
Neurosurgery Program
UCSF's Pediatric Neurosurgery Program provides expert evaluation and surgical care for infants, children and teens with brain or spinal cord disorders. Our group performs hundreds of surgeries each year.
Recognizing the complexities of these conditions, we take a team approach to each child's treatment. Our neurosurgeons work closely with pediatric and neonatal critical care doctors, specially trained nurses and pediatric anesthesiologists. In some cases, we also collaborate with other specialists, such as orthopedic surgeons or physical medicine and rehabilitation doctors, to ensure the best outcome for each patient.
Our facilities were designed for kids, with special equipment to suit the small bodies of infants and children. We use state-of-the-art surgical technologies and techniques to make procedures safer and more precise. These include intraoperative MRI scanning, advanced "neuronavigation" software and brain mapping. Our equipment allows us to perform minimally invasive procedures, when possible. We also offer painless targeted radiation therapy using the CyberKnife and Gamma Knife.
Our department is home to several research labs that study the underlying causes of pediatric brain tumors, epilepsy and movement disorders, as well as potential new treatments for them. Interested families may have the option to join a clinical trial, a study of a promising therapy using human volunteers.
In addition, the advocacy group Angioma Alliance has named our program a Center of Excellence in Cerebral Cavernous Malformation in recognition of the high-quality, multispecialty care we provide for these vascular malformations.
Our locations (8)
Our team
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Nalin Gupta
MD, PhD
Pediatric neurosurgeon -
Kurtis Auguste
MD
Pediatric neurosurgeon -
Mitchel Berger
MD
Neurosurgeon -
Winson S. Ho
MD
Pediatric neurosurgeon -
Line Jacques
MD
Neurosurgeon -
Sandeep M. Kunwar
MD
Neurosurgeon -
Philip A. Starr
MD, PhD
Neurosurgeon -
Peter P. Sun
MD
Pediatric neurosurgeon -
Doris Wang
MD, PhD
Neurosurgeon -
Ethan Winkler
MD, PhD
Vascular and endovascular neurosurgeon -
Megan Bailey
PA-C, MHS
Physician assistant -
Randall Bain
PA, MPH
Physician assistant -
Caroline Farless
PNP, MSN
Pediatric nurse practitioner -
Kristen Ghoussaini
PNP, MSN
Pediatric nurse practitioner -
Melessa Hirschhorn
RN
Nurse -
Catalily Marshall
RN, MSN
Pediatric neurosurgery nurse -
Rebecca Silvers
PNP, DNP
Pediatric nurse practitioner -
Patrick J. Wong
PA-C, MS
Physician assistant
Awards & recognition
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Ranked among the nation's best in 10 specialties
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One of the nation's best in neurology & neurosurgery
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in NIH funding among U.S. neurology programs
Plan your visit
What to Bring
- Photo I.D.
- Health insurance card
- Insurance authorization, if required
- Doctor's referral, if required
- Recent test results related to your child's condition
- List of medications, including dosages, plus any your child is allergic to
- List of questions you may have
- Device or paper for taking notes
Patient stories
Surgery provides a "durable cure" for child's brain bleed
Bobby Stallworth couldn't talk or move his right arm and leg after an arteriovenous malformation (an abnormal tangle of blood vessels) ruptured in his brain. His family turned to UCSF for state-of-the-art surgical care.
Florida boy travels 3,000 miles for lifesaving AVM surgery
When malformed blood vessels ruptured in a delicate part of Gio Perry's brainstem, local doctors wouldn't operate. Our neurosurgeons did.
Thriving with hydrocephalus
When Brock Albee was 3 years old, a scary accident at day care led to a diagnosis of hydrocephalus, a fluid buildup in the brain. UCSF doctors have been treating him for more than 20 years and counting – with amazing results.
Support services
Fetal surgery firsts
The first open fetal surgery in the world was performed at UCSF in the early 1980s.
