Mark E. Shaffrey, M.D.

Professor of Neurosurgery
Chair, Department of Neurosurgery
Neuro-Oncology division director
Clinical Trials division director

Bio:  Mark Edwin Shaffrey was born in Upper Darby Pennsylvania. He graduated magna cum laude from Virginia Tech in 1983 with B.S. degrees in Biochemistry and Biology. In 1987, Dr. Shaffrey received his medical degree from the University of Virginia, following election to Alpha Omega Alpha. He completed his general surgical internship at Wilford Hall USAF Medical Center in 1988 and his neurosurgical training under Dr. John Jane at the University of Virginia in 1994. During residency, he completed an NIH postdoctoral fellowship in microvascular physiology in the laboratory of Dr. Claude Desjardins and a clinical neuropathology fellowship with Dr. Scott VandenBerg.  He trained with Dr. Vinko Dolenc as a skull base surgery fellow in Ljubljana, Slovenia and served as a neurosurgical registrar in Plymouth, England.

Following his postgraduate training, Dr. Shaffrey completed a scholarship obligation to the United States Air Force where he served as the Chief of Neurosurgery at Keesler USAF Medical Center in 1997. He was decorated with the Meritorious Service Medal. In 1997, he returned to the University of Virginia as Associate Professor, Vice-Chairman and Co-Program Director of the Department of Neurosurgery and founded the Neuro-Oncology Center. In 2003, he was promoted to Professor of Neurosurgery. In 2006, he was appointed Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Virginia.

Dr. Shaffrey has an active research interest in neuro-oncology, particularly in the molecular mechanisms of cellular invasion and migration. He has approximately 100 publications. He has been a funded principal investigator in over 40 grants and clinical trials. He serves on the Editorial Board and Topic Editor for the Self-Assessment in Neurological Surgery (SANS). He is an active reviewer for the Journal of Neurosurgery, Neurosurgery, Surgical Neurology, and Cancer.

During his career in medicine, Dr. Shaffrey has won numerous awards for laboratory investigation and clinical medicine. In 1999, he was awarded a Traveling Fellowship by the Royal College of Surgeons. He has been named to Best Doctors and Best Doctors in America (Cancer). He has an active role in organized neurosurgery. For the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, he has served as an appointee to the CSNS, on the Scientific Program Committee, and the Practical Courses Chair. He currently chairs the Member Benefit Development Committee for the American Association of Neurological Surgeons.

In 1985, he married Caroline Leigh Smith. They have four children: Curran (1990), Victoria (1992), Anne (1995) and Aidan (2001). His interests outside of medicine and family include collecting literary and scientific first editions, music and skiing. He is an avid college football fan.