Ajay Niranjan, MD

  • Professor
  • Associate Director, Center for Image-Guided Neurosurgery
  • Director, Radiosurgery Research
  • Director, UPMC Brain Mapping Center

Dr. Niranjan received his medical training at the King George’s Medical College in Lucknow, India from 1980 to 1985, graduating with a bachelor of medicine and bachelor of surgery degree. Dr. Niranjan completed general surgery residency in 1989 and neurological surgery residency 1992. Dr. Niranjan joined the University of Pittsburgh as a fellow in image-guided neurosurgery in 1997 and completed his fellowship in 2000. He joined the faculty of neurological surgery in July of 2000.

Dr. Niranjan has co-authored over 250 articles in refereed journals, over 170 book chapters and five books. His most recent book, Leksell Radiosurgery—presenting an update on state-of-the-art radiosurgery technology, including outcomes—was published in May of 2019. He has contributed guidelines for stereotactic radiosurgery for trigeminal neuralgia, pituitary adenomas, arteriovenous malformation, acoustic tumors, and brain metastases. Dr. Niranjan is the director of UPMC Brain Mapping Center which houses a magnetoencephalography unit. MEG is performed for pre-surgical mapping of critical brain functions in patients with brain tumors and for localization of seizure focus in patients with long standing epilepsy.

Dr. Niranjan's publications can be reviewed through the National Library of Medicine's publication database.

Specialized Areas of Interest

Radiosurgery for benign and malignant brain tumors; radio surgery for brain vascular malformations; radio surgery for functional brain disorders; pre-surgical brain mapping using MEG.

Hospital Privileges

UPMC Presbyterian

Professional Organization Membership

American Clinical MEG Society
Congress of Neurological Surgeons
International Radiosurgery Research Foundation
International Stereotactic Radiosurgery Society

Professional Activities

Member, International Radiosurgery Research Foundation
Course Co-Director, Principles and Practices of Gamma Knife Radiosurgery, UPMC

Education & Training

  • MBBS, King George's Medical College, 1985
  • Residency, General Surgery, King George's Medical College, 1989
  • Residency, Neurological Surgery, King George's Medical College, 1992
  • Fellowship, University of Pittsburgh, 2000
  • MBA, University of Pittsburgh, 2009

Honors & Awards

  • Best Doctors in American, Pittsburgh Magazine, 2016-20
  • UPMC Excellence in Patient Experience, Physician and Medical Staff Honor Roll, 2017

Research Activities

Dr. Niranjan’s major research interest is the analysis of clinical outcomes of Gamma Knife radiosurgery for tumors, vascular malformations, and functional disorders of brain. Dr. Niranjan’s other research interests include the development of pre-surgical brain mapping using magnetoencephalography (MEG), and the development of strategies to enhance the effect of radiosurgery on brain tumors. His laboratory has studied the radiobiological effects of radiation on brain-tumor microenvironment and has evaluated the effects of radiation on neural stem cells implantation in the brain. Dr. Niranjan serves as principal investigator on the project: “Thalamic Segmentation using Advanced MR Imaging Techniques.

Media Appearances