Barrow Neurological Institute

Barrow Neurological Institute Minding What Matters Most™ | Preserving thoughts, memories, dreams, personalities, and movement. We are Minding What Matters Most®.

We are preserving thoughts, memories, dreams, personalities, and movement.

Happy to our incredible trainees at ! We are grateful for your dedication to our patients, proud of your commitment t...
02/27/2026

Happy to our incredible trainees at ! We are grateful for your dedication to our patients, proud of your commitment to learning, and excited to see the contributions you will make to the .

Congratulations to Michell Goyal, a second-year medical student at Creighton University Health Sciences - Phoenix, on be...
02/26/2026

Congratulations to Michell Goyal, a second-year medical student at Creighton University Health Sciences - Phoenix, on being selected by the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) to receive the inaugural Samuel H. Greenblatt Award.

Named after a neurosurgeon who made significant contributions to the history of medicine and the study of cerebral functional localization, the Samuel H. Greenblatt Award honors the highest-scoring abstract and paper on a historical topic submitted by a .

Michell’s award-winning paper is the culmination of a multi-year project of The Loyal and Edith Davis Neurosurgical Research Laboratory at . The project began in the Thomas Edison archives of Rutgers University with a focus on describing the first attempts to acquire an image of the living human brain with X-rays.

Fueled by their fascination with the brain and the desire to understand how it worked, Edison and his assistants experimented with X-rays around the clock for three months in 1896, unknowingly exposing themselves to harmful amounts of radiation. Newspapers, scientific journals, and other organizations sent representatives to Edison’s lab to document the rigorous work. This documentation is housed in various library archives, which were accessed for this project.

“It was the start of what became modern brain imaging, and its story has not been told,” said Mark Preul, MD, director of at Barrow. “Michell synthesized all of this information, collected images, explored others who were also investigating at the same time as Edison, and turned this into a marvelous paper that brings to life the incredible advances and even circus-like sideshow of these heady months.”

Dr. Preul also credited Teo Dagi, MD, a well-known medical historian, and Paul Israel, PhD, director and curator of the Edison archives at Rutgers and the foremost biographer of Edison, for their contributions to this project.

Michell will present the paper at in San Antonio, Texas in May.

Spine specialists from are gearing up for , which starts Thursday right here in , .Hosted by the American Associati...
02/25/2026

Spine specialists from are gearing up for , which starts Thursday right here in , .

Hosted by the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS)/Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) Joint Section on Disorders of the and Peripheral Nerves, the four-day meeting will welcome more than 800 attendees, including physicians, advanced practice providers, and trainees. Several Barrow neurosurgeons currently hold leadership roles within the AANS and CNS Joint Section on Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral Nerves, and the scientific program for this year's meeting is chaired by Laura Snyder, MD, director of neurotrauma at Barrow.

Barrow faculty members and trainees will present on various topics in , our laboratory facilities will host hands-on courses, and we'll have an exhibit showcasing our 's latest work in immersive for spine surgery education.

We look forward to seeing you there! Check out the program schedule at dspnspinesummit.org.

February is National , a time to celebrate and the important role they play in health care.Experiencing a neurologica...
02/24/2026

February is National , a time to celebrate and the important role they play in health care.

Experiencing a neurological diagnosis often means adapting to a new normal. At , we believe everyone should have the opportunity to get out and get active. That's where comes in.

Our Therapeutic Recreation and Adventures Program in the Barrow Center empowers individuals to discover what’s possible, by offering year-round adaptive sports, community outings, and therapeutic activities with a focus on collaboration and a sense of community.

Learn more at https://bar.rw/recreation.

Thank you to the Arizona Cardinals and everyone who joined the Arizona Cardinals Climb over the weekend! Your support is...
02/24/2026

Thank you to the Arizona Cardinals and everyone who joined the Arizona Cardinals Climb over the weekend! Your support is crucial to helping us meet the neurological care needs of patients with intellectual and developmental disabilities in our community.

Are you living with multiple sclerosis or another disorder? Join us for our next Empowerment Summit! Care partners a...
02/23/2026

Are you living with multiple sclerosis or another disorder? Join us for our next Empowerment Summit! Care partners are also welcome.

You'll hear from experts on a variety of topics, including movement for pain relief, sleep hygiene, techniques for vocal relaxation, and more.

📆: Saturday, April 11
⏰: 8:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
📍: Creighton University Health Sciences - Phoenix, 3100 North Central Avenue, , 85012

This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Sign up at https://bar.rw/msempower2026.

Questions? Please send an email to Claudia.Markov@CommonSpirit.org.

The highly anticipated “Seven Cavernomas” textbook has finally hit the shelves, but Barrow President and CEO Michael T. ...
02/20/2026

The highly anticipated “Seven Cavernomas” textbook has finally hit the shelves, but Barrow President and CEO Michael T. Lawton, MD, says you might want to keep it on your coffee table.

“Seven Cavernomas” is the fourth textbook in Dr. Lawton’s “Seven Series" and currently holds the No. 1 spot for neurosurgery textbooks on the Amazon.com Best Sellers list. Like its predecessors, the book is solo authored and provides anatomical and surgical insights from a world-renowned . However, it has a distinct difference from the original trilogy.

“The other books had intraoperative photos; this one has almost all artwork,” Dr. Lawton said. “I want to shout out my amazing illustrators who created the breathtaking artwork.”

The certified medical illustrators who worked on the book are part of the Neuroscience Publications department, and they met with Dr. Lawton nearly every week for more than five years to bring his vision to life.

