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Veronica Chiang, MD, FAANS

Professor of Neurosurgery
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Additional Titles

Assistant Dean for Admissions, Medical Education

Associate Vice Chair of Academic Affairs

Director, Stereotactic Radiosurgery

Director, Gamma Knife Center, YNHH

Director, Stereotactic Radiosurgery Fellowship

About

Titles

Professor of Neurosurgery

Assistant Dean for Admissions, Medical Education; Associate Vice Chair of Academic Affairs; Director, Stereotactic Radiosurgery; Director, Gamma Knife Center, YNHH; Director, Stereotactic Radiosurgery Fellowship

Biography

Dr Chiang leads the Brain Metastasis Program at Yale. This Program is comprised of a multi-disciplinary group of physicians in the specialty areas of Medical Oncology, Radiation Oncology, Neurosurgery, Radiology, Pathology and Neuro-Oncology. This nationally unique program is specifically dedicated to the coordinated clinical management of patients with Brain Metastases as well as the performance of basic science, translational and clinical trial research in this area. This group meets at least once weekly at a CME-accredited Tumor Boardto discuss both the clinical and potential research pertinent to the management of our cancer patients with brain and spine metastases. Watch a video with Dr. Veronica Chiang>>

As the lead Neurosurgeon in this Program, Dr Chiang specializes in:

  1. Standard neurosurgical management of brain metastases.
  2. Gamma Knife radiosurgery treatment of brain metastases. This focused radiation tool can be used both as first line treatment, as well as salvage following whole brain radiation therapy and or prior radiosurgery. Particular interest in melanoma and lung cancer.
  3. The management of post-radiosurgery complications – tumor regrowth versus adverse radiation effects (radiation induced inflammation)
  4. Clinical Trials using novel immunotherapies for treatment of brain metastases (Clinical Trials.gov: Identifier # NCT02085070)

Dr Chiang has joint appointments in the Departments of Neurosurgery and Radiation Oncology here at Yale University School of Medicine. As the Medical Director of the Gamma Knife Center since 2006, Dr Chiang has participated in state and national discussions regarding the development of guidelines for the radiosurgical management of brain metastases. She is known nationally and internationally for her research on the clinical as well as radiological outcomes of radiosurgical treatment of brain metastases. (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier #:NCT02005614). She has also extensively published on the efficacy and outcome of radiosurgery for many other brain lesions.

In addition, she is the director of the Yale New Haven Hospital Radiosurgery Fellowship Program for Neurosurgery and Radiation Oncology.

Laser Thermal Ablation (LTA)

LTA is the use of heat emitted from a laser fiber to treat lesions in the brain. It is a cutting edge, minimally invasive technology that allows neurosurgeons to treat lesions inside the skull through a small incision visualized in real time using MRI monitoring. (link to Monteris website – MyBrainTumorOptions.com).

As one of the first and longest users of MRI-guided LTA in the USA, Dr Chiang now has 4 years of experience treating a variety of brain tumors and is a national leader in the use of LTA treatment for brain metastases that have regrown following radiosurgery where no other treatment options have been available.

She is currently the lead investigator on a clinical trial studying quality of life in patients with brain metastases regrowing after radiosurgery and the impact of LTA (LAASR study – Identifier #: NCT01651078) Dr Chiang also has a significant experience in the use of LTA in conjunction with targeted and immunotherapies especially for lung cancer and melanoma.

Appointments

Other Departments & Organizations

Education & Training

Resident
Yale University School of Medicine (2000)
Fellow
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (2000)
Fellow
Yale-New Haven Hospital (1994)
MD
University of Western Australia (1992)
BMedSci
University of Western Australia

Research

Overview

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)

Brain Neoplasms; Neoplasm Metastasis; Neurosurgery; Radiation Effects; Radiation Oncology; Radiosurgery

Research at a Glance

Yale Co-Authors

Frequent collaborators of Veronica Chiang's published research.

Publications

2024

2023

Clinical Trials

Current Trials

Academic Achievements & Community Involvement

  • honor

    First Class Honours (Thesis degree BMedSci)

  • honor

    Asthma Foundation of Australia Scholarship

  • honor

    National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia Medical Undergraduate Scholarship

Clinical Care

Overview

Veronica Chiang MD, a neurosurgeon and director of the Gamma Knife Center at Yale New Haven Hospital, specializes in treating metastatic cancer to the brain using a multidisciplinary approach. She offers both standard neurosurgical surgery as well as cutting edge procedures such as laser thermocoagulation. In addition, she specializes in the use of radiosurgery. This technique allows doctors to transmit radiation directly to tumor cells and avoid radiating healthy brain cells, which can help improve patients’ quality of life after treatment.

Dr. Chiang acknowledges that brain surgery can be a big step for patients and provides as much information about the procedure as possible. “Knowledge helps people deal with how scary it might feel,” she says.

In addition to treating patients, Dr. Chiang conducts research on managing patient care through multidisciplinary approaches, and how technologies like thermocoagulation and radiosurgery can help patients with brain metastases. “The neurological system is one of the last areas where there’s very little known about it. I love learning about it and figuring out how to improve patient’s lives,” she says.

Clinical Specialties

Therapeutic Radiology; Neurosurgery

Fact Sheets

Board Certifications

  • Neurological Surgery

    Certification Organization
    AB of Neurological Surgery
    Latest Certification Date
    2014
    Original Certification Date
    2003

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