Dannenbaum wins Benjy F. Brooks, MD, Outstanding Clinical Faculty Award
Mark Dannenbaum, MD, associate professor in the Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery, is the 2026 recipient of the Benjy F. Brooks, MD, Outstanding Clinical Faculty Award.
Established in 1991 by the McGovern Medical School Alumni Association, the Benjy Brooks Award is presented by the McGovern Student Surgical Association to recognize individuals who complement and enhance the education program by serving as role models for students. The award is named in honor of Dr. Benjy Brooks, the first board-certified female pediatric surgeon in the United States, who joined the McGovern Medical School faculty in 1973 and remained active at the school until her death in 1998.
“I was honored to learn that I was chosen as the recipient of the Benjy Brooks Award,” Dannenbaum said.
Dannenbaum’s teaching philosophy is shaped by his time as a student at McGovern Medical School and centers on practical, patient-focused education. Drawing from both clinical experience and four years of service on the National Board of Medical Examiners, he combines high-yield clinical instruction with academically relevant material to prepare students for patient care while helping them succeed on exams.
“It is also my hope that the methods I use to teach, which always involve real clinic cases, help the students build confidence in themselves and their judgment,” Dannenbaum said. “There really isn’t a spot carved out for that in the curriculum, but they will all be required to trust their guts and make clinical decisions as residents, and I hope the way I teach helps them do better with that than if they had never had me as a faculty member.”
Dannenbaum credits mentors Nachum Dafny, PhD, and John Byrne, PhD, with sparking his interest in the neurosciences and fostering his appreciation for the beauty and precision of the nervous system during his time as a student. He also acknowledged neurosurgical mentors Shankar Gopinath, MD, and Art Day, MD, for influencing his passion for teaching during residency and fellowship.
“In my opinion, they are two of the greatest educators involved in neurosurgical education, and it was a wonderful experience learning from them and seeing their training methods,” Dannenbaum said.
Dannenbaum also thanked Claire Hulsebosch, PhD, and Erin Furr Stimming, MD, for inviting him to serve as a full-time lecturer in the Nervous System and Behavior Module and for giving him a standing monthly lecture in the neurology clerkship.
Dannenbaum received his medical degree from McGovern Medical School and completed his neurosurgery residency at Baylor College of Medicine. After completing a neurosurgery fellowship at Harvard Medical School, he completed a second fellowship in vascular and endovascular neurosurgery at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta.
Dannenbaum’s clinical expertise includes vascular and endovascular surgery. He specializes in cerebrovascular and neuroendovascular surgery, retinoblastoma, skull base neurosurgery, and cerebrovascular open microneurosurgery.
Former recipients of the Benjy F. Brooks Teaching Award include: Walter M. Kirkendall, MD, 1991; William S. Fields, MD, 1992; James T. Willerson, MD, 1994; Harold T. Pruessner, MD, 1995; Herbert L. DuPont, MD, 1997; Larry D. Scott, MD, 1998; Herbert L. Fred, MD, 1999; Becky L. McGraw-Wall, MD, 2000; Terry K. Satterwhite, MD, 2001; Cheves M. Smythe, MD, 2002; Ian Butler, MD, 2003; Francisco Fuentes, MD, 2004; Pedro Mancias, MD, 2009; Lisa Armitige, MD, PhD, 2010; Octavio Pinell, MD, 2011; Kyle Woerner, MD, 2013; Daniel Freet, MD, 2016; Tom C. Nguyen, MD, 2017; Sasha D. Adams, MD, 2018; David R. Hall, MD, 2019; Manish N. Shah, MD, FAANS, 2020; and Allison Speer, MD, FACS, 2021; and Ritha Belizaire, MD, 2022, Thaddeus Puzio, MD, 2023; Akemi Kawaguchi, MD, 2024; and Marina Petsalis, MD, 2025.