Publications Manager Kristen Larson Keil and Senior Peter M Lawrence developed illustration guides and color palettes, for everything from tissue color to the various taxonomy classifications, to maintain a cohesive look throughout the 452-page tome.

“Dr. Lawton enjoyed being part of the creative process, offering valuable surgical insights about the specific color or textures of anatomical structures,” Peter said.

Senior Medical Modeler/Animator Dani VanBrabant used these color guides to ensure consistency across the 2D and 3D animations but also worked independently with Dr. Lawton and residents on illustrations featuring functional networks of the brain.

Dr. Lawton’s creative approach is apparent in the original trilogy with his use of metaphors: dance choreography for aneurysm clipping, battle plans for resecting arteriovenous malformations, and architectural blueprints for cerebral bypass surgery. He continues this approach with “Seven Cavernomas,” using a central theme of cartography. This allowed the illustrators to imagine different ways to visualize “neurosurgical roadmaps.”

"It was a very collaborative process,” Kristen said. “Dr. Lawton wanted a lot of detail and accuracy, which really shows up in the final images. It was an incredibly rewarding project to work on.”

02/19/2026

“Somebody asked me the other day what piece of advice I would give to neurosurgeons: It’s to find passion throughout your career,” said President and CEO Michael T. Lawton, MD. “I think passion is one of those things that’s dynamic. ... You have to put new logs on the flame and keep stoking the embers and not expect that it just burns on its own.”

For Dr. Lawton, that passion started as an indefatigable drive to advance his skills in the operating room and master the subspecialty of vascular . Then, he felt called to disseminate that knowledge—through teaching residents and fellows, publishing textbooks, and sharing operative videos with the world online. “My greater curiosity now is about what we can discover about the mind,” he said. “How can we advance neurosurgery through the use of neurotechnology?”

The latest episode of explores the importance of passion in neurosurgery, no matter what form it takes. In addition to Dr. Lawton, Barrow Program Director Francisco Ponce, MD, and Barrow trainees, you’ll also hear from three guest in this episode:

• Carlos A. David, MD, Chief of Cerebrovascular and Skull Base Surgery at UNC-Chapel Hill School of Medicine
• Andrew Grande, MD, Professor and Co-Director of Neurosurgery at the University of Minnesota
• Russell Lonser, MD, Chair of Neurological Surgery at The Ohio State University College of Medicine

Watch the full episode at BarrowNeuro.org/BaseCamp.

: In honor of the first day of Cactus League tomorrow, we're throwing it back (no pun intended) to last year's even...
02/19/2026

: In honor of the first day of Cactus League tomorrow, we're throwing it back (no pun intended) to last year's events.

An initiative of the United Stroke Alliance, Strike Out Stroke aims to raise awareness about through MLB and Minor League Baseball games.

is proud to once again partner with the United Stroke Alliance on this initiative. We'll be out at a few games next week providing information on , demonstrating neuro-robotic technology used in , and discussing how our is saving lives in our community. We'll also have patients throwing out the first pitch!

Look for us at the following games:

⚾: Cleveland Guardians vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
📆: Tuesday, Feb. 24
⏰: 1:05 p.m.
📍: Camelback Ranch - Glendale

⚾: Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Seattle Mariners
📆: Friday, Feb. 27
⏰: 6:10 p.m.
📍: Peoria Sports Complex

⚾: Chicago Cubs vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
📆: Saturday, Feb. 28
⏰: 1:05 p.m.
📍: Camelback Ranch - Glendale

Learn more about stroke prevention and treatment by visiting BarrowNeuro.org/Stroke.

Congratulations to Kivanc Yangi, MD, a postdoctoral research fellow at , on being selected by the American Association ...
02/18/2026

Congratulations to Kivanc Yangi, MD, a postdoctoral research fellow at , on being selected by the American Association of Neurological Surgeons to receive this year’s prestigious Vesalius Award.

Named after the founder of modern human anatomy, Andreas Vesalius, the award recognizes the highest-scoring abstract and paper submitted by a resident or fellow on the history of . Since its establishment 25 years ago, the Vesalius Award has been given to a Barrow trainee 16 times.

Dr. Yangi’s award-winning project focused on the birth and evolution of the far lateral approach, a widely used surgical technique to access the region where the base of the skull meets the top of the spine.

Dr. Yangi (right) performed this work in The Loyal and Edith Davis Neurosurgical Research Laboratory at Barrow, under the mentorship of Director of Mark Preul, MD (left). The study traces the historical and technical lineage of this transformative neurosurgical corridor, from the surgeons who pioneered the approach to its contemporary refinements, and highlights how anatomical insight has continuously shaped surgical innovation.

Dr. Yangi will present this study at in San Antonio, Texas in May.

February is , and we're shining a light on head and neck . While we can't change risk factors like our family history ...
02/17/2026

February is , and we're shining a light on head and neck .

While we can't change risk factors like our family history and underlying genetic disorders, we can reduce our risk of by committing to certain lifestyle modifications.

Learn more by visiting BarrowNeuro.org/HeadNeckCancer.

🧠 Join the fight against 💙At the ALL ALS Consortium, we’re going ALL IN to accelerate research, find treatments, and u...
02/16/2026

🧠 Join the fight against 💙

At the ALL ALS Consortium, we’re going ALL IN to accelerate research, find treatments, and ultimately discover a cure for (ALS). Together, we can make a difference!

✨ Why join us?

• Be part of groundbreaking research
• Help advance ALS understanding
• Make a lasting impact on the fight for effective treatments

Ready to go ALL IN for ALS? Learn more and enroll today! Find out more at https://ALL-ALS.org, or reach out directly to Info@ALL-ALS.org.

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