Head of the Department of Neurosurgery

The University of Minnesota Medical School invites applications and nominations for a distinguished academic neurosurgeon to serve as Head of the Department of Neurosurgery. This role offers the opportunity to lead a nationally respected department within one of the country s largest and most comprehensive academic medical institutions.

The Department of Neurosurgery has a long and influential legacy in academic neurosurgery. It includes 21 faculty, 13 residents, three fellowship programs, and eight research laboratories, with enduring leadership in neuromodulation, neural interfaces, and device-based innovation. Faculty contributions have helped define the field and continue to advance restorative and regenerative neuroscience. The Department has exceptional strengths in functional neurosurgery, neuromodulation, and device-driven research, supported by multiple laboratories engaged in regenerative science, imaging, gene therapy, and spinal cord injury.

The department s clinical, educational, and research missions are supported through collaboration with University of Minnesota Physicians, M Health Fairview, Hennepin Healthcare, and the Minneapolis VA. Together, these relationships provide a broad and complex clinical environment and a strong foundation for multidisciplinary training and investigation. Faculty work closely with colleagues across medicine, engineering, neuroscience, and biomedical science within a fully integrated health sciences campus that also includes dentistry, pharmacy, nursing, public health, and veterinary medicine.

Situated in the Twin Cities, a global center for medical device development, the department benefits from deep industry connections and a mature translational ecosystem. Faculty and trainees engage with leading resources such as the Institute for Translational Neuroscience and the Center for Magnetic Resonance Research and can leverage Minnesota s distinctive legislative support for high-impact research.

Reporting to the Dean of the Medical School & Vice President for Clinical Affairs, the next Head will lead the department working across a complex academic and clinical environment to align research, education, and patient care. For the right candidate, this role offers the opportunity to steward an established legacy, shape strategic direction at a consequential moment, and define the department s next era of national impact.

Candidates must be board certified in Neurological Surgery, eligible for medical licensure in Minnesota, and demonstrate a distinguished record of academic leadership and scholarly achievement.

The University of Minnesota Medical School has retained Isaacson, Miller, a national executive search firm, to assist with this search. Inquiries, nominations, referrals, and CVs with cover letters should be sent via the Isaacson, Miller website for the search: