UCSF Department of Neurological Surgery

06/03/2026

Congratulations to UCSF Brain Tumor Center director Mitchel Berger, MD, on receiving one of the 2026 Ellis Island Medals of Honor! 🎉 This is among the nation's most prestigious awards, with each year’s recipients entered into the Congressional Record in recognition of how their significant contributions have helped strengthen the country.



📸: Photo courtesy of the Ellis Island Honors Society

06/01/2026

We are deeply grateful to Margaret Liu Collins and Edward B. Collins for their generosity, vision, and commitment to advancing the future of neurological surgery. One of the university’s highest honors, the Margaret Liu Collins and Edward B. Collins Distinguished Professorship in Neurological Surgery recognizes UCSF Chair of Neurological Surgery Edward F. Chang, MD, as its inaugural holder. Their transformative support empowers Dr. Chang’s pioneering work and bold leadership, advancing discoveries that will improve lives for generations to come.

📸: Sonya Yruel Photography

05/30/2026

We were honored to be a part of the inaugural Striking Out Brain Tumors Awareness game hosted by Meningioma Mommas and University of San Francisco Baseball! ⚾️

Now a 26-year meningioma survivor, Liz Holzemer founded Meningioma Mommas in 2003 to offer support for people living with the most common yet often understudied brain tumor, as well as their caregivers.

We're so grateful for the organization’s generous support of meningioma research at UCSF.



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Image description: Ryan Moon, a brain tumor survivor, Liz Holzemer, and UCSF physician-scientist David Raleigh, MD, PhD pose for a photo together next to the baseball field.

05/29/2026

Caring for a loved one with brain tumor comes with new challenges — dealing with their medical issues while also serving as an important source of emotional support for them.

And as an integral part of the care team, it’s still important for caregivers to make space for their own needs and emotions.

Our annual Brain Tumor Caregiver Retreat is designed as a restorative day for attendees to connect with others navigating the complexities of caregiving.

We were so grateful to everyone who could join us at this year’s event and to guest speaker S. Michelle Mathai, for sharing her own moving story and the insights she’s gained from her experiences with grief and caregiving. Thanks also to Shenelle Foster, LCSW, for leading the day’s relaxing movement and ground exercises.

Learn more about our unique UCSF Neuro-Oncology Gordon Murray Caregiver Program at tiny.ucsf.edu/GMurray.



📸: Todd Dubnicoff

05/28/2026

Please join us in congratulating Grace, who is feeling much better after brain surgery at our hospital!

In the summer of 2024, Grace began experiencing episodes of numbness and vision changes about every other week. A neurologist near her home in the Fairfield area recommended an angiogram to confirm whether the frequency of these possible transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) could be a symptom of moyamoya disease, a rare condition in which the main blood vessels to the brain are narrowed or blocked. Grace started seeing UCSF Health neurosurgeon Luis Savastano, MD, PhD, and had surgery in December 2024.

Grace will still need another surgery for the left side of her brain, but she’s grateful for how far she’s come. While she is doing much better, she still lives with the daily struggles, mental challenges, headaches, and cognitive fatigue that moyamoya can bring. Over time, she’s learned the importance of listening to her body and giving herself rest when the days feel a little heavier.

Grace says she’s incredibly grateful for the support she’s received from her family throughout this journey. She’s looking forward to celebrating another year of life, her daughter’s high school graduation next month, and preparing for another milestone — watching her begin her very first year of college life.

05/27/2026

Running out of cognitive energy faster and starting off with less cognitive energy to do tasks are common side effects of brain cancer and cancer treatments.

When an individual with a brain tumor is overly tired, they may experience more cognitive symptoms like difficulties concentrating, finding words, and remembering things. These symptoms might be exacerbated during periods of overstimulation — when the brain becomes overwhelmed with incoming information.

In honor of , we’re sharing tips from our UCSF Neurocognitive Services experts and our amazing Thriver community for reducing overstimulation throughout the day to manage your cognitive fatigue.

Learn about more evidence-based strategies for improving your cognitive health: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkDKFdUPYGM

🎨: Mark Bredall and Ken Probst

05/21/2026

A big thank you to everyone who joined us at the first retreat hosted by the Sheri Sobrato Brain Cancer Survivorship Program! It was a beautiful day for attendees to connect with others living with brain cancer and learn about the resources and holistic support available at UCSF.

We were so glad to have a panel of brain tumor survivors engage in a lively discussion on what’s changed for them since their diagnoses and what’s helped them navigate uncertainty. We were also grateful to have Sheri herself share her motivation for starting a program tailored to meeting the unique challenges neuro-oncology patients face.

“It was Sheri’s lived experience, her vision, and her generosity that really brought the survivorship program to a reality,” said Susan Chang, MD, a UCSF Health neuro-oncologist and the survivorship program’s co-director. “Her belief in this work, her commitment to making a difference, and her ongoing support have made it possible for us to meet as a community, for us to exist, and to grow.”

05/20/2026

Moyamoya disease can cause strokes, transient ischemic attacks, seizures, headaches, and cognitive decline due to the narrowing of blood vessels in the brain.

In a new study published in the Journal of Neurosurgery Publishing Group, Joseph Chen, MD, a second-year UCSF Neurosurgery resident, working with colleagues at McGill Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences and UCLA Neurosurgery, sought to evaluate the efficacy of surgical and nonsurgical strategies for managing this cerebrovascular condition in children.

The researchers compared the outcomes of children with moyamoya disease at two North American medical centers who received surgery or medication alone to treat their symptoms. The analysis showed that those treated with an indirect bypass to increase blood flow experienced fewer strokes and transient ischemic attacks. These findings indicate the important role of surgery in preventing strokes.

Read the full study here: https://thejns.org/pediatrics/view/journals/j-neurosurg-pediatr/aop/article-10.3171-2025.10.PEDS25220/article-10.3171-2025.10.PEDS25220.xml

05/15/2026

05/15/2026

A big congratulations to UCSF neurosurgeon John Yue, MD for receiving this year's Rising Star Award from the National Neurotrauma Society! 🌟 This award recognizes the exceptional contributions he has made to advance the clinical care and surgical outcomes for patients with traumatic brain injuries. He will be in Milwaukee next month at presenting his latest research findings.

Learn more about his award here: https://www.neurotrauma.org/rising-star-award/