Pittsburgh, April 3, 2026 — The University of Pittsburgh Department of Neurological Surgery welcomed Fred G. Barker II, MD, FAANS, as the 2026 Peter J. Jannetta Lecturer on Wednesday, April 1. Dr. Barker, Professor of Neurosurgery at Harvard Medical School, Director of Cranial Base Surgery, and Vice Chair for Faculty Development in the Department of Neurosurgery at Massachusetts General Hospital, spent the day with faculty, residents, and guests for a full program of lectures and case discussions.
Dr. Barker's visit holds a special connection to the lectureship's namesake. As a fellow at the University of Pittsburgh in the early 1990s, he trained under Dr. Peter Jannetta himself, studying microvascular and skull base surgery alongside Laligam Sekhar. He went on to complete a second fellowship in neuro-oncology at the University of California, San Francisco before returning to Massachusetts General Hospital, where he has spent the past three decades building one of the country's leading skull base and neuro-oncology practices.
In addition to his clinical and academic work at Mass General Brigham, Dr. Barker serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Neurosurgery Publishing Group, a role he assumed in April 2025. He is the founding Surgical Vice Chair of the Neuro-Oncology Committee of the NCI-funded Alliance Cancer Cooperative Group and has held leadership positions with the AANS/CNS Section on Tumors, the American Academy of Neurological Surgery, and the FDA Oncology Drugs Advisory Committee. His research spans brain tumor biology, outcomes in neurosurgical oncology, evidence-based neurosurgery, and vestibular schwannoma management, including NF2-related disease and auditory brainstem implantation.
The day's programming included three sessions:
7:15 a.m. "Generative AI in Neurosurgical Research," a morning lecture exploring the role of large language models and AI tools in academic neurosurgery. Main Conference Room.
11:30 a.m. Case Presentations and Lunch with Residents. Main Conference Room.
6:15 p.m. "Skull Base Oncology: Where Are We Now, and Where Are We Going?" The featured Jannetta Lecture, delivered at the Pittsburgh Golf Club.
The Peter J. Jannetta Lectureship is held annually in honor of the former chair of the University of Pittsburgh Department of Neurological Surgery. Dr. Jannetta was renowned worldwide for his development of microvascular decompression, a procedure that became universally known as the "Jannetta Procedure" and has brought relief to thousands of patients. The lectureship highlights innovations in the field of neurosurgery and continues the legacy of one of the specialty's most influential figures. Learn more about the lectureship.
