Faculty

Richard W. Byrne, MD, Chairman and Program Directorcompleted his undergraduate studies at the University of Illinois in 1987 and his medical doctorate degree at Northwestern University Medical School in 1991. Dr. Byrne graduated from the neurosurgical residency training program at Rush University Medical Center in 1997 and joined the faculty after additional training in epilepsy and brain tumor surgery.

Dr. Byrne is a board-certified neurosurgeon who specializes in surgical treatment for epilepsy, skull base and brain tumor surgery, pituitary surgery, trigeminal neuralgia and radiosurgery. He has been involved in a number of epilepsy and brain tumor surgery trials, and has conducted basic science research in epileptogenesis and brain tumor genetics. He has authored many manuscripts and book chapters on these subjects.

Dr. Byrne is an active member of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, the Council of State Neurosurgical Societies, American Association of Neurological Surgeons and the Neurosurgical Society of America. Dr. Byrne is past president of the Rush Surgical Society, treasurer of the Chicago Neurological Society and treasurer of the Illinois State Neurosurgical Society. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Interurban Neurosurgical Society, the Advisory Board of the Epilepsy Society of Greater Chicago, the FDA Neurological Devices Committee and as an ABNS Oral Boards Examiner. In addition, he serves on many national committees, including the Scientific Program Committees of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, the American Epilepsy Society and the Neurological Society of America.

Roy A. E. Bakay, MD, A. Watson Armor III and Sarah Armour Presidential Chair and Residency Research Director. He specializes in stereotactic and functional neurosurgery, epilepsy and radiosurgery. A leading authority on the surgery for movement disorders, Dr. Bakay has been funded by the National Institutes of Health to study pallidotomy and deep brain stimulation. He has performed over 700 procedures for movement disorders. He also directs neuroanatomical research and has chosen to focus his current studies on neural tissue transplantation and gene therapy techniques. Dr. Bakay earned his medical degree from Northwestern University in 1975 and completed his residency training in neurological surgery six years later at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle. Following his residency, Dr. Bakay held a fellowship in neuronal plasticity from the National Institutes of Health. He then continued his career at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. Dr. Bakay joined the Department of Neurosurgery in 2000.

A visionary surgeon and researcher, Dr. Cerullo is credited with pioneering the use of lasers in neurosurgery. He has published several articles and books on this subject. Dr. Cerullo oversees many clinical and basic research studies.

Dr. Cerullo began his medical education in 1966 at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After earning his degree in 1970, Dr. Cerullo came to Chicago to pursue his residency training in neurosurgery at Northwestern University Medical School. During his residency, Dr. Cerullo held two fellowships: a fellowship in neuroradiology at the Neurological Institute of New York, and a fellowship in transphenoidial and craniofacial surgery at Hopital Foch, Surenes, France. Following his residency, Dr. Cerullo was on the medical staff at Northwestern Memorial Hospital where he remained for the next seven years and becoming Chief, of the Division of Neurosurgery. In 1987, Dr. Cerullo founded CINN and in 1998, Dr. Cerullo joined Rush.

Michael Chen, MD is a fellowship-trained neurointerventionalist with an appointment as Assistant Professor in Neurology, Neurosurgery and Radiology. He received his medical degree in his home state at the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine. His training consists of neurology residency at Yale-New Haven Hospital, cerebrovascular disease fellowship at Harvard Medical School/Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and an interventional neuroradiology fellowship at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia College of Physicians & Surgeons. Dr. Chen’s practice focuses on minimally invasive treatments of brain and spinal cord vascular disease. Specifically, he is involved in the study and treatment of cerebral aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations of the brain and spine, intracranial atherosclerosis, carotid artery stenosis, acute stroke thrombolysis and preoperative tumor embolization of the brain and spine.

Harel Deutsch, MD, is experienced in treating patients with a broad range of neurological disorders. With a subspecialty in spine surgery, he is skilled in complex spinal procedures, and in the care of patients with degenerative disease of the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spinal infections. He is also trained in spinal reconstruction techniques.

