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Jianmei Leavenworth, M.D., Ph.D., was recently featured in the Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) 2021 Peer Reviewed Cancer Research Highlights.

UAB Department of Neurosurgery faculty member Beverly Walters, M.D., MSc, FRCSC, FACS, will retire and assume an adjunct professorship role in the department, effective Dec. 1, 2021.

Department of Neurosurgery Executive Administrator Donna Bailer, J.D., LL.M., was selected to participate in the inaugural Momentum in Medicine at UAB executive leadership program. 

The department is delighted to welcome new personnel generalist, Cassandra DeGraffenried, effective Dec. 6.

The UAB Department of Neurosurgery held its 38th Annual J. Garber Galbraith, M.D., Scientific Session and Lecture on Nov. 12 in the Bradley Lecture Center. The Galbraith Lecture is given by a neurosurgeon who has made significant contributions to the field of neurosurgery, while the Galbraith Scientific Session highlights the research and achievements of past and present UAB neurosurgery residents.

This month, our department welcomed Adjunct Professor Chevis N. Shannon, Ph.D.

Department of Neurosurgery Nurse Practitioner Andrea Boohaker, MSN, has been named a 2021 Health Care Hero.

UAB Medicine Office of Patient Experience and Engagement (OPXE) has recognized 3 Department of Neurosurgery providers in the 2021 list of “Top-Performing” providers.

UAB Department of Neurosurgery Professor Erwin G. Van Meir, Ph.D., received a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support his research on glioblastomas, a malignant brain tumor for which no cure is available. 

Associate Professor, Brandon Rocque, M.D., is the recipient of the Chesapeake Civitan McNulty Scientist Award for 2021. 

Dr. Georges Bouobda Tsemo joined the Department of Neurosurgery this summer as a PGY-1 neurosurgical resident.

Professor James Johnston, M.D., James Garber Galbraith Endowed Chair of Neurosurgery James Markert, M.D., MPH,  and Professor Kristen Riley, M.D., as well as Professor Mark Hadley, M.D., and Distinguished Professor Jerry Oakes, M.D., attended the American Academy of Neurological Surgery (AAcNS) annual meeting last month.

UAB Department of Neurosurgery Professor Kristen Riley, M.D., was a recent guest on UAB MedCast - a medical education podcast for healthcare professionals. She joins a long list of experts to speak on various topics and innovations in the field of healthcare.

Andrea Boohaker, MSN, ACNP-BC, RNFA - APP team lead

Andrea Boohaker joins the department as APP team lead for the Departments of Neurosurgery and Orthopaedic surgery. Andrea earned her MS degree in nursing from Vanderbilt University in 2007 and is currently enrolled in the UAB Doctor of Nursing Practice program, she will graduate in Dec. 2021. She has worked as an orthopaedic trauma nurse practitioner for over 14 years and began her career at the University of Texas (UT) at Houston. During her time at UT Houston, she developed a passion for increasing autonomy for advanced practice providers and improving the overall quality of training. Andrea serves on the Ambulatory Access Executive Committee and the Provider Practice Optimization Steering Committee at UAB, representing the advanced practice cohort. She also serves as a clinical instructor in the graduate program at UAB School of Nursing. Andrea is a Sigma Theta Tau Nursing Honor Society member and was recently awarded the UAB Medicine Excellence Award for 2021.

Casey Lee, RN 

Casey Lee joins the department as a registered nurse. Originally from Meridian, MS, Casey graduated from the University of Alabama in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in business but decided to change careers shortly thereafter. She received her associate degree in nursing from Jefferson State Community College in 2012. Since, she has worked at Children’s of Alabama, beginning as a clinical assistant and continuing as a nurse in Med-Surg and Surgical Services. She looks forward to joining the pediatric neurosurgery team, where she will function as the nurse clinician for Dr. Brandon Rocque. 

Dana Belmont - Administrative office specialist

Dana joins the department as an administrative office specialist. Originally from Buffalo, NY, Dana moved to Birmingham in 2014 after traveling the world with the military and family. She began working for the UAB Department of Medicine in 2014 and joined the Department of Neurosurgery in 2016, where she was the clinic coordinator at Greystone. In October 2020, she moved to Raleigh, NC for a short time before returning to Birmingham. Dana is excited about her new journey in neurosurgery.

Kirsten Yelvington, MS - Operations Administrator

Kirsten joins the department as operations administrator. Originally born in Colorado, Kirsten grew up in several areas in Europe and across the U.S.  Her healthcare career began over 20 years ago at UF Health in Gainesville, FL as a neurodiagnostic technologist. After,  she moved to Pensacola, FL, and worked at HCA West Florida Hospital as coordinator of the EMU and Duke University Hospital as a technical advisor. Since she has been at Mayo Clinic for the past 10 years working in the Department of Neurology. During that time, she earned her bachelor's and master's degrees, was appointed to instructor of neurology and participated in research involving epilepsy and awake craniotomies. In addition, she managed the procedures EEG lab and Level IV Epilepsy Monitoring Unit and facilitated improvement projects that resulted in national accreditation, improved access, and increased volumes. 

Thomas Dillard - MSHA Student

Thomas Dillard joins the department as an MSHA student. Born and raised in Birmingham, AL, Thomas graduated from the University of Montevallo in 2021 with a bachelor's of business administration in management degree. He is currently pursuing his master's of science in health administration at UAB. Thomas worked closely with higher education administrators in his undergraduate career as an administrative assistant within the University President's Office. He was also elected as the Student Government Association President in 2020 and served on the University of Montevallo COVID-19 Task Force as a representative of the student body. Thomas looks forward to joining the Department of Neurosurgery, where he will primarily work with Donna Bailer. 

