UB's Hopkins Honored for Neurosurgery Advances, Teaching

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- L. Nelson Hopkins, M.D., chair of the Department of Neurosurgery in the University at Buffalo's School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and director of UB's Toshiba Stroke Research Center, has received the third annual Leaders in Endovascular Education (LIVE) award from Cordis Endovascular and Cordis Neurovascular, Inc.

The award, honoring the contributions Hopkins has made to advancing endovascular and neurovascular education, was presented at the 2007 National Vascular Interventional Advances (VIVA) seminar held in Las Vegas in late September.

Hopkins is known internationally as an innovator in the development, use and teaching of minimally invasive surgical techniques that treat brain aneurysms and stroke blockages by threading specially designed instruments through blood vessels to the site of the injury, rather than opening the skull.

These techniques have resulted in greatly improved patient survival and in decreased surgical complications and recovery time.

"The educational contributions you have made to this field are numerous, consistently innovative and effective, and always centered around advancing patient care," the Hopkins award states. "The Global Endovascular Complications seminar you created established a standard in education from which all other peer review meetings are measured."

The award goes on to note that the numerous fellows and residents Hopkins has taught and mentored as professor and chair of neurosurgery at UB will serve as a continuing legacy of his life's work.

"The significance of the educational impact you have had on hundreds of health-care professionals, students and ultimately patients is extraordinary," the award states in conclusion.

VIVA presents professional education seminars in vascular medicine and intervention.

The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, the largest and most comprehensive campus in the State University of New York. The School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences is one of five schools that constitute UB's Academic Health Center. UB's more than 28,000 students pursue their academic interests through more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. Founded in 1846, the University at Buffalo is a member of the Association of American Universities.