University Hospitals Welcomes Neurosurgeon Stanley Bazarek, MD, PhD

Innovations in Neurology & Neurosurgery | Fall 2024

Stanley Bazarek, MD, PhD

This summer, neurosurgeon Stanley Bazarek, MD, PhD, joined the University Hospitals Neurological Institute. He specializes in disorders of the spine and peripheral nervous system and has published extensively about reconstruction following neurological injury. 

“Dr. Bazarek joins us from Massachusetts General Brigham and Harvard University, where he worked with world-renowned researchers on spinal nerve regeneration and recovery after injury,” says Nicholas C. Bambakidis, MD, Director and Vice President of the UH Neurological Institute, and the Harvey Huntington Brown Jr. Chair in Neurosurgery. “He is a transformative talent and an example of the type of recruits we are able to bring to our institute who are poised to be world leaders in the near future.”

An Assistant Professor at School of Medicine, Dr. Bazarek returns to the university two decades after graduating with a degree in biomedical engineering. “I started at the U.S. Air Force Academy and studied aerospace engineering for two years,” he says. “I realized I wanted to be on the biological and medical side and transferred to Case, which is very well known for the strength of its biomedical engineering program.” 

Dr. Bazarek has dedicated his career to restoring function following neurological injury. After earning his graduate degree in neuroscience exploring the use of neural stem cells for brain repair and his medical degree at the Chicago Medical School/Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, he completed his neurosurgical training at Harvard Medical School and a residency at Brigham & Women’s and Boston Children’s Hospital. That included advanced specialty training in complex spine surgery at Brigham & Women’s Hospital and peripheral nerve and reconstructive neurosurgery at Massachusetts General Hospital. He also completed a research fellowship in Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology at Harvard University.

In 2020, Dr. Bazarek joined the Massachusetts General Paralysis Center, where he performed surgical techniques to “rewire” the nervous system for functional recovery under the mentorship of internationally acclaimed neurosurgeon Justin Brown, MD. The duo published several articles on the use of nerve transfers for recovery of upper extremity function for tetraplegic patients, surgical interventions for focal spasticity and nerve transfers for bladder function. 

Establishing the Peripheral Nerve Surgery Center

Along with University Hospitals’ expert neuromuscular team, led by David Preston, MD, and Christopher Geiger, DO, Dr. Bazarek has formed the University Hospitals Peripheral Nerve Surgery Center to provide leading-edge diagnosis and treatment of peripheral nerve injuries and disorders, including reconstructive strategies for spinal cord and brachial plexus injuries. 

“University Hospitals has the second-largest neurology residency program in the nation behind Harvard,” Dr. Bazarek says. “The UH Neurological Institute has one of the best neuromuscular neurology teams in the country and is a leader in diagnostic ultrasound and electromyography. This is an excellent group, and a high level of synergy between neurology and surgery is necessary to develop a robust platform of caring for patients with peripheral spinal nerve disorders.” 

Adancing collaborative biomedical research

Dr. Bazarek also remains active in clinical and bench research to investigate novel strategies to enhance neural reconstruction. He is partnering with neuroscientist Paul J. Tesar, PhD, to investigate the transplantation of human stem cell-derived motor neurons to reinnervate and preserve the health of damaged nerves and muscles.

“One of the major problems we have with nerve injury is muscle death,” he says. “By taking human stem cells, turning them into neurons and transplanting them into nerves, we hope to halt that process and maintain nerve and muscle viability.”

Dr. Bazarek is also working with the world-class neural engineering team at the Cleveland Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) Center, a consortium established in 1991 among University Hospitals, Case Western Reserve University, MetroHealth Medical Center, the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center and the Cleveland Clinic Neurological Institute to help advance the translation of neural interfacing technology into clinical practice. The FES Center is led by Executive Director Robert Kirsch, PhD, one of Dr. Bazarek’s early career mentors. 

“I am particularly excited at the opportunity to join the center’