The 20 Best Spinal Tumor Doctors near San Francisco, CA

Dr. Praveen Mummaneni is co-director of the UCSF Spine Center, vice chair of the neurosurgery department, lead surgeon of the UCSF Parnassus Perioperative Services and director of the minimally invasive surgery spine fellowship. He has been selected by U.S. News & World Report as one of the best doctors in the nation every year since 2005. He has also received top doctor accolades from the San Francisco Chronicle, Marin Magazine and Castle Connolly. Mummaneni earned his medical degree through the six-year BA-MD program at Boston University and completed a residency in neurological surgery at UCSF followed by a fellowship in complex spine surgery at Emory University. He also earned a master of business administration at Louisiana State University and completed a program in innovative healthcare leadership at Stanford University. Mummaneni is the UCSF Joan O'Reilly Distinguished Professor in Spinal Surgery. He leads a neuroinformatics lab at UCSF and has mentored a diverse group of medical students, residents and fellows over the past two decades. He is internationally recognized for his work on minimally invasive approaches to treating spinal deformities, spinal tumors and degenerative disease. He is the UCSF lead for the Quality Outcomes Database Spine Care Project sponsored by the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, the Minimally Invasive Surgery International Spine Study Group for spinal deformities, and the AO Spine Metastatic and Primary Tumor Research and Outcomes Network spine tumor study groups. He is also the UCSF lead for a Department of Defense grant to evaluate timing of surgery for spinal cord injury, a co-investigator of a UCSF HEAL Initiative grant from the National Institutes of Health to study back pain, and a member of the small business review panel at the National Institutes of Health. He has guest lectured at international meetings on six continents and has published more than 530 manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals. He is an editor of nine textbooks on spinal surgery and serves on multiple editorial boards, including as associate editor of Neurosurgery and a previous term editor-in-chief of the Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine. Mummaneni is active in several professional organizations. He was among the first neurosurgeons to obtain active membership in the Scoliosis Research Society (SRS) and to win its Edgar Dawson Fellowship and International Traveling Fellowship. He has served as a director of SRS and is now secretary-elect. He was also president of the San Francisco Neurological Society, president of the California Association of Neurological Surgeon, chair of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons/Congress of Neurological Surgeons Spine Section, and vice president of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. He is currently a director of the American Board of Neurological Surgery. Dr. Mummaneni is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Spinal Tumor. His top areas of expertise are Spondylolisthesis, Lordosis, Cervical Spondylosis, Spinal Fusion, and Laminectomy.

Dr. Lee Tan is a neurosurgeon with expertise in both minimally invasive and traditional open surgical techniques for patients with various spinal disorders. The conditions he treats include scoliosis, kyphosis, flat back syndrome, chin-on-chest deformity, cervical disc herniation, cervical stenosis, ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament, lumbar disc herniation, spinal stenosis and spondylolisthesis. Trained in neurological and orthopedic spine surgery, he can assess patients from an interdisciplinary perspective. Tan's research interests include spinal biomechanics, motion-preservation surgical techniques and improving surgical outcomes for patients with spinal deformities. Tan received his medical degree from the Indiana University School of Medicine. He then completed a residency in neurological surgery at Rush University Medical Center, followed by a fellowship in complex spine surgery at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Tan is a member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, Congress of Neurological Surgeons and North American Spine Society. Dr. Tan is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Spinal Tumor. His top areas of expertise are Spinal Stenosis, Scoliosis, Epidural Abscess, Laminectomy, and Spinal Fusion.

Dr. Mitchel S. Berger is a nationally recognized expert in treating brain and spinal cord tumors as well as tumor-related epilepsy in adults and children. He also is a specialist in brain mapping techniques – used to identify and preserve areas of motor, sensory and language function during surgery – and an expert in using the Gamma Knife, a precise, noninvasive tool that applies radiation beams for tumor treatment. He is director of the Brain Tumor Center, director of the Center for Neurological Injury and Repair and co-director of the Adult Brain Tumor Surgery Program. Berger earned his bachelor's degree from Harvard College in 1975 and his medical degree from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in 1979. He completed an internship and a residency at UCSF, and was awarded a clinical fellowship in neuro-oncology by the American Cancer Society and a research fellowship by the Brain Tumor Research Center. He completed further fellowship training in neuro-oncology at UCSF and in pediatric neurosurgery at the Hospital for Sick Children, an affiliate of the University of Toronto. Berger was elected to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons' board of directors and appointed to the American Board of Neurological Surgery. Dr. Berger is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Spinal Tumor. His top areas of expertise are Astrocytoma, Glioma, Glioblastoma, Awake Craniotomy, and Endovascular Embolization.

