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Issam A.

Issam A. Awad, M.D., M.Sc., FACS

Section Chief, Vascular Neurosurgery
John Harper Seeley Professor of Neurological Sciences
Past President, Congress of Neurological Surgeons
Schedule: (773) 702-2123

About Dr. Awad

Dr. Awad is widely considered the world's foremost authority on cerebral cavernous malformations (CCM) — a condition he has studied for nearly three decades. His lab discovered the key genetic mutations that cause CCM in Hispanic and Ashkenazi Jewish populations, enabling simplified genetic testing for thousands of at-risk families. He led UChicago to become the nation's first designated Center of Excellence for CCM. With over 400 publications and 100,000+ citations (H-index 98), he is the most-cited neurosurgeon on Google Scholar. He has been continuously funded by the NIH since 1998 and was elected to the Association of American Physicians — one of the highest honors in academic medicine. He also served as the 51st President of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. At the University of Chicago, he founded the annual Safadi Lecture in Neurological Surgery, the department's signature lectureship in cerebrovascular and translational neuroscience.

Education & Training

  • M.Sc. Biochemistry, Loma Linda University
  • M.D., Loma Linda University School of Medicine
  • Residency, Neurosurgery, Cleveland Clinic
  • Fellowship, Cerebrovascular & Skull Base, Barrow Neurological Institute

National Leadership

  • Founder, Annual Safadi Lecture in Neurological Surgery (University of Chicago)
  • 51st President, Congress of Neurological Surgeons
  • Elected, Association of American Physicians
  • Chairman, Joint Cerebrovascular Section (AANS/CNS)
  • Continuously NIH-funded since 1998

Selected Publications

Awad IA, Polster SP. Cavernous angiomas: deconstructing a neurosurgical disease. J Neurosurg. 2019;131:1-13. PMID: 31261134
Snellings DA, et al. Cerebral Cavernous Malformation: From Mechanism to Therapy. Circ Res. 2021;129:195-215.

Areas of Expertise

Cerebral Cavernous Malformations Brain Aneurysms AVMs Hemorrhagic Stroke Skull Base Tumors Carotid Surgery

In the Press

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