Zerris Vasileios Neurosurgeon

Doctoral thesis

1998: Glial Derived Neurotrophic Factor Expression and Behavioral Testing after Striatal Gamma-Knife Lesioning of Hemi-Parkinsonian Rats. Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island.

Fellowship in Societies, Membership in Journal Editorial Committees

• 2012: Diplomate of the American Board of Neurological Surgery

• 2012: Fellow of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons

• 2011: Unrestricted acceptance into General Medical Council and specialty registry in the United Kingdom

Work Experience

• 2018 – Current: Chairman of Neurosurgery Hygeia Hospital

• 2017 – Current: Chairman of Pediatric Neurosurgery Iaso Children Hospital

• 2014 – 2018: Chairman of Neurosurgery and Founder of the unique Center for Pain & Spine Henry Dunant Hospital Center

• 2008 – 2012: Vice – Chairman Scott and White-Baylor Hospital System and Chief of Neurosurgery, University Medical Campus, Texas A & M University.

Administrative Achievement: Personally recruited 4 out of 5 of the neurosurgeons in the current neurosurgery department. Developed faculty recruitment and evaluation program. Developed neurosurgical clinical pathways. Was in charge of business development in the southern territories. Was in charge of clinical benchmarking and clinical review processes such as M&M, infection compliance etc.

• 2008 – 2012: Director of the Center for Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery, Scott and White Memorial Hospital, Texas A & M University.

Administrative Achievement: Set up and administered all of the day to day operations for the Center for Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery and the neurosurgical spine/pain service at Scott and White hospital. Amongst others, formulated Center Strategy, Goal Compliance and staff alignment.

• 2006: Chief Resident in Neurosurgery NEMC – Tufts University, USA

• 2005: Chief Resident in Neurosurgery BIDM – Harvard University, USA

• 2004: Chief Resident in Neurosurgery Lahey Clinic – Lahey Clinic Foundation, USA

• 1998 – 2000: Director, Movement Disorder Laboratory Neurosurgery Foundation, Brown University.

Hospital Appointments:

• Hygeia Hospital Athens, Greece

• Iaso Children’s Hospital Athens, Greece

• Henry Dunant Hospital Center Athens, Greece

• American Medical Center Nicosia, Cyprus

• Polyclinic Hygeia Limassol, Cyprus

• McClain Children Hospital Temple, TX, USA

• Scott & White Memorial Hospital Temple, TX, USA

• Hillcrest Hospital Waco, TX, USA

• Carl Clinic Foundation Hospitals Urbana, IL, USA

• Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard University Boston, MA, USA

• New England Medical Center, Tufts University Boston, MA, USA

• Lahey Clinic Burlington, MA, USA

• Rhode Island Hospital Providence, RI, USA

• Hasbro Children’s Hospital Providence, RI, USA

• Newton Wesley Hospital Boston, MA, USA

• Lemuel Shattuck Hospital Boston, MA, USA

Education Experience:

• Professor of Neurosurgery, European University of Cyprus

• Professor of Neurosurgery, State University of Cyprus

• Associate Professor of Neurosurgery, Baylor Scott and White Hospital, Texas A&M University, USA

• 2013 – 2014: Director of Medical School, Phase I & II. University of Cyprus-School of Medicine.

• 2010 – 2012: Program Director of Neurosurgical Education and Fellowship. Scott and White Memorial Hospital, Texas A & M University. In charge of all Educational Activities including Medical Student, Resident and Fellow Education for the Department of Neurosurgery. Administrative Achievement: Set up de novo the entire educational and training program in neurosurgery at Texas A & M University, including one of the very few Board approved combined Spine/Pain fellowships in the United States. In addition to creating the curriculum and teaching the fellows, I also arranged for all of the program funding.

• 2010 – 2012: Medical Student Clerkship Director for Neurosurgery Scott and White Memorial Hospital, Texas A & M University. Organized the entire curriculum/syllabus, taught the medical students and evaluated their performance during their clerkship.

• 2010 – 2012: Neurosurgical appointee for the hospital Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (AACGME) Committee. Participated in monthly ACGME hospital meetings and maintained compliance of Neurosurgical Educational Activities for Medical Students, Residents and Fellows with the national ACGME Guidelines. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (AACGME) is a private professional organization responsible for the accreditation of 8,887 residency education programs. The ACGME accredits residency programs in 133 specialty and subspecialty areas of medicine,, including all programs leading to primary Board certification by the 24 member boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties.

• 2008 – 2012: Assistant Professor of Surgery Scott and White Memorial Hospital, Texas A&M University.

• 2001 – 2006: Instructor in Neurological Surgery, Harvard University

• 2001 – 2006: Instructor in Neurological Surgery, Tufts University

Clinical & Research Interest

Clinical Interest:

• Adult and Pediatric Neurosurgery

Research Interest: 

• Principal Investigator: 450,000 $ Grant. Anaerobic bacteria as Tumor – Targeted Carriers for Oncolytic Cancer Therapy. A project in cooperation with the university of Nottingham. It sponsors and supervises a PhD student and investigates the efficacy of using bacterial spores as tumor specific carriers for chemotherapeutic and anti – angiogenic factors.

