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Dr. Mark E. Shaffrey to Chair UVa Department of Neurosurgery
Charlottesville, Va. - Arthur Garson, Jr., M.D., M.P.H., Vice President and Dean of the University of Virginia School of Medicine, and R. Edward Howell, Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of the University of Virginia Medical Center, recently announced the appointment of Mark E. Shaffrey, M.D., Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery, effective July 1, 2006.
"I've spent most of my professional life at the University of Virginia, and it's an honor to be asked to chair the department," Dr. Shaffrey said. "As chairman, I've inherited one of the premier centers for training neurosurgeons and practicing neurosurgery in the nation, thanks to the tireless efforts of Dr. John Jane, Neal Kassell, Ed Laws, Ladislau Steiner and others on the neurosurgery team."
Shaffrey's clinical interests are neuro-oncology, spine, epilepsy, and spasticity, and his primary area of research is novel brain-tumor treatments. He has served as principal investigator on more than 35 clinical trials and grants. He is widely published in peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Neurooncology and the Journal of Neurosurgery, and in neurosurgery textbooks.
"We are excited to have Dr. Shaffrey to lead our Department of Neurosurgery as it moves into a new era," said Dr. Garson. "His skills as a surgeon, educator and researcher will allow us to build on the breadth of expertise already found in our department."
"The residents of Central Virginia and the Commonwealth of Virginia have been beneficiaries over the years of having one of the world's top training programs for neurosurgeons located at the University of Virginia Health System," said Mr. Howell. "Dr. Shaffrey has been an integral part of our program for nearly two decades as has been a key component in its continued success. We are extremely pleased he has taken this new leadership position to guide neurosurgery at UVa."
Shaffrey earned his M.D. from the University of Virginia in 1987. He completed his internship at Wilford Hall United States Air Force Medical Center at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas and his residency in neurosurgery at the University of Virginia Medical Center, where he was chief resident. During his residency, he served as a neurosurgical registrar at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth, England. He completed an NIH research fellowship in microvascular physiology and clinical fellowships in neuropathology at the University of Virginia Medical Center and in skullbase surgery at University Medical Center in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Before his appointment as chair, Shaffrey served as professor and vice chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Virginia. He also served as co-director of the Neuro-Oncology Center and of the Neurosurgery residency program at UVA. Dr. Shaffrey has also served as a mentor to more than 20 physicians within the discipline of neurosurgery.
"We are pursuing an ambitious agenda. The department will continue to lead in the delivery of neurosurgical care to our patients and in introducing and evaluating new surgical techniques," said Shaffrey. "Our training program has always been a major strength of the department, and, given the looming shortage of neurosurgeons, it is more important than ever."
Additionally, Dr. Shaffrey is a member of the American Associate of Neurological Surgeons, the American College of Surgeons, the American College of Surgeons Oncology Group, the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, the Joint Council of State Neurological Societies, the Neurosurgical Research Society, and the Society of Neurooncology.
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