Surgeon Profiles
Robert M. Friedlander, MD
- Chairman
- Department of Neurological Surgery
- Professor
- Neurological Surgery
Areas of Interest
- Carotid endarterectomy
- Cerebrovascular surgery
- Complex brain and spinal cord tumors
- Neuronal cell death
Biography
Robert M. Friedlander, MD, is chairman of the Department of Neurological Surgery and professor of
neurological surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. His clinical interests
include cerebrovascular disease and carotid endarterectomy as well as complex brain and spinal cord
tumors. Before joining UPMC in 2010, Dr. Friedlander was professor of neurosurgery at Harvard Medical
School and vice chairman of neurosurgery and associate director of cerebrovascular surgery at Brigham and
Women’s Hospital in Boston, among many other academic and clinical roles. During his long association
with Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, Dr. Friedlander earned his medical
degree with honors, completed an internship in general surgery, and served a residency in neurological
surgery.
Dr. Friedlander is prominent as both a scientist and clinician — evidenced by his contributions to
such journals as the New England Journal of Medicine, Nature, Science, and Nature
Medicine. Author of more than 59 peer-reviewed research papers, he is a frequent invited lecturer
around the world. His numerous awards include the most prestigious awards for trainees in neurosurgery
from both the Congress of Neurological Surgeons and the American Academy of Neurological Surgeons.
In addition, he has received the Bayer Cerebrovascular Award and the International Charcot Prize for
Motor Neuron Diseases.