Dr. Javier Villanueva-Meyer is a neuroradiologist who specializes in brain tumor imaging. He is experienced in CT, MRI and X-ray imaging of the head and neck, brain, spine and peripheral nervous system. He also performs image-guided procedures to diagnose and treat conditions of the nervous system, with techniques including percutaneous biopsy (image-guided skin punctures to obtain samples for analysis), lumbar puncture, myelography (examining the spinal canal), cisternography (examining the fluid around the brain and spinal cord), epidural injection and selective nerve root injection. He has a special interest in improving the quality of care in the practice of radiology and biomedical imaging. Villanueva-Meyer's research focuses on the how best to use molecular imaging techniques for brain cancer patients. He works closely with colleagues in the UCSF Brain Tumor Center to evaluate emerging imaging and interpretation technologies. Villanueva-Meyer earned his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine. At UCSF, he completed a residency in diagnostic radiology and a fellowship in neuroradiology. Also at UCSF, he completed a postdoctoral fellowship funded by the National Institutes of Health as part of a program that prepares doctors to conduct research in areas that will most serve the nation's needs. Dr. Villanueva is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Spinal Tumor. His top areas of expertise are Meningioma, Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis (RMS), Pediatric Low-Grade Glioma (pLGG), Craniectomy, and Orchiectomy.

Dr. Soonmee Cha is a neuroradiologist who specializes in using advanced imaging techniques to examine brain and spinal tumors in adults and children. She is nationally and internationally recognized for her expertise in performing and interpreting imaging studies and in the use of CT and MRI. Cha is also recognized for her research on brain tumor imaging that centers patients' needs. She believes noninvasive imaging technologies can improve outcomes by refining diagnoses, guiding treatment decisions, and enhancing monitoring during care. She has received several grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and has served as principal investigator or co-principal investigator on many NIH projects. She has written more than 200 peer-reviewed articles and four book chapters. Cha earned her medical degree from Georgetown University. She completed a residency in diagnostic radiology at North Shore University Hospital and a fellowship in neuroradiology at New York University Langone Health. Cha directs UCSF's residency program in diagnostic radiology, ranked number one in the nation for seven consecutive years, and serves as vice chair of education for the radiology and biomedical imaging department. She is an active member of the Radiological Society of North America, American Society of Neuroradiology, International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine and Association of Program Directors in Radiology. Dr. Cha is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Spinal Tumor. Her top areas of expertise are Meningioma, Gliomatosis Cerebri, Pediatric Low-Grade Glioma (pLGG), Subependymoma, and Tissue Biopsy.

Jerome Barakos is a Neuroradiologist in San Francisco, California. Dr. Barakos is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Spinal Tumor. His top areas of expertise are Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS), Visceromegaly, Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, and Stroke.

Derk Purcell is a Neuroradiologist in San Francisco, California. Dr. Purcell is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Spinal Tumor. His top areas of expertise are Stroke, Bronchogenic Cyst, Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS), Melorheostosis, and Thrombectomy.

Cynthia Chin is a Neuroradiologist in San Francisco, California. Dr. Chin is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Spinal Tumor. Her top areas of expertise are Spondylolisthesis, Sciatica, Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, and Lordosis.

Dr. Nalin Gupta, chief of pediatric neurological surgery at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, is an expert in the evaluation and surgical management of neurological disorders in children, including epilepsy, brain tumors, hydrocephalus, and cranial and spinal birth defects. Gupta's primary research focuses on the role of inflammation in brain tumor progression. He is a principal investigator of the Brain Tumor Research Center at UCSF. He also is involved in national clinical studies of brain tumors and the effectiveness of fetal surgery for spina bifida. Gupta earned his medical degree and completed residency training in neurological surgery at the University of Toronto. He completed fellowship training in pediatric neurosurgery at the Hospital for Sick Children. He also has a doctorate in biophysics from UCSF. He served as an attending neurosurgeon at the University of Chicago before coming to UCSF. Dr. Gupta is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Spinal Tumor. His top areas of expertise are Gliomatosis Cerebri, Glioma, Brain Tumor, Osteotomy, and Craniectomy.

