Dr. Amin Kassam
Amin Kassam, M.D., is an internationally renowned neurosurgeon and Chief of the Department of Neurosurgery at The Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus. Dr. Kassam is a pioneer in the development of the Expanded Endonasal Approach (EEA), which uses the nostrils as natural portals to remove brain and skull base tumors rather than using a traditional craniotomy (surgical opening through the top of the skull). Dr. Kassam has built his career on a strong clinical foundation with a focus on offering a comprehensive perspective to the management of complex intracranial pathology. His training in microvascular surgery has allowed him to gain a unique experience with the management of cranial nerve disorders (hemifacial spasm, trigeminal neuralgia, and glossopharyngeal neuralgia).
Additionally, Dr. Kassam has written 190 peer-reviewed publications, 45 book chapters and delivered 138 national and international lectures. He was also asked to deliver the Inaugural William Hitselberger Lecture at the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery in New York, NY, in 2004 and to deliver the Penfield Lecture at the Annual Congress of the Canadian Neurological Sciences Federation in Edmonton, Ontario, Canada, in 2007.
Dr. Kassam completed his undergraduate and medical school studies at the University of Toronto and subsequently trained in Neurosurgery at the University of Ottawa, both in Canada. During his residency he also pursued postgraduate training in Clinical Epidemiology. Following his residency he came to University of Pittsburgh as a fellow in cerebrovascular surgery and shortly thereafter was appointed to the faculty. During his 12 years there, he held several positions and pioneered a number of novel procedures and techniques. He developed the multidisciplinary Minimally Invasive endoNeurosurgery Center, which deals with complex skull base pathology.
Prior to his arrival at The Ottawa Hospital, Dr. Kassam served as Chairman of the Department of Neurological Surgery, Professor of Neurological Surgery, and Director, Minimally Invasive endoNeurosurgery Center at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). In this role, he directed one of the world’s leading neurosurgical centers, consistently ranked as one of America’s best neuroscience facilities by U.S. News & World Report. He also was Director of the Center for Cranial Nerve Disorders at UPMC. During his tenure, physicians at the center performed more than 1,000 microvascular decompressions.
Currently, his focus is on applying the innovation & technology, built over the past decade, to better understand the origin & directed therapy of substantial Brain Tumors, such as Gliomas, GBM's, and Brain Metastisis.
