News

Dr. Ali Seifi and Dr. Robert Hromas flank William Chase Johnson as he holds his UT Health San Antonio Dean's Research award for his research project.

Passport 2018

April 10, 2018

Under the mentorship of Ali Seifi, MD, FACP, William Chase Johnson, MS3, received The UT Health San Antonio Dean’s Research Award. For his project: “Reevaluating the Weekend Effect on SAH: A Nationwide Analysis of the Association Between Mortality and Weekend Admission.”



Dr. Izabela Tarasiewicz and Ashlyn smiling during and clinic visit while they both throw peace signs at the camera.

Ashlyn’s Story

April 4, 2018

Earlier this year, Ashlyn Rivera got into an accident that was so severe she had to be airlifted from her home in Laredo to UHS, where she was rushed into surgery. During her stay, Izabela Tarasiewicz, M.D., and the team at the Department of Neurosurgery performed four major life-saving surgeries. Ashlyn stayed in the pediatric […]



Alan Cirlin sitting in a chair and smiling with his hands interlaced.

Alan Cirlin’s story

March 29, 2018

Alan Cirlin suffered from severe Parkinson’s disease for many years. He couldn’t do simple things like cooking and getting himself dressed. It got to be so bad that he was confined to a wheelchair. “I kept falling over,” he said. “I was like a kid.” Alan started attending a Parkinson’s Support group. It was there […]



Stent diagram. It looks like a serpentine curve of wired mesh.

Stryker Neurovascular Atlas Stent.

March 15, 2018

Dr. Ramesh Grandhi from UT Health Neurosurgery San Antonio was the first physician in San Antonio/Central Texas, and one of the first in the country, to use the @StrykerNV Atlas Stent. The Atlas Stent can be delivered through a smaller catheter which makes it able to access smaller vessels in difficult areas of the brain. […]



Dr. Izabela Tarasiewicz and Nicki sitting in clinic and smiling.

Nicki’s Story

March 13, 2018

Nicki’s family told us that they originally brought her into the emergency room because she was “getting fevers that she couldn’t shake.” After they found out she had a serious left-sided intracranial abscess, Nicki was rushed into surgery. Izabela Tarasiewicz, M.D., performed a hemicraniectomy and Ramesh Grandhi, M.D., placed a pipeline. She also had multiple […]



Dr. John Floyd standing next to Dr. David Wallace while he holds a rectangular award made out of what appears to be glass.

Best Resident Presentation TANS 2018

February 27, 2018

David Wallace, MD was awardedat the Texas Association of Neurological Surgeons 2018 Annual Meeting held in Houston, Texas this year. His paper co-authored with Interim Chairman John Floyd, MD and Chief Resident Michael McGinity, MD proposes a novel method and results to manage surgical site infections after brain tumor surgery. This method aims to expedite […]



Two people dressed in scrubs lean over the blurred out image of a cadaver in the cadaver lab.

Cadaver Lab

February 20, 2018

Recently, as part of the department’s residency education, our doctors trained in the cadaver lab. Some of their training included practice sessions for neurocranial and skull-based surgery. These sessions provide valuable opportunities for the residents to hone their surgical skills before applying them in the operating room.



A collection of faculty and residents from the Department of Neurosurgery standing in front of ballroom at the 2018 TANS meeting.

TANS 2018

February 15, 2018

Some of our faculty and residents recently attended the Texas Association of Neurological Surgeons (TANS) 2018 meeting.



Sadiya Ahmad standing in front of her research poster and smiling.

Sadiya Ahmad’s Poster

February 3, 2018

Sadiya Ahmad, a third-year PhD candidate, represented the Cell, Genetics, and Molecular Medicine program at the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences recruitment poster session. Sadiya presented a poster on her thesis project regarding the role of cholesterol homeostasis after brain injury.



Dr. Shaheryar Hafeez demonstrates how to operate the NormaTec Pulse compression device.

NormaTec Pulse compression device In-Service

January 26, 2018

Shaheryar Hafeez, M.D., recently led an in-service for attending nurses featuring the NormaTec Pulse compression device. NormaTec’s peristaltic pulse dynamic compression along with anticoagulant medication should help decrease the incidence of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) among NeuroICU patients and promote their recovery.