Robert M Friedlander

Robert M Friedlander, MD, MA, is the Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery, Walter E Dandy Professor, and Head of
Cerebrovascular Neurosurgery at the University of Pittsburgh. Clinically, Dr Friedlander’s focus is the management of complex
cerebrovascular lesions and brain tumors. Dr Friedlander’s major research interests are the mechanistic pathways of the caspase
apoptosis gene family. As co-director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Neurological Institute, his work includes the
evaluation of treatment strategies for neurodegenerative diseases (Huntington’s and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis [ALS]), stroke, brain
trauma, and spinal cord injury through the modulation of the caspase-family apoptotic pathways. Dr Friedlander’s research has received
significant media attention including major work published in Nature, Science, and Nature Medicine. His work has also been recognized
through many academic awards, including the Neurosurgery Resident Award from the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, the Bayer
Cerebrovascular Award from the Joint Section of Cerebrovascular Surgery, the International Charcot Prize for Motor Neuron Diseases,
and the Award from the Academy of Neurological Surgeons. In 2006, he was elected as a member of the prestigious American Society
for Clinical Investigation. Dr Friedlander is one of only three neurosurgeons elected as a member of the American Association of
Physicians. Dr Friedlander was also recently elected as a member of the National Academy of Medicine.