Department of Neurosurgery Ranks 4th in NIH Funding Among US Clinical Science Departments

In 2023, the Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston ranked No. 4 nationally in research funding awarded by the National Institutes of Health to neurosurgery departments, according to the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research. All data are derived from the NIH Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools. Individual researchers in both the Department of Neurology and the Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery are also highly ranked in the listing.

John Seymour, PhD, associate professor in the department, is ranked No. 2 among principal investigators of NIH-funded clinical science 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 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

They specialize in computation 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.

Radiation oncologist Sunil Krishnan, MD, and neurosurgeon Nitin Tandon, MD, both were ranked among the top 100 principal investigators in 2023 NIH research funding. Krishnan and his research team are investigating the use of active targeting of tumors with small quantities of gold administered before a short course of radiation therapy with megavoltage X-rays from a linear accelerator. Krishnan, who is professor and John P. and Kathrine G. McGovern Distinguished Chair in the neurosurgery department, directs a laboratory at The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases at UTHealth Houston.

Tandon, who specializes in the surgical treatment of epilepsy, brain tumors, and trigeminal neuralgia, has pioneered innovative technologies and minimally invasive approaches, including robot assisted stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) and laser ablation. His research provides fundamental insights into the processes of cognition and epilepsy using intracranial recordings, noninvasive imaging data, and cortical stimulation. Tandon is professor and Nancy, Clive and Pierce Runnells Distinguished Chair in Neuroscience at the Vivian L. Smith Center for Neurologic Research, vice president for strategy and development at UTHealth Houston Neurosciences, and BCMS Distinguished Professor in Neurological Disorders and Neurosurgery.

Others in the Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery who were recognized on the 2023 Blue Ridge NIH funding list are Yanning Rui, PhD; Devin McBride, PhD; H. Alex Choi, MD; Jiaqian Wu-Huber, PhD; Peeyush Kumar Thankamani Pandit, PhD; Xuefang Sophie Ren, PhD; Jung Hwan Kim, PhD; Hui-Wen Lo, PhD; Eunsu Park, PhD; and Zhen Xu, PhD.