Department of Neurosurgery Executive Administrator Donna Bailer, J.D., LL.M., was elected president-elect of the national Neurosurgery Executives’ Resource Value and Education Society (NERVES) at its annual membership meeting in September 2021.

UAB Department of Neurosurgery Clinical Professor Thomas Staner, M.D., FACS, was a recent guest on UAB MedCast - a medical education podcast for healthcare professionals. He joins a long list of experts to speak on various topics and innovations in the field of healthcare.

Dr. Arsalaan Salehani is a PGY-6 in the Department of Neurosurgery.

The Department of Neurosurgery has selected Shannon Hall, CRNP, to serve as wellness champion through the UAB School of Medicine (SOM) Office of Wellness. 

Top (L to R): Drs. Nicole Bentley, Melissa Chambers, Jianmei Leavenworth, Bottom (L to R): Beverly Walters, Kristen Riley and Elizabeth Liptrap

The Department of Neurosurgery would like to recognize the month of September as Women in Medicine Month.

The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) created Women in Medicine Month to recognize the growing number of women in the profession. The month-long observance celebrates women in educator, scientist, leadership, and physician roles.

According to the National Institutes of Health, women represent only 12 percent of neurosurgeons in the United States. At the UAB Department of Neurosurgery, women make up 25 percent of the overall faculty and 21 percent of the clinical neurosurgeons. This is due to reaffirming efforts aimed to increase diversity within the university and the UAB Health System. 

“Surgery in general, and neurosurgery in particular, have long been male-dominated specialties,” said James Markert, M.D., Ph.D., professor and chair. “Commitment to diversity is a cornerstone of UAB, and we feel that our entire department, from faculty to trainees, as well as our patients, are well served by a diverse workforce.”  

Learn more about our physicians 

Spotlight

Drs. Elizabeth Liptrap and Kristen Riley discuss life outside of work, what inspired them to become neurosurgeons, and their proudest accomplishment.

Elizabeth Liptrap, M.D.

Kristen Riley, M.D.

Nicole Bentley, M.D.

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• Elizabeth Liptrap, M.D.

  Life outside of work

  I am originally from Maryland but moved here two years ago to work at UAB.  I am so proud to be a part of the UAB Department of Neurosurgery and love living in Alabama.  My husband works in real estate and the Air National Guard.  We love spending time with our family, anything outdoors, country music and dogs. We are excited about our baby girl arriving in November.

  What do you enjoy most about your career? 

  I am still early in my career, but my favorite things are still preparing for and performing procedures, helping patients navigate through decisions about their care and working with residents/fellows.

  What inspired you to become a neurosurgeon?

  I initially chose to become a neurosurgeon because I enjoyed the complexity of cases and significant potential to contribute to the field, particularly in neuro-oncology and cerebrovascular surgery.  My father was diagnosed with a GBM when I was a PGY-6 and going through that experience from a patient and patient’s family perspective increased my passion for and dedication to the field of Neurosurgery.

  What is your proudest accomplishment? 

  Any time a patient and/or family is happy with their care is the greatest reward for me.

• Kristen Riley, M.D.

  Life outside of work

  I am married with two boys (ages 16 and 20), and we have two dogs! I am a huge sports fan and enjoy attending sporting events. One of my bucket list items is to visit all MLB and NFL stadiums.

  What inspired you to become a neurosurgeon?

  I originally thought I would be an orthopaedic surgeon, but everything changed during my third year of medical school when I was exposed to neurosurgery. I was hooked! 

  What is your proudest accomplishment?

  Having a great team that provides quality compassionate care to our patients.

• Nicole Bentley, M.D.

  Life outside of work

  I am married with 2 kids (5 yo and 10-month old). We stay very busy! We love to cook together, be outdoors, and travel as much as COVID will allow.

  What do you love most about your career?

  I love that in my subspecialty of functional neurosurgery, we have the opportunity to make significant impacts on patients’ quality of life, helping them to gain more enjoyment in their day-to-day activities. I also love that the field of neuromodulation is growing as we learn more about how the brain works at a fundamental level.

  What is your proudest accomplishment?

  My family!

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Eva Gilliam - administrative assistant

Eva Gilliam joins the department as administrative assistant. Gilliam will spearhead organizational tasks and assist department executive administrator, Donna Bailer. Previously, she dedicated 25 years of service to UAB in areas including pediatric orthopaedics, epidemiology, radiology and nutrition sciences. Following, she moved to Gainesville, Florida, to help Community Health Services with their mission in reducing homelessness among individuals suffering from drug addiction and mental illness. Since, she has returned to Birmingham to reunite with her family. “Everyone in Neurosurgery has been so welcoming and helpful. I have enjoyed my first two weeks and am looking forward to becoming more confident in my new role.” Said Gilliam.

Tori Caudill - research coordinator II

Tori Caudill joins the department as research coordinator II for pediatric neurosurgery. She graduated from UAB with a Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology and Neuroscience in 2019. Caudill has spent the last few years as a research assistant in various departments including nephrology and pediatric oncology. She loves developing research questions, assisting with research design, presenting research, and learning about the brain (especially in relation to behavior and psychology). She plans to pursue her Ph.D. in behavioral neuroscience.

Cameron Roby - healthcare management intern

Cameron Robby joins the department as a healthcare management intern. Originally from Warner Robbins, Georgia, Robby moved to Birmingham two years ago to pursue the healthcare management program at UAB. In addition, Robby will also work as a secretary in the UAB Trauma Burn Nursing Unit. In her free time, she enjoys working out, playing volleyball, video games, and baking.