MS, APRN-BC
Supporting: Laurence Rhines, M.D.
& Ashwin Viswanathan, M.D.
Marihella James, MSN, APRN, AGNP-BC, NP-C, CCRP
Supporting: Shaan Raza, M.D. and the Surveillance Clinic
Natalie Smith
MSN, APRN, NP-C
Supporting: Shaan Raza, M.D. and the Surveillance Clinic
Inpatient
Gina Bradley, APRN, CNRN, CCM
