Dr. Alan R. Cohen

Mari Groves is a Johns Hopkins pediatric neurosurgeon who cares for children with brain and spinal cord tumors (benign and cancerous), skeletal dysplasia, and spinal deformities such as neuromuscular and early scoliosis. She also sees patients diagnosed with Chiari malformations, spasticity and epilepsy. She specializes in treating patients with all types of spina bifida, including myelomeningocele. As part of the Johns Hopkins Center for Fetal Therapy, she is an expert in prenatal closure techniques such as minimally invasive fetoscopic repair of myelomeningocele (when the spina bifida defect is repaired before birth). Offering a transitional practice model of care, she follows patients diagnosed with spina bifida from birth to adulthood. Dr. Groves chose to pursue neurosurgery because it allows her to treat patients with complex conditions and help improve the quality of children’s lives. Her research interests focus on pediatric spinal disease and how surgical intervention can impact growth and neurological function during a child’s life. She is committed to building programs that support patients with congenital disorders as they age. Pediatric patients often age out of existing programs and have difficulty locating physicians and treating teams that understand their conditions. At Johns Hopkins, we have a unique ability to provide this type of comprehensive care. Dr. Groves earned her medical degree from the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in 2007. She completed residency training in 2014 at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, where she remained for a neurosurgery fellowship, which she finished in 2015. She also completed a spinal deformity fellowship at Shriners Hospitals for Children in Philadelphia. Dr. Groves is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Ectodermal Dysplasias. Her top areas of expertise are Spinal Tumor, Myelomeningocele, Tethered Cord Syndrome, Osteotomy, and Laminectomy.

John Heiss is a Neurosurgery provider in Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Heiss is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Ectodermal Dysplasias. His top areas of expertise are Chiari Malformation Type 2, Syringomyelia, Chiari Malformation, Laminectomy, and Posterior Fossa Decompression.