Faculty & Staff
Neurosurgery Faculty
Clinical Faculty
Frederick Lang, M.D., FACS
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: Jennifer Dao, Executive Assistant, 832–748–5990
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
Laurence D. Rhines, M.D.
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
Betty Kim, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor
Areas of Expertise: Primary and metastatic brain tumors, nanomedicine and immunotherapy for brain tumors, Gamma Knife radiosurgery
Contact: Timothy Marin Demers, Administrative Assistant, 713–792-8699
Shaan Raza, M.D.
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 Manager., 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: Amanda Campos, Program Coordinator, 713–563–2171
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: Tim Marin Demers, Administrative Assistant, 713–792–8699
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
Sujit Prabhu, M.D., FRCS (Ed)
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
Claudio Tatsui, M.D.
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
Sherise D. Ferguson, M.D.
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: Eddie Gonzalez, Senior Administrative Assistant, 713–792–8825
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: Tim Marin Demers, Administrative Assistant, 713–792–8699
Research Faculty
Joseph McCarty, Ph.D.
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
Kadir Akdemir, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Areas of Expertise: Brain and spine tumor and heterogenetity computational biology and genetics
Contact: Wendy Williams, Program Coordinator, 713-834-6218
Dima Suki, Ph.D.
Professor | Director of Clinical Research Operations
Areas of Expertise: Brain and spine tumors, epidemiology and biostatistics, clinical research methodology, data management
Contact: Eddie Gonzalez, Senior Administrative Assistant, 713–792–8825
Mei Rui, D.M.A.
Assistant Professor
Director, Music-in-Medicine initiative
Areas of Expertise: Music medicine, the neurophysiological mechanisms and impact of defined music intervention in clinical cohorts, evidence-based repertoire selection methodologies
Contact: Eddie Gonzalez, Senior Administrative Assistant, 713–792–8825
Adjunct Clinical Faculty
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
Sarah Prinsloo, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Palliative, Rehabilitation, and Integrative Medicine
Jeffrey Siewerdsen, Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Imaging Physics
Division of Diagnostic Imaging
Neurosurgery Advanced Practice Providers and Staff
Advanced Practice Providers
Susan Boutte, APRN, FNP-BC
- Manager, Advanced Practice Providers
- Supports Franco DeMonte, M.D.
Outpatient
Binu Antony, APRN, FNP-BC
Supports Ian McCutcheon, M.D. and Christopher Young, M.D., Ph.D.
Ufuoma Avbovbo, DNP, APRN, NP-C
Supports Sherise Ferguson, M.D. and Chibawanye Ene, M.D., Ph.D.
Queena Gonzalez, APRN, NP-C, CCRN
APP Supervisor
Supports Claudio Tatsui, M.D. and Betty Kim, M.D., Ph.D.
Audrey Hartnett, MSN, APRN, NP-C, AOCNP
Supports Andrew A. McDougall Brain Metastases Clinic
Cheryl Martin, APN, FNP-C
APP for Skull Base Surveillance Clinic
Mehreen Mehmood, APRN, FNP-BC
Supports Robert North, M.D., Ph.D.
Tilu Ninan, APRN, ANP-C
Supports Christopher Alvarez-Breckenridge, M.D., Ph.D.
Outpatient
Gisela Sanchez–Williams, MSN, APRN, ANP-BC
Supports Andrew A. McDougall Brain Metastases Clinic
Amber Smith, MSN, APRN, FNP-C
Supports Sujit Prabhu, M.D.
Natalie Smith, MSN, APRN, NP-C
Supports Shaan Raza, M.D.
Justine Tran, APRN, FNP-BC
Supports Frederick Lang, M.D. and Jeffrey Weinberg, M.D.
Laurel Westcarth, MBA, MS, APRN-BC
Supports Laurence Rhines, M.D., Ashwin Viswanathan, M.D. and Christopher Young, M.D., Ph.D.
Inpatient
Gina Bradley, APRN, CNRN, CCM
Ameika Connor, APRN, FNP-BC
Erica Ontiveros, APRN, FNP-BC
Administrative and Research Leadership
Patrick Browning, J.D., M.H.A., F.A.C.H.E.
Department Administrator
Alexandra Smith, M.B.A.
Operations Manager
David Cogdell, M.S.
Program Director, Brain Tumor Center
Rajvi Gandhi, M.S., C.S.A.F.
Senior Financial Analyst
Preeti Ramadoss, Ph.D.
Associate Director, Research Planning and Development
Joanna Drennen
Program Director
Caroline Brennan
Program Manager
Stephanie Hood
Program Manager, Education