Our nationally ranked team collaborates to ensure the best patient care, teaching, and research outcomes.
Julian R. Youmans Endowed Chair
Chair, Department of Neurological Surgery
Kia Shahlaie specializes in complex cranial surgery with advanced training in minimally invasive brain surgery techniques. He is an accomplished researcher with extensive experience leading pre-clinical and clinical research.
Executive Vice Chair, Clinical Care
Kee Kim co-founded and co-directs the UC Davis Spine Center, where he leads a variety of clinical trials. He works at the forefront of robotic-assisted and minimally invasive surgery.
Vice Chair, Academic Affairs
James Boggan is a professor emeritus of neurological surgery at UC Davis, where he also chaired the department. His surgical practice focused on pediatrics, skull base and primary brain tumors, and the treatment of pain.
Vice Chair, Research
Gene Gurkoff’s research is centered around decoding changes in neural activity in models of traumatic brain injury and epilepsy that correlate with cognitive changes. He uses these data to develop novel tools to improve outcomes in individuals with chronic deficits.
Vice Chair, Education
Allan Martin specializes in treating complex spine conditions, including deformity, trauma, tumors and degenerative conditions. He is a leader in advanced spinal cord imaging, technology research, and clinical outcomes research.
Vice Chair, Inpatient and Perioperative Clinical Care
Ben Waldau is a specialist in open cerebrovascular and endovascular treatment of cerebral aneurysms and arteriovenous malformations. His dual training in open surgery and endovascular embolization allows him to choose the best treatment modality for his patients, and sometimes he uses a combination of both approaches to achieve the best results.
Vice Chair, Ambulatory Clinical Care
Marike Zwienenberg is a fellowship trained and board certified pediatric neurosurgeon. The focus of her practice is craniofacial and congenital surgery. She is the lead neurosurgeon on the UC Davis fetal surgery team performing intra-uterine repair of myelomeningocele and routinely uses minimally invasive endoscopic surgical techniques to treat disorders such as craniosynostosis and hydrocephalus.
