Research Faculty

Jan-Marino Ramirez is a Professor of Neurological Surgery. He is also Director of the Center for Integrative Brain Research and a Principal Investigator at Seattle Children's Hospital.

Dr. Mac Donald is a Professor in the Department of Neurological Surgery.

Dr. Franck Kalume is a principal investigator in the Center for Integrative Brain Research (CIBR) at Seattle Children's Research Institute, and an associate professor in the departments of neurological surgery, pharmacology and global health at the University of Washington. He received a BS in biology from LeMoyne-Owen College and a PhD in neuroscience from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. He completed his post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Washington, under the mentorship of Professor William A. Catterall, in the Department of Pharmacology.

Dr. Silbergeld is a professor of neurological surgery and is based at the Harborview Medical Center. He is also an adjunct professor of pathology. He specializes in tumors of the central nervous system, pituitary tumors, epilepsy surgery and radiosurgery with the Gamma Knife. He is board certified in neurological surgery. 

His research program focuses on gliomas, a type of brain tumor, and on methods to break the blood/brain barrier to deliver chemotherapy to malignant brain tumors.

Dr. Sekhar is known around the world for his expertise in treating complex neurosurgical problems, particularly skull base tumors, such as acoustic neuromas, meningiomas, chordomas and complex brain tumors. He is also an expert in the treatment of brain aneurysms, arteriovenous malformation, and the performance of brain bypasses. 

Dr. Ojemann is Vice-Chair for Discovery and Professor in the UW Department of Neurological Surgery. He earned his MD and completed a residency in neurosurgery as well as a fellowship in pediatric neurosurgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. He also served as epilepsy surgery fellow at the University of Washington. Dr. Ojemann’s clinical focus is on the surgical treatment of epilepsy and tumors near the eloquent cortex along with general pediatric neurosurgery.  

Michael Levitt, M.D. is a professor of neurological surgery and radiology and an adjunct professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Washington. Dr. Levitt graduated summa cum laude from Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine, completed his neurological surgery residency at the University of Washington and completed additional fellowship training in endovascular neurosurgery at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix. Dr.

Dr. Kim is Vice Chairman and Professor of Neurological Surgery, and is Chief of the Neurological Surgery Service at Harborview Medical Center. He is part of a select group of neurosurgeons across the country fellowship-trained in both open vascular/skull base microsurgery and endovascular techniques for the treatment of cerebrovascular and spinal vascular diseases.

Christoph P. Hofstetter, MD, PhD is a professor in the Department of Neurological Surgery at the University of Washington.  He is a neurosurgeon specializing in complex spine surgery with an emphasis on minimally invasive techniques. His primary clinical focus is on the surgical treatment of degenerative spinal disorders, including disc herniation, lumbar spondylolisthesis and cervical myelopathy, as well as, spinal oncology.