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Dennis Spencer, MD

Harvey and Kate Cushing Professor Emeritus and Senior Research Scientist of Neurosurgery
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Additional Titles

Director Epilepsy Research, Neurosurgery

About

Titles

Harvey and Kate Cushing Professor Emeritus and Senior Research Scientist of Neurosurgery

Director Epilepsy Research, Neurosurgery

Biography

Dr. Spencer is the Harvey and Kate Cushing Professor and former Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at Yale University School of Medicine. He is a graduate of Washington University School of Medicine and completed his neurosurgical residency at Yale in 1977. He joined the Yale neurosurgery faculty following his residency, and became Chief of neurosurgery in 1987. He has an international reputation in the surgical treatment of neurological diseases causing epilepsy and developed a widely used neocortical sparing surgical approach for patients with temporal lobe epilepsy.

The primary focus of Dr. Spencer's clinical work is surgery for medically intractable epilepsy, seizure disorders associated with brain tumors, and pituitary tumors. Besides chairing the Department of Neurosurgery, he directs the Epilepsy Surgery and Pituitary Tumor Programs.

His research has brought together basic scientists and clinicians around a program concerning energetics, glutamate metabolism and the neurobiological study of human epileptogenic tissue. Study techniques include 4T MRS, C13 intraoperative glucose turnover studies, and in vivo and in vitro electrophysiology and microdialysis, immunohistochemistry, confocal and EM microscopy, and molecular biology. In particular, laboratory discoveries are correlated with the epileptogenic substrate in order to help define human epilepsy pathogenesis and potential therapies.

Dr. Spencer was the 1999 recipient of the American Epilepsy Society's Research Award in Clinical Investigation, and the 2006 Society of Neurological Surgeons' Grass Award for Excellence in Research. He is past Chairman of the American Board of Neurological Surgery, Vice Chairman of the Neurosurgery Residency Review Committee, President of both the American Epilepsy Society (2008) and the Society of Neurological Surgeons (2007-2008), and he served as interim Dean of the Yale School of Medicine 2003-2004.

Appointments

Education & Training

Chief Resident
Yale-New Haven Medical Center (1976)
Resident
Yale-New Haven Hospital (1975)
Fellow
Yale University School of Medicine (1975)
Intern
Barnes Hospital, St. Louis, MO (1972)
MD
Washington University (1971)

Board Certifications

  • Neurological Surgery

    Certification Organization
    AB of Neurological Surgery
    Original Certification Date
    1980

Research

Overview

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)

Electrophysiology; Epilepsy; Immunohistochemistry; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; Microdialysis; Microscopy, Confocal; Microscopy, Electron; Molecular Biology; Neurobiology; Neurosurgery; Pituitary Neoplasms

Research at a Glance

Yale Co-Authors

Frequent collaborators of Dennis Spencer's published research.

Publications

2024

2023

Clinical Trials

Current Trials

Academic Achievements & Community Involvement

  • honor

    Grass Foundation Award

  • honor

    Invited speaker at Council of Deans

  • honor

    Clinical Investigator Award

Get In Touch

Contacts

Academic Office Number
Appointment Number
Office Fax Number
Clinic Fax Number
Mailing Address

Neurosurgery

PO Box 208082

New Haven, CT 06520-8082

United States