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Peter Christian

Peter Christian Warnke, M.D.

Section Chief, Functional Neurosurgery & Epilepsy
Director, Epilepsy Surgery Program
Professor of Surgery and Neurology
Schedule: (773) 702-2123

About Dr. Warnke

Dr. Warnke is one of the most experienced stereotactic neurosurgeons in the world, with over 7,000 stereotactic procedures and 3,000 brain tumor surgeries to his name. In 2021, he became only the second neurosurgeon worldwide to perform a tractography-guided laser hemispherotomy — a minimally invasive procedure that stops seizures by disconnecting brain hemispheres through five small holes instead of removing the skull. He directs three active clinical trials (NAUTILUS, SLATE, and RESPONSE) investigating next-generation approaches to epilepsy, and holds four NIH grants including funding from the BRAIN Initiative for brain-computer interface research. His breadth across epilepsy, brain tumors, movement disorders, and pediatric neurosurgery is exceptionally rare.

Education & Training

  • M.D., University of Freiburg, Germany
  • Residency, Neurosurgery, University of Saarland, Germany
  • Fellowship, Neurology, Northwestern University

National Leadership

  • Associate Editor, J Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry
  • World Society for Stereotactic & Functional Neurosurgery
  • 4 active NIH grants incl. BRAIN Initiative
  • 400+ laser ablation surgeries at UChicago

Selected Publications

Mendoza-Elias N, Satzer D, Henry J, Nordli DR Jr, Warnke PC. Tailored Hemispherotomy Using Tractography-Guided Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy. Operative Neurosurgery. 2023. PMID: 36807222

Areas of Expertise

Epilepsy Surgery Laser Ablation Brain Tumors Deep Brain Stimulation Parkinson's Disease Pediatric Epilepsy Brain-Computer Interface

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