In neurosurgery, there is no such thing as a routine procedure, Whether repairing an arteriovenous malformation, attacking an aneurysm, or removing a deadly brain tumor, a single millimeter in either direction may mean the difference between recovery or significant impairment.

With this high risk in mind, neurosurgeon Murat Günel, MD, calls upon every piece of knowledge at his disposal. He sees the operating room as an extension of his research and laboratory—a place in which discoveries and innovations can improve patients’ lives.

“Everything we do in the lab and the OR is toward one goal: providing the best care for our patients,” says Günel, chair and chief of neurosurgery at Yale Medicine and Yale New Haven Hospital; Sterling Professor of Neurosurgery; professor of genetics and of neuroscience; director of the Yale Program in Brain Tumor Research; and co-director of the Yale Program on Neurogenetics.

At Yale, Günel wears many hats—surgeon, scientist, administrator, and mentor. A highly respected researcher and collaborator, he focuses his work on the genetic causes of brain disorders, including brain development, vascular disease, and tumors. His discoveries have led to the identification of genetic defects in several brain disorders, including intracranial aneurysms. Günel’s lab also studies the molecular genetics and biology of cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs)—abnormal tangles of vessels in the brain—as well as brain and central nervous system tumors, all with the goal of identifying effective treatments.

On the clinical side, Günel’s expertise is in treating brain aneurysms, complex vascular malformations, and brain and central nervous system tumors. “We offer every type of subspecialty care at Yale neurosurgery,” he says. “I’m extremely proud of the work we do.”

This focus on excellence has propelled Günel’s career, all of it spent at Yale. In recognition of his talent and commitment, he was elected chair of the Yale Medicine Board in September 2024, succeeding Nita Ahuja, MD, MBA, outgoing chair of the Department of Surgery. He will serve a renewable two-year term. “I’m excited to have this opportunity during a pivotal period of growth,” he says.

As a youngster living in Istanbul, Turkey, Günel was a voracious reader who loved to learn. “I was particularly interested in human intellect and the mysteries of the brain,” he says. He and his best friend talked about studying computer science together, but Günel decided he would rather become a physician.

After high school, he entered Istanbul University’s special undergraduate/MD program. His role model was his molecular biophysics professor, who was also the head of the TÜBİTAK branch in Istanbul—an agency akin to the U.S. National Institutes of Health. Günel worked with his professor on a small-budget project funded by NATO, learning to optimize different ways to transfer DNA into cells. It was his first exploration into genetics research.

Approaching graduation, Günel considered his options for residency. At the time, Turkish medical education was a crowded arena. In medical school, he shared space and resources with 400 students in his class. A former classmate was traveling to the United States to do her residency. “She highly recommended it—said her training was outstanding, very structured and merit-based,” says Günel. “I decided to pursue that.”

Günel wrote to more than 50 U.S. residency programs and heard back from three: YSM and two academic health centers on the West Coast. “Knowing of Yale’s excellence, that’s what I wanted,” he says. He studied a map, confirming the school’s location on the East Coast, “much closer to Turkey—that clinched it.”

Günel’s letter of acceptance specified a three-month rotation with no financial support. If he did well, he could apply for a residency. There was, however, no guarantee he’d be selected. “Being a foreign graduate, it was a long shot,” he says.

Arriving in New Haven in March 1990, Günel moved into a small room in Harkness Hall and got to work. His efforts paid off. Impressed with this Turkish émigré, the then-chair of neurosurgery, Dennis Spencer, MD, asked him to do an additional two-month medical rotation. “When I completed it, Dr. Spencer said, ‘Congratulations, you got the job,’” Günel says.

Günel’s residency included two years of research. The renowned geneticist Richard Lifton, MD, PhD, now president of The Rockefeller University, became his mentor. Lifton had recently published a paper in Nature identifying the first gene that harbored mutations causing high blood pressure in glucocorticoid remediable aldosteronism (GRA), the most common monogenic cause of hypertension.

“Rick Lifton asked me what I wanted to work on,” recounts Günel. “I wanted to do vascular neurosurgery—aneurysm clippings, resecting arteriovenous malformations—and had a keen interest in identifying genes that cause aneurysms.” Lifton pointed out that such an area of study would be challenging, given the complex inheritance pattern of aneurysms. He suggested that Günel take a different, more Mendelian approach, by identifying and studying a disease with clear hereditary patterns.

After hours poring through medical journals, the 26-year-old Günel located three families that had several members with cavernous malformations. He completed a genetic study under Lifton’s guidance that was published in The New England Journal of Medicine, with Günel as first author.

