Dr. L. Nelson Hopkins served as the chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery from 1989-2013 and recently earned the title of Distinguished Professor of neurosurgery and radiology from the State University of New York. After completing his undergraduate studies at Rutgers University, Dr. Hopkins earned a doctor of medicine degree cum laude from Albany Medical College. His post-graduate training included a surgical internship at Case Western Reserve, followed by neurology and neurosurgical training at UB.

Ranking seventh among the most published neurosurgical departments in North America, he has established UB Neurosurgery as one of the most respected with patients traveling to Buffalo from around the world. Dr. Hopkins pioneered endovascular neurosurgery and has trained a new generation of neurosurgeon leaders skilled in catheter-based technology for minimally invasive neurosurgery.

Active in national neurosurgery, Dr. Hopkins has served as a member of the board of directors of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and of the Executive Committee of the Stroke Council of the American Heart Association. He has served as Scientific and Annual Meeting Chairman for both the AANS and Congress of Neurological Surgeons. He is the former chairman of the Joint Section on Cerebrovascular Surgery and president of the American Academy of Neurological Surgery. Dr. Hopkins has been the principal investigator of several national clinical trials testing catheter-based technologies for the treatment of neurovascular diseases. He is a member of the editorial boards of NEUROSURGERY and World Neurosurgery and the author of more than 300 publications centered on the prevention and treatment of stroke. Dr. Hopkins has served on the faculty of numerous symposiums nationally and internationally and each year hosts multidisciplinary seminars along with industry leaders focused on assessing and managing complications associated with minimally invasive catheter-based interventions.

Dr. Hopkins is an advocate of cross-specialty and multidisciplinary collaboration. He fostered the creation of the Toshiba Stroke & Vascular Research Center, bringing together physicists, chemists, aerospace engineers, neurosurgeons, cardiologists and radiologists to study the neurovascular circulation and develop innovative technologies and approaches for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of neurovascular diseases. Dr. Hopkins conceived a new way to organize the multidisciplinary treatment of vascular disease and brought experts from around the world together to design the Gates Vascular Institute and then recruited the necessary partners to bring the Jacobs Institute and Gates Vascular Institute to life. He serves as chairman of the board of the GVI and President/CEO of the Jacobs Institute and its Center for Innovation in Medicine (CIM).

A proponent of the global approach to revascularization for the improvement of outcomes for patients with vascular disease, Dr. Hopkins has served on the faculty of numerous symposiums nationally and internationally and each year hosts multidisciplinary seminars along with industry leaders focused on assessing and managing complications associated with minimally invasive catheter-based interventions. Education and Training:

  Residency, Neurosurgery, University at Buffalo (1975)
  Residency, Neurology, University at Buffalo (1971)
  Internship, Surgery, Case Western Reserve University (1970)
  MD, Albany Medical College, Cum Laude (1969)
  BA, Rutgers University (1965)

Employment:

  Clinical Professor of Neurosurgery, University of Rochester, School of Medicine and Dentistry (2007-present)
  Director, Toshiba Stroke Research Center (1997-present)
  Chairman of Neurosurgery, University at Buffalo (1989-present)
  Professor of Neurosurgery, University at Buffalo (1989-present)
  Professor of Radiology, University at Buffalo (1989-present)
  Chief of Service, Department of Neurosurgery, Kaleida Health (1979-present)
  Clinical Associate Professor of Neurosurgery, University at Buffalo (1982–1988)
  Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery, University at Buffalo (1975–1982)

Awards and Honors:

  Kaleida Health Spirit Award (2010)
  Congress of Neurosurgeons Founders Laurel Award (2009)
  Western Neurosurgical Society Award (2009)
  AANS Schneider Lecture Award Recipient (2007)
  Neurosurgery Society of America Award (2006)
  President/Academy of Neurosurgery (2006)
  American Heart Association Heroes of the Heart Award (2005)
  The Charles Drake Lecture Award (2004)
  Health Care Heroes Award for Achievement in Health Care Education (2003)
  George F. Koepf Award for Contributions to Biomedical Research (2001)
  Lussenhop Award (2000)
  First Annual Neuro-Interventional Lecture Award (1999)
  D’Youville College Achievement in Health Care Award (1999)
  Intergenerational Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Community (1999)
  Buffalo Council on World Affairs Outstanding Representative (1998)
  Outstanding Poster Presentation, European Society of Neuroradiology (1998)
  Honorable Mention, American Society of Neuroradiology Annual Meeting (1998)
  2nd Prize, Annual Meeting of the Neurosurgical Society of the Virginias (1998)
  Schneider Lecture Award (1997)
  Mayfield-Aring Lecture Award (1994)
  Kentucky Colonel Award, Commonwealth of Kentucky (1991)
  William Henry Hudson Lecture Award, Southern Neurosurgical Society (1991)
  M.D. cum laude (1970)
  Lang Medical Publications Award (1969)
  Alpha Omega Alpha National Medical Honor Society (1967)
  Scholarship to Physicians‘ Institute (1967)