E. Antonio “Nino” Chiocca, MD, PhD

BW/F Appoints Neurosurgery Chief

E. Antonio “Nino” Chiocca, MD, PhD, an exceptional neurosurgeon, dedicated mentor and accomplished researcher, was named chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at Brigham and Women’s/Faulkner Hospitals, effective Aug. 1, 2012. He succeeds A. John Popp, MD, who is joining the Neurosurgery faculty at Stanford as vice chair of Strategic Planning and Development and medical director of Neurosciences.

“A superior neurosurgeon who practices with skillful precision, Dr. Chiocca is a wonderfully compassionate care provider for his patients, a leading researcher in the area of brain tumors and a dedicated mentor and teacher to scores of neurosurgeons and neuroscientists,” said BW/F President Betsy Nabel, MD.

Chiocca (pronounced “Key-o-ka”) joins BW/F from Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and James Cancer Hospital. He will also serve as co-director of the BW/F Institute for Neurosciences and the surgical oncology discipline leader of the DF/BWCC Neuro-oncology Disease Center.

Chiocca has served as chair of the Department of Neurological Surgery and the Dardinger Family Professor of Oncologic Neurosurgery at Ohio State since 2004, where he is renowned for his exceptional vision and high standards as a leader. His many accomplishments at OSU include growing the number of faculty from two to 26, many of whom hold national and international leadership positions, and revitalizing the department to become a nationally recognized program in care and research. He also has increased the number of neurosurgical procedures performed annually at OSU, from less than 500 to nearly 3,500.

Under his leadership in research, NIH funding to the department has grown, placing it in the top 15 in terms of NIH funding in the past three years. Chiocca’s own research interests include biological advances that enable technical innovations in the treatment of disorders of the central nervous system, functional genomics in brain tumors and gene therapy strategies.

Born in Padua, Italy, Chiocca completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Texas at El Paso, his medical degree at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston and his postdoctoral degree at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. He completed his residency in neurosurgery at Massachusetts General Hospital.

“Our BW/F Department of Neurosurgery has an unsurpassed legacy of excellence in patient care, research and education, beginning with Dr. Harvey Cushing himself,” Nabel said. “The department is poised to continue this rich legacy and flourish under Dr. Chiocca’s capable and inspiring leadership.”

Chiocca will be joined in Boston by his wife, Charlotte, and their four children.