Head, Department of Neurosurgery

The University of Minnesota Medical School invites applications and nominations for a distinguished academic neurosurgeon to serve as Head of the Department of Neurosurgery. This role offers the opportunity to lead a nationally respected department within one of the country’s largest and most comprehensive academic medical institutions.

The Department of Neurosurgery has a long and influential legacy in academic neurosurgery. It includes 21 faculty, 13 residents, three fellowship programs, and eight research laboratories, with enduring leadership in neuromodulation, neural interfaces, and device-based innovation. Faculty contributions have helped define the field and continue to advance restorative and regenerative neuroscience. The Department has exceptional strengths in functional neurosurgery, neuromodulation, and device-driven research, supported by multiple laboratories engaged in regenerative science, imaging, gene therapy, and spinal cord injury.

The department’s clinical, educational, and research missions are supported through collaboration with University of Minnesota Physicians, M Health Fairview, Hennepin Healthcare, and the Minneapolis VA. Together, these relationships provide a broad and complex clinical environment and a strong foundation for multidisciplinary training and investigation. Faculty work closely with colleagues across medicine, engineering, neuroscience, and biomedical science within a fully integrated health sciences campus that also includes dentistry, pharmacy, nursing, public health, and veterinary medicine.

Situated in the Twin Cities, a global center for medical device development, the department benefits from deep industry connections and a mature translational ecosystem. Faculty and trainees engage with leading resources such as the Institute for Translational Neuroscience and the Center for Magnetic Resonance Research and can leverage Minnesota’s distinctive legislative support for high-impact research.

Reporting to the Dean of the Medical School & Vice President for Clinical Affairs, the next Head will lead the department working across a complex academic and clinical environment to align research, education, and patient care. For the right candidate, this role offers the opportunity to steward an established legacy, shape strategic direction at a consequential moment, and define the department’s next era of national impact. Candidates must be board certified in Neurological Surgery, eligible for medical licensure in Minnesota, and demonstrate a distinguished record of academic leadership and scholarly achievement.

Inquiries, nominations, referrals, and CVs with cover letters should be sent electronically below. 

Jamie Sands and Stephanie Fidel are leading this search with Erin Schwass and Lily Sethares.