Dr. Philip Theodosopoulos is director of the Skull Base Tumor Program and vice chair of neurological surgery at UCSF. Before joining UCSF, he served as director of skull base surgery at the University of Cincinnati for 10 years. Theodosopoulos cares primarily for patients with skull base lesions, particularly malignancies and acoustic neuromas – noncancerous tumors that grow on nerves near the ear. His expertise includes endoscopic treatment of pituitary adenomas and chordomas as well as minimally invasive approaches to the skull base. Theodosopoulos has been a pioneer in the development of new surgical approaches to the skull base. He served as co-principal investigator for the largest prospective multicenter trial of surgical treatment for acoustic neuromas, and he currently serves on the Acoustic Neuroma Association's medical advisory board. He also has extensive expertise in research on patient outcomes. As a resident at UCSF, he completed the full curriculum for outcomes research and clinical epidemiology, and he continues to be involved in outcomes research at both the local and national levels. Theodosopoulos earned his undergraduate degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and completed medical school at Stanford University. He completed his neurosurgical training at UCSF, followed by a fellowship in cerebrovascular and skull base surgery at the Brigham and Women's Hospital, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School. Theodosopoulos has been on the faculty for more than 50 national and international surgical courses. He serves on the education committee for the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. He serves as residency program director for neurological surgery at UCSF. Dr. Theodosopoulos is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Spinal Tumor. His top areas of expertise are Schwannoma, Acoustic Neuroma, Meningioma, Endoscopic Transnasal Transsphenoidal Surgery, and Balloon Sinuplasty.

Vinil Shah is a Neuroradiologist in San Francisco, California. Dr. Shah is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Spinal Tumor. His top areas of expertise are Lymphangiomatosis, Hereditary Neuralgic Amyotrophy, Tongue Cancer, Vertebroplasty, and Bone Graft.

Orit Glenn is a Neuroradiologist in San Francisco, California. Dr. Glenn is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Spinal Tumor. Her top areas of expertise are Stroke, Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis (RMS), Cerebellar Degeneration, and Primary Lymphoma of the Brain.

Christopher Ames is a Neurosurgery provider in San Francisco, California. Dr. Ames is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Spinal Tumor. His top areas of expertise are Lordosis, Kyphosis, Scoliosis, Osteotomy, and Spinal Fusion.

Dr. Steve Braunstein is a radiation oncologist who cares for both adult and pediatric patients. He specializes in treating brain and spinal tumors, sarcomas, lymphoma and pediatric cancers. He also provides palliative radiotherapy to reduce symptoms in patients with advanced cancer. His expertise encompasses a number of technologies that use radiation as therapy, with a special focus on intraoperative radiotherapy and radiosurgery – using targeted high-dose radiation to destroy tumors, either as an alternative to surgical procedures or in combination with them. Braunstein's primary areas of research include improving radiation planning and treatment through the use of both gene marker analysis and advanced imaging technologies. He also studies how to improve the coordination, timing and delivery of health care that involves a variety of disciplines, including symptom management and cancer specialties. After earning his medical degree as well as a doctorate in biomedical sciences at New York University School of Medicine, Braunstein completed a residency in radiation oncology at UCSF. Braunstein is program director of UCSF's residency program and has a special interest in educating residents and medical students. He received a UCSF Medical Center Exceptional Physician Award in 2013. Braunstein serves as an editor for the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology and Physics. He belongs to the American Society for Radiation Oncology, American Society of Clinical Oncology, Children's Oncology Group, Radiological Society of North America, North American Skull Base Society, International Gamma Knife Research Foundation and International Stereotactic Radiosurgery Society. He is active on committees within the National Cancer Institute, Children's Oncology Group and NRG Oncology. Dr. Braunstein is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Spinal Tumor. His top areas of expertise are Meningioma, Brain Tumor, Posterior Fossa Tumor, Gamma Knife Radiosurgery, and Osteotomy.

Kurtis Auguste is a Neurosurgery provider in San Francisco, California. Dr. Auguste is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Spinal Tumor. His top areas of expertise are Epilepsy, Seizures, Multiple Synostoses Syndrome 1, Spinal Tumor, and Craniectomy.

Dr. Jennie Taylor specializes in caring for adults with primary brain tumors, or tumors that start in the brain. As a member of the UCSF Brain Tumor Research Center, she is involved in developing new treatment strategies, innovative imaging techniques and comprehensive tumor analyses, with the goal of improving outcomes for patients with brain tumors. Taylor's research interests include analyzing molecular and imaging markers of resistance to current standard treatments for brain tumors. She also focuses on improving quality of life for patients with primary brain tumors as well as for their caregivers. Taylor earned her medical degree from the University of Kentucky College of Medicine. She completed an internship in medicine and a residency in neurology at the University of Virginia. She completed a fellowship in neuro-oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute while earning a master's degree in public health from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Taylor is a member of the American Academy of Neurology, Society for Neuro-Oncology and American Society of Clinical Oncology. Dr. Taylor is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Spinal Tumor. Her top areas of expertise are Glioma, Astrocytoma, Brain Tumor, and Glioblastoma.