His residency completed, Günel joined the Yale faculty in 1999, putting his clinical skills to work at Yale New Haven Hospital and other facilities while continuing his research. “Rick Lifton was right about the difficulty of finding the first intracranial aneurysm gene,” notes Günel. “Still, we pursued it and finally accomplished it. It only took us 25 years! We’ve gone on to publish many impactful studies on cavernous malformations and aneurysms. This work has been incredibly rewarding.”

Günel rapidly rose through the ranks, becoming a professor of neurosurgery, neurobiology, and genetics in 2008. Three years later, he received an inquiry that altered the direction of his research. A Turkish businessman named Mehmet Kutman posed an intriguing question: Would Günel be interested in studying brain tumor genetics? Gunel’s answer was an emphatic yes.

Kutman’s interest in brain tumors had been fueled when his friend and colleague, Gregory M. Kiez, was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme, one of the most complex, deadly, and treatment-resistant cancers. To address the great need for effective treatments, the Gregory M. Kiez and Mehmet Kutman Foundation provided a gift to launch the Yale Program in Brain Tumor Research. Under Günel’s direction, these efforts are unlocking the secrets of how brain tumors form—and how to treat them.

Named chair of neurosurgery in 2014, Günel set his sights on expanding the department’s surgical and research talent. A decade later, he has tripled the number of procedures performed. The department now has 34 ladder faculty; of these, 21 are neurosurgeons. “All of our surgeons are incredibly skilled,” he says. “No matter what neurological disease or problem arises, we have the expertise to treat it.” He’s also built an outstanding basic science program within the Department of Neurosurgery with eight PhDs or MD/PhDs who are ladder faculty. “For training, we accept two MDs or MD/PhDs every year,” he notes.

Another effort addresses issues of global public health. In 2022, Günel recruited Steven Schiff, MD, PhD, as vice chair for global health in neurosurgery. With a goal of treating and preventing deadly infant infections in the developing world, Schiff is launching the Center for Global Neurosurgery at YSM.

“There are so many exciting things happening here,” Günel sums up. “I tell students and residents: You’re in a place that is the best humanity can create. Take advantage of that. Surround yourself with smart people and learn from them.”

As Yale Medicine Board chair, Günel speaks enthusiastically about current initiatives, including making strong progress on aligning with Yale New Haven Health System to strengthen the position of both Yale Medicine, YSM’s faculty practice, and the Northeast Medical Group (NEMG), the health system’s affiliated network of community-based physicians. The “new and improved” faculty practice is expanding health care and building referrals throughout the state and beyond.

“Synergy between medical schools and hospitals is vitally important—it’s the ultimate driver of patient care,” explains Günel. “The alignment of our school and hospital has never been better, thanks to outstanding leadership at the hospital, medical school, and health system. This alignment enabled us to make exciting clinical and research programs a reality, even though we have more work to do to translate this to our front lines.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, YSM Dean Nancy J. Brown, MD, was inspired to create a multidisciplinary disaster response coordination team that included faculty from the medical school, Yale School of Engineering & Applied Science, the humanities, and many other disciplines. “Bringing these individuals together opened the door to communication, allowing us to build relationships with faculty members across the university, including our tech colleagues,” says Günel. “We continued to build on those relationships and now have collaborations with engineering and other departments.”

“Medicine is increasingly technology-dependent,” he adds. “We will all find greater success working together as a team.” To that end, the Department of Neurosurgery recently recruited its first engineer: Jiangbing Zhou, PhD, Nixdorff-German Professor of Neurosurgery and Biomedical Engineering. Zhou’s lab focuses on developing translational nanomedicine and gene and stem cell therapy, including investigation into a new gene editing therapy for Angelman syndrome, a rare, disabling genetic disorder that primarily affects the nervous system.

There are also exciting infrastructure projects on the horizon. Construction is underway on the 500,000-square-foot Adams Neurosciences Center on Yale New Haven Hospital’s Saint Raphael Campus. The facility comprises two towers and will focus on innovations in neuroscience from movement disorders to neuroregeneration, the regrowth or repair of nervous tissue, cells, or cell products. Günel believes this is the next era for neurosurgery.

“When brain function is lost due to Parkinson’s, stroke, brain tumors, or trauma, how are we going to bring this function back?” he asks. “That is what we are now focusing on. With the combined strengths of our basic neuroscience, neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry departments, Yale consistently ranks among the top medical schools in the country for NIH funding in neurosciences. We have an ambitious idea about an initiative to treat neuropsychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism: ‘From Molecules to Mind.’ It begins with the molecules, going all the way to clinical care in neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry.”

He adds: “We’re here to train the next generation—but as educators and clinicians, we cannot
exist without the science to build on. That’s why we are so focused on scientific discovery. Exceptional medical and surgical outcomes depend on it, as well as the expertise of our surgeons. These elements must work together, and no place does this better than Yale.”