• Co – Investigator: Evidence Study – Re-operation vs. Spinal Cord Stimulation with Precision SCS System for failed back surgery.

• Co – Investigator: Medtronic Active Dystonia Therapy HUD- utilized for Parkinson and Psychiatric Disorders

• Co – Investigator: Infusion Systems – ITD system (intrathecal drug delivery system), Advanced Bionics Inc.

Honors & Awards

• 2016 – Present: Member of SOLAS

• 2007- Present: Multiple Philanthropic Donations in honour of MD to the Scott and White Foundation, Texas, USA

• 2003: Oliver Smith Award, New England Medical Centre

• 1996 – 2000: First student at Brown University to complete an M.D. and two additional graduate degrees (M.M.Sc. & M.P.H) within the four years of medical school

• 1996 – 2000: M.D. with academic distinction. Graduated from medical school in the outstanding category, the highest academic category at Brown University

• 2000: Stanley Aronson cash prize for the graduating medical student who excelled in the neurosciences

• 2000: Elected full member to SigmaXi honors science society

• 2000: New England Hellenic Medical Society research award

• 1998: Fist student at Brown University to be awarded a Master in Medical Science from the department of Neuroscience 

Books

• 2012 : Vasilios A Zerris MD MPH MSc, Howard Smith MD JD, Gerhard Friehs MD. Texas Jurisprudence Study Guide. Xlibris. 2012

Book chapters

• 2015: 1. Shucart, C.B. Heilman, R. Bhadelia, V.A. Zerris. Masses of the Lateral and Third Ventricles: Pathology, Imaging, and Treatment.In R.H. Wilkins, S. S. Rengachary. Neurosurgery, Third Edition. McGraw-Hill Publishing.

• 2011 : Donoghue JA, Bagley JH, Friehs GM, Zerris VA. Neuroprosthetics. In Winn Ed. Youmans Neurological Surgery, 2011. 1. B. Heilman, V.A. Zerris, C.A. David. Operative Approaches to Petroclival Tumors. In A. Nanda ed. Posterior Fossa: Surgical Management. Thieme, New York.

• 2005: V.A. Zerris, G.M Friehs, P. Sampath. Surgical Management of Injuries of the Cervical Spine and Spinal Cord. In HH Schmideck, WH Sweet, eds. Operative Neurosurgical Techniques. WB Saunders, Philadelphia, 2005

• 1999: G.M. Friehs, B.C. Walters, V.A. Zerris. Stereotactic Radiosurgery in the Treatment of Parkinson’s Disease. In J.K. Krauss, J. Jankovic, R.G. Grossman, eds. Movement Disorders Surgery. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 1999

Recent Publications

• 2016: Tsitskani M., Friehs G., Zerris V., Georgiades C. CT – Guided, Ethanol Sympatholysis for Primary Axillary – Palmar Hyperhidrosis. Cardiovasc Intervent Radiol. 2016 Dec. 39 (12): 1722–1727

• 2015: Safain MG, Burke SM, Riesenburger RI, Zerris V , Hwang SW. The effect of spinal osteotomics on spinal cord tension and dural buckling: a cadaveric study. J Neurosurg Spine. 2015 Apr 17:11-8.

• 2014: Roguski M, Safain MG, Zerris VA, Kryzanski JT, Thomas CB, Magge SN, Riesenburger RI. Pigmented villonodular synovitis of the thoracic spine. J Cl in Neurosci. 2014 Oct; 21(10):1679-85.

• 2010: Robin BN, Chaput CD, Zeitouni S,, Rahm MD, Zerris VA , Sampson HW. Cytokine-mediated inflammatory reaction following posterior cervical decompression and fusion with BMP. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2010 Nov 1; 35(23):E1350-4.

• 2009: Risenburger RI, Hwag SW, Zerris V , Wu JK, Mahn K, Kilmo Jr P, Mignano J, Thompson CK, Yao KC. Outcomes Following Single Treatment Gamma Knife Radiosurgery for Trigeminal Neuralgia with Minimum 3 Year Follow – up. J Neurosurg. 2009 Sep 25. 

• Heilman CB, Zerris VA. Images in clinical medicine. Combined – system disease. New England Journal of Medicine. 2009 Jun 18; 360(225):2655.

• 2007: G.M. Friehs, M.C. Park, V.A. Zerris, M.A. Goldman, G.C.Norén, P. Sampath. Stereotactic Radiosurgery For Functional Disorders. Neurosurg Focus. 2007; 23(66):E3. Review

• V.A. Zerris, K. James, C.B. Heilman. Comparison of the mechanical and biologic properties of three bovine derived dural substitutes. J Biomed Mater Res B Appl Biomater. 2007 Apr 26.

• C.M. Schirmer, V.Zerris, A.M. Malek. Electrocautery – induced ignition of spark showers and self – sustained combustion of onyx ethylene – vinyl alcohol copolymer. Neurosurgery. 2006 Oct; 59(4 Suppl 2):ONS413-8.

• 2005: Zerris VA, Noren GC, Shucart WA, Rogg J, Friehs GM. Targeting the Cranial Nerve: Microradiosurgery for Trigeminal Neuralgia with CISS and 3D-flash MR Imaging Sequences. J Neurosurg. 2005 Jan; 102 Suppl: 107 – 10.