Leadership Q&A with Dr. Nader Pouratian
Around Campus
Nader Pouratian, M.D., Ph.D., a neurosurgeon known for innovative surgical care for depression, blindness, and movement disorders, joined UT Southwestern in April as Chair of Neurological Surgery. In his new role, Dr. Pouratian hopes to develop new treatment options for patients under the umbrella of the Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute.
Dr. Pouratian previously served at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine as Professor and Vice Chair of Academic Affairs in the Department of Neurosurgery, with additional appointments and affiliations in Neuroscience, Bioengineering, and Radiation Oncology. His clinical practice focuses on surgical treatments for movement disorders, psychiatric disease, facial pain, and chronic pain syndromes, using modern techniques such as brain and spinal cord stimulation, radiosurgery, microsurgery, and targeted ablation.
Why did you decide to join UT Southwestern?
Most of all it was the vision of UT Southwestern and its leadership to continue to transform and evolve as a leader in academic medicine. At the O’Donnell Brain Institute, human neuroscience is a high priority and a major area of investment. Building bridges between basic sciences and human neuroscience is a big part of the vision, which was attractive to me.
What are some areas of special interest for you?
My passion has been at the intersection of neurological care, engineering, and technology, with a focus on developing new therapies – including for patients whom we have not traditionally cared for with neurosurgical therapies. I am currently involved in a clinical trial treating a small number of patients with complete blindness using a specially designed device that is implanted in the patient’s brain. Together with a California company that I also consult for, Second Sight Medical Products Inc., we received National Institutes of Health funding to develop and test the device. Our preliminary investigations have revealed positive results, allowing people with complete blindness to see patterns of flashing lights that they are learning to interpret and decode. This trial began when I was at UCLA, and I am hoping to continue this clinical research soon at UT Southwestern as well. Another area of interest is the treatment of patients with treatment-resistant major depression. Our approach is to put stimulators in precise areas of the brain, using advanced neurosurgical techniques. By stimulating those areas of the brain that are critically related to depression, we aim to make those brain networks function more normally and help people with depression.
What areas do you want to focus on as the new Chair?
One of the newest and most innovative technologies we have at UT Southwestern is focused ultrasound. This technology uses precisely targeted ultrasonic energy to treat or destroy tissue inside the body without the need to make an incision. The FDA has approved this technology for treating essential tremor and tremor-dominant Parkinson’s disease. Beyond treating movement disorders, we are excited to collaborate with our partners in radiology to explore even more innovative applications.
Dr. Pouratian holds the Lois C.A. and Darwin E. Smith Distinguished Chair in Neurological Surgery.
