Last week, the chair of the department of neurosurgery at the Yale School of Medicine, Murat Gunel, MD, received the prestigious Ralph G. Dacey Medal for Outstanding Cerebrovascular Research this week at the joint meeting of the Society of Neurointerventional Surgery with the Cerebrovascular Section of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS)/Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS).
Dr. Gunel is the fourth recipient of this honor, named after Dr. Dacey, a pioneer cerebrovascular neurosurgeon-scientist, and bestowed amongst the best academicians in the field. Sander Connolly, Jr, MD, Chair of Columbia Neurosurgery and a recent Dacey awardee, introduced Dr. Gunel and recognized him for his outstanding academic career and significant contributions to the scientific understanding of cerebrovascular diseases, specifically in uncovering the molecular genomics of intracranial aneurysms and cavernomas. Dr. Connolly also highlighted Dr. Gunel’s consistent publication record in the highest impact scientific journals, including Nature and Science.
In his featured talk, Dr. Gunel described the breadth of the work he has led in cerebrovascular disease and brain tumor genomics, spanning the last three decades of his career in the Yale Department of Neurosurgery. He credited his mentors, colleagues, trainees, and current and past lab members. He acknowledged Dr. Charles Matouk‘s leadership and the members of the Neurovascular Section, including Drs. Ryan Hebert MD, Akli Zetchi and Farhad Bahrassa, for the significant clinical growth and excellence of the program. Finally, Dr. Gunel concluded by sharing his pride for all the members of his department and the Yale University School of Medicine.