Dr. Deutsch has numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals and has published abstracts and book chapters. His research interest is in the etiology of chronic back pain. He is also involved in professional education on a national level and is an associate editor at spineuniverse.com.

Dr. Deutsch earned his medical degree from University of Miami School of Medicine graduating with honors in 1996. He completed his internship in surgery and residency in neurosurgery at The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. Following his residency, Dr. Detusch contined with a Spine Surgery Fellowship at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. He joined Chicago Institute of Neurosurgery and Neuroresearch and Rush University Medical Center in 2003.

Sheila A. Dugan, MD, is highly skilled in neurological and sports related rehabiliation. Having practiced as a physical therapist for five years prior to becoming a physician, she has worked in brain injury and orthopedic rehabilitation. Currently, Dr. Dugan is pursuing the development of a program focused on women's musculoskeletal care, including both their medical and rehabilitation needs. Dr. Dugan is an active lecturer and author, having published several review articles and book chapters. Dr. Dugan began her medical education by earning a bachelor of science in Physical Therapy in 1986 from Northwestern University School of Medicine in Chicago and later earning her medical degree in 1995 from the Univerisity of Illinois School of Medicine in Chicago. Dr. Dugan held an internship in internal medicine at the University of Chicago and completed her residency traning in physical medicine and rehabilitation at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. Dr. Dugan then joined the Harvard Medical School Department of Physicial Medicine and Rehabilitation, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Brigham and Women's Hospital. In 2001, Dr. Dugan joined the Rush Department of Neurosurgery.

Martin Herman, MD, PhD, was trained as an engineer and scientist at MIT in 1979 and was a James Scholar during his medical training at the University of Illinois. He completed a neurology fellowship at Queen’s Square in London, his neurosurgery residency training at Northwestern University Medical School and an orthopedic spine fellowship at Rush University Medical Center. Dr. Herman was also awarded a PhD from the Northwestern University Institute of Neuroscience in 1992. His research involved the discovery of a significant molecular mechanism in neural apoptosis after spinal cord and cerebral injury.

Dr. Herman specializes in minimally invasive spine surgery which has lead to the design, invention and modification of spinal instrumentation used internationally.

A board certified neurosurgeon, Dr. Herman is on the State of Illinois Governor’s Advisory Committee on Spinal Cord and Head Injuries. He is the local training director for the program’s trauma rotation at Lutheran General Hospital.

Juan Jimenez, MD, received his medical degree from the University of California of Los Angeles and went to complete a residency in neurological surgery at Rush University Medical Center. He treats patients with a broad range of neurological disorders, including conventional and minimally invasive surgical techniques for brain and spinal disorders. His areas of interest are treatment of brain tumors, spinal reconstruction, minimally invasive spine surgery and neuroendovascular therapy. Dr. Jimenez’s research interests are clinical outcomes for cranial and spinal surgery, development of novel surgical spinal devices and international education.

Terry Lichtor, MD, PhD, received his degrees from the University of Chicago. He completed an internship in general surgery at Mayo Clinic and a residency in neurological surgery and a fellowship in molecular neurobiology at the University of Chicago. His research interests are focused on the use of gene therapy strategies in the development of antitumor vaccines for the treatment of brain tumors. He is involved in a project concerning the development of MRI methods to non-invasively measure intracranial pressure.

Demetrius Lopes, MD, is highly skilled in neuroendovascular therapy, which is an innovative approach in treating brain and spinal cord diseases from inside the blood vessels. Dr. Lopes specializes in the revascularization of brain including the treatment of brain aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations, cerebral ischemia, stroke and the conditions leading to stroke. Dr. Lopes has written many articles and chapters on various aspects of neuroendovasclar therapy, including carotid stenting. Dr. Lopes began his medical education in 1987 at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul in Porto Alegre, Brazil. After completing his docorate in medicine in 1983, Dr. Lopes held a surgical internship at the Univeristy of Illinois and Cook County Hospitals. In 1994, he accepted a residency in neurology at the Indiana University Medical Center, and in 1995 accepted a residency in neurological surgery at the State University of New York at Buffalo. He remained at SUNY-Buffalo, where he completed an endovascular fellowship.

Lorenzo F. Muñoz, MD, a board certified neurosurgeon, received his medical degree form the Ponce School of Medicine in Puerto Rico where he graduated with high honors. He completed his neurosurgical internship and residency at the University of Illinois in Chicago. There he developed special skills for the treatment of intracranial pathology with particular emphasis on complex brain/spinal cord tumors and cerebrovascular disease. He also spends a significant amount of his clinical time in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with spine problems, using the latest technology for minimally invasive surgery. Dr. Munoz completed two fellowships on neurosurgical critical care and pediatric neurosurgery.

Shaun O’Leary, MD, PhD received his medical degree from Georgetown University and went on to complete a residency in neurological surgery at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan. He completed a fellowship in peripheral nerve surgery at Louisiana State University and then came to Rush for a fellowship in stereotactic and functional neurosurgery under the guidance of Roy A. E. Bakay, MD. He specializes in minimally invasive and complex spine surgery, stereotactic and functional neurosurgery, peripheral nerve surgery, brain tumor surgery and general neurosurgery. His research interests include movement disorders, Parkinson’s disease, essential tremor and dystonia, and gene therapy for brain tumors.

John O’Toole, MD received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School and went on to complete a residency in neurological surgery at the Neurological Institute of New York at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center , New York, New York. He completed a fellowship in spine surgery at the University of Chicago. He specializes in minimally invasive spine surgery, spinal oncology (including spinal column and spinal cord tumors), complex spinal reconstruction, spinal arthroplasty, and spinal radiosurgery. In 2005 Dr. O’Toole was the recipient for the Cloward Award from the AANS/CNS Section on Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral Nerves. His research interests are clinical outcomes for spinal surgery, translational application of spinal biologics, and development of new spinal surgical techniques and devices.

Gail L. Rosseau, MD, is an authority on the treatment of pituitary tumors. She is well known for innovative, minimally invasive techniques for hypophyseal and cranial base surgery. She completed her residency at George Washington University in 1991, followed by a fellowship in cranial base surgery at the University of Pittsburgh. Her clinical research focuses on intracranial tumors. Dr. Rosseau has held a number of leadership positions in organized neurosurgery, and is particularly interested in international neurosurgical education.

Richard E. Temes, MD, Director of Neurological Critical Care and assistant professor of neurology, neurosurgery and internal medicine is board certified in internal medicine and neurology. He received his medical degree at the University of Kansas School of Medicine and went on to complete a residency in internal medicine and neurology at the Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital, Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. Dr. Temes received his mater’s degree in epidemiology from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in New York and while earning this degree, he served as postdoctoral clinical fellow in stroke and critical care at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York.

In 2005, Dr. Temes was awarded the Young Investigator Award from the Neurocritical Care Society. Well published on subarachnoid hemorrhage, Dr. Temes received a prestigious SPORTRIAS (Specialized Program on Translational Research in Acute Stroke) research grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Dr. Temes has research interests in subarachnoid hemorrhage, intracerebral hemorrhage, hypothermia, and multimodality brain monitoring.

Walter W. Whisler, MD, PhD, Chairman Emeritus of Neurosurgery at Rush received his medical degree from the University of Illinois College of Medicine in 1959, completed a residency in neurosurgery at the University of Illinois, and received his PhD degree in biochemistry in 1969. Dr. Whisler has had a brilliant career as a surgeon, educator, researcher and author. He is a pioneer and innovator in epilepsy surgery and, with the Department of Neurology, established the Rush Epilepsy Center. Dr. Whisler founded the Department of Neurosurgery at Rush and led it through its formative years.