Dr. Allan H. Friedman

My primary focus is patient care and clinical research. My clinical research focuses on providing innovative and aggressive therapies to adults with primary brain tumors. I always keep the patient's quality of life foremost in my practice. I completed my residency in adult neurology at the University of Sherbrooke in Quebec. I finished a two-year fellowship in neuro-oncology at The Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke. Upon completion of my fellowship in 2005, I joined the Center as faculty. I am a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada. Dr. Desjardins is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Choroid Plexus Papilloma. Her top areas of expertise are Gliosarcoma, Embryonal Tumor with Multilayered Rosettes, Glioblastoma, and Atypical Teratoid Rhabdoid Tumor (ATRT).

I am an academic adult and pediatric neuro-oncologist who helps lead The Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke. I am the author of more than 500 peer-reviewed articles, reviews, and book chapters, and I have presented extensively at both international and national meetings. I am a committed educator who is a member of the executive and super-executive committees of the Duke University School of Medicine, which are responsible for the recruitment, screening and selection of medical students. I have reviewed grants for the National Institutes of Health for over 15 years, in a spectrum of different study sections. I am the senior editor of CNS Oncology and a reviewer for over 25 academic journals. I serve on the advisory board of a number of organizations, including Voices Against Brain Cancer, the Tug McGraw Foundation, Pinnacle Care, the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, the National Children’s Cancer Society, and the American Brain Tumor Association. Dr. Friedman is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Choroid Plexus Papilloma. His top areas of expertise are Glioma, Astrocytoma, Glioblastoma, and Brain Tumor.

I was inspired to be a doctor by my grandfather, a classic “black bag” physician, who practiced family medicine with grace, compassion, and enthusiasm I strive to emulate. I became interested in the treatment of neurologic illness in college, and I pursued a specialization in the minimally invasive treatment of brain tumors and skull base tumors. When a patient has a brain disorder, they bring to me not just an organ to be fixed, but also their senses, perceptions, and mechanisms that allow them to interact with their world. My goal is to help my patients understand these frightening and disorienting problems and to create with them a custom treatment strategy to overcome the difficulties. I use the latest advances in minimally invasive neurosurgery to hopefully return them to the activities they most enjoy. Through my research, I hope to devise even better ways to approach these problems in the future. Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my amazing daughter and son, as well as my two miniature schnauzers. Dr. Codd is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Choroid Plexus Papilloma. His top areas of expertise are Prolactinoma, Pituitary Tumor, Encephalocele, Awake Craniotomy, and Mastoidectomy.