UPMC Presbyterian is a major teaching center for Gamma Knife radiosurgery as neurosurgeons, radiation oncologists and medical physicists from around the world come here to train. Understanding clinical outcomes and developing and testing the latest technologies has been a major goal. The center leadership consults with the Gamma Knife manufacturer, Elekta Instruments, to build new technologies for the future.

No center in the United States has managed more patients, performed more research, or published more scientific reports than the Center for Image-Guided Neurosurgery at the University of Pittsburgh. The center has published more than 500 scientific articles in peer reviewed medical literature, book chapters, and several complete books.

The Department of Neurological Surgery presents a comprehensize training course, Principles and Practices of Gamma Knife Radiosurgery. This training course is targeted to neurosurgeons, radiation oncologists, and physicists interested in Gamma Knife treatment certification. The next two courses -- scheduled for November 9-13 and January 11-15, 2010 -- are full and closed. The next open course is scheduled for March 15-19, 2010. For more information on this course, contact Charlene Baker at (412) 881-0602

In addition, the department offers Gamma Knife Radiosurgery Training for Nurses a basic training course geared for nurses and other allied health personnel. For registration information, please contact Jonet Vacsulka at (412) 647-9992.

Nurses training is also available anytime throughout the year upon request. Please contact Vacsulka for more information.