Department of Neurosurgery Ranks Fifth in NIH Funding Among US Clinical Science Departments

For 2024, the Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery was ranked No. 5 nationally in research funding awarded by the National Institutes of Health to neurosurgery departments, according to the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research (BRIMR). All data are derived from the NIH Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools. This maintains the department’s status in the top five institutions on the prestigious list, and underscores the program’s commitment to leading-edge research that aims to drive better treatments and improved outcomes for patients. Five members of the Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery were ranked among the BRIMR’s top 100 principal investigators, and 15 of the department’s researchers and physician-scientists were listed in the top-funded principal investigators nationally for neurosurgery.

Nitin Tandon, MD, professor and Nancy, Clive and Pierce Runnels Distinguished Chair in Neuroscience of the Vivian L. Smith Center for Neurologic Research; BCMS Distinguished Professor in Neurological Disorders and Neurosurgery; director of epilepsy and functional neurosurgery; vice president of strategy and development at UTHealth Houston Neurosciences; and co-director of the Texas Institute for Restorative Neurotechnologies, is ranked No. 24 among principal investigators of NIH-funded clinical science research studies in neurosurgery. Tandon’s Neuroimaging and Electrophysiology Lab focuses on the study of cognitive functions using imaging and invasive electrophysiology. He and his team are particularly interested in higher cognitive functions, including language, memory, and executive control. The researchers study these processes in normal humans and in patients undergoing resection for epilepsy or brain tumors.

John Seymour, PhD, associate professor of neurosurgery, is ranked No. 31 among principal investigators of NIH-funded research studies in neurosurgery. A biomedical engineer, Seymour is principal investigator of the Translational Biomimetic Bioelectronics Lab, which focuses on the advancement of neurotechnology for improved treatment of neurological disease. He and his team investigate ways to improve the efficacy of implantable devices used to treat conditions such as epilepsy, aphasia, locked-in syndrome, and ALS. They specialize in computational design of electrodes, microfabrication techniques of sensor and stimulation arrays, and advanced packaging of integrated circuits with the goal of inventing and publishing solutions for use in future implantable bioelectronics.

Georgene Hergenroeder, PhD, associate professor of neurosurgery, was ranked No. 42 in NIH-funded studies. Hergenroeder’s interests center on improving patient outcomes after spinal cord and brain injury. Her research focuses on biomarker discovery to predict which patients may benefit from future intervention, for example, by identifying factors associated with the development of neuropathic pain after spinal cord injury, an adverse consequence in 40% to 70% of patients. Experimental studies led by Hergenroeder have identified multiple mechanisms that may contribute to the development of neuropathic pain. Although these studies are beginning to provide a cellular and molecular basis for neuropathic pain, there currently is no distinguishing characteristic or biomarker available to identify spinal cord injury patients at higher risk for developing the condition.

Xuefang Sophie Ren, MD, PhD, associate professor of neurosurgery, was ranked No. 65. Ren’s laboratory focuses on understanding the mechanisms and pathophysiological changes that occur after brain injury, including subarachnoid hemorrhage, ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, traumatic brain injury, and white matter disease. She and her team investigate the mechanisms of blood-brain barrier damage, neuronal death, peripheral inflammation, and long-term plasticity processes after brain injury, focusing on immunology, mitochondria, microRNAs, and molecular targets after brain injury. They perform bedside-to-bench-back-to-bedside studies working closely with neurosurgeons and other physicians to put basic science to clinical use.

Alex HuiMahn Choi, MD, MS, professor of neurosurgery and director of neurocritical care, was ranked No. 69. He focuses on research that improves patient outcomes after acute brain injury, particularly aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. His lab employs statistical, informatics, and machine learning approaches to address critical problems in the Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit. His major research interests include prediction of secondary complications such as delayed cerebral ischemia after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), understanding abnormal neuroinflammatory activity after acute brain injury, and their association with poor outcomes. Currently, his lab is focused on using network informatics approaches to model and analyze the immune profile.

The UTHealth Houston Department of Neurology ranked No. 14 nationally in research funding awarded by the NIH to neurology departments in 2024, according to the BRIMR.