Dr. Ramin Morshed is a neurosurgeon who cares for patients with brain tumors, including tumors of the skull base. He is experienced in treating a wide range of neurological conditions, including meningiomas, vestibular schwannomas, pituitary adenomas, chordomas, chondrosarcomas, brain metastases, glioblastomas, astrocytomas and oligodendrogliomas. He also cares for patients with vascular compression syndromes (caused by abnormal pressure on nerves from blood vessels), including trigeminal neuralgia and hemifacial spasm. His surgical expertise includes endoscopic treatment of abnormalities at the skull base; other minimally invasive cranial approaches; and brain mapping, a technique used in brain tumor removal that minimizes harm to nearby critical brain functions. Morshed directs skull base translational research within the UCSF Department of Neurological Surgery. The goal of his investigatory work is to improve outcomes for patients with a variety of brain tumors. He is particularly interested in using genetic information to predict outcomes for those with meningiomas, brain metastases, vestibular schwannomas and gliomas. Morshed earned his medical degree at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. He completed a residency in neurosurgery at UCSF and a fellowship in skull base oncology at the Mayo Clinic. Morshed is a member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and Congress of Neurological Surgeons. Dr. Morshed is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Spinal Tumor. His top areas of expertise are Brain Tumor, Glioma, Gliomatosis Cerebri, Rhizotomy, and Microvascular Decompression.

Dr. Edward Chang is a neurosurgeon who treats adults with difficult-to-control epilepsy, brain tumors, trigeminal neuralgia, hemifacial spasm and movement disorders. He specializes in advanced brain mapping methods to preserve crucial areas for speech and motor functions in the brain. He also has extensive experience with implantable devices that stimulate specific nerves to relieve seizure, movement, pain and other disorders. He is the chair of the Department of Neurological Surgery. Chang's research focuses on the brain mechanisms for speech, movement and learning. He co-directs the Center for Neural Engineering and Prostheses, a collaborative enterprise of UCSF and the University of California, Berkeley. The center brings together experts in engineering, neurology and neurosurgery to develop state-of-the-art biomedical technology to restore function for patients with neurological disabilities such as paralysis and speech disorders. Chang earned his medical degree at UCSF, where he also completed a residency in neurosurgery. He was honored with the Blavatnik National Laureate for Life Sciences in 2015. In 2020, he was elected to the National Academy of Medicine, an honor that recognizes outstanding achievements and service in the fields of medical sciences, health care and public health. Dr. Chang is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Spinal Tumor. His top areas of expertise are Seizures, Epilepsy, Trigeminal Neuralgia, Deep Brain Stimulation, and Microvascular Decompression.

Dr. Ethan Winkler is a neurosurgeon who cares for both adult and pediatric patients. He treats conditions involving the brain, neck or spine, including brain aneurysms (weak, bulging spots on brain arteries), arteriovenous malformations and arteriovenous fistulas (irregular connections between arteries and veins), cavernous malformations (abnormal clusters of small blood vessels that may leak), moyamoya disease (in which progressively narrowing carotid arteries limit blood flow to the brain), stroke and carotid artery disease (in which fatty deposits narrow the vessels bringing blood to the brain). He performs both open microsurgery (techniques using high magnification and very fine instruments) and minimally invasive procedures. In research, Winkler focuses on understanding the mechanisms that result in stroke, such as blood vessel malformations and aneurysms. He directs the UCSF Vascular Anomalies & Stroke Computation Laboratory, which brings together genetic, stem cell and bioengineering technologies to understand how these conditions occur and to design better therapies. To improve patient care, he also seeks to develop safer ways to operate on the brain's blood vessels. Winkler earned his medical degree and a doctorate in neurobiology from the University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry. He completed a residency in neurological surgery at UCSF, followed by a fellowship in endovascular neurosurgery and a fellowship in cerebrovascular and skull base neurosurgery at Barrow Neurological Institute. Dr. Winkler is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Spinal Tumor. His top areas of expertise are Arteriovenous Malformation, Traumatic Brain Injury, Cerebral Arteriovenous Malformation, Extracranial-Intracranial Bypass Surgery, and Endovascular Embolization.

Dr. Aaron Clark is a neurosurgeon specializing in minimally invasive outpatient procedures for lumbar and cervical herniated discs and stenosis, as well as minimally invasive lumbar fusion surgery. These procedures are associated with shorter recovery times and less postoperative pain than standard surgeries, and almost all patients can return home the same day. Clark earned his medical and postdoctoral degrees from Virginia Commonwealth University. He completed his neurosurgery residency at UCSF, where he developed his interest in spine surgery and began publishing research on spinal oncology, spine biomechanics, spinal deformities and neurophysiological monitoring during spine surgery. In 2014, he completed a fellowship in minimally invasive spine surgery at the Semmes Murphey Neurologic and Spine Institute in Memphis, Tennessee, under the mentorship of Dr. Kevin Foley, a pioneer of minimally invasive spine surgery. Dr. Clark is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Spinal Tumor. His top areas of expertise are Spinal Stenosis, Scoliosis, Epidural Abscess, Spinal Fusion, and Osteotomy.