Pittsburgh, June 2, 2023 -- Jorge A. González-Martínez, MD, PhD—world-renowned expert in epilepsy and functional neurosurgery and director of the department’s Epilepsy & Movement Disorders Program—has been named the inaugural Stuart Niles Rowe Endowed Chair in Neurosurgery at the University of Pittsburgh.
An endowed chair is one of the highest honors bestowed upon a member of a university faculty. Such a designation recognizes eminence in the chair holder’s field and honors the chair holder’s outstanding contributions to the field.
Dr. González-Martínez is a medical pioneer in novel surgical methods for treating medically refractory seizures utilizing stereo-electroencephalography, SEEG guided laser ablative procedures, neuromodulatory interventions and robotic guided surgeries, bringing for the first time innovative surgical interventions to the United States and other countries.
The chair is named in honor of Stuart Niles Rowe, MD, widely considered the founding father of neurosurgery and neurosurgery training in Pittsburgh. Niles developed a robust clinical practice in the city in the 1930’s and began the first formal residency training program at West Penn Hospital in 1949. The program was later consolidated into then-Presbyterian University Hospital within the University of Pittsburgh and became the foundation for one of the strongest residency programs in the country, building on Rowe’s firm commitment to teaching critical clinical decision-making skills as well as exceptional surgical techniques.
The Rowe chair is the seventh endowed chair in the department. Each fully endowed chair provides annual benefit to the holder of the chair by facilitating the chair holder's research work within the department.
[See also A Discussion on Epilepsy and Epilepsy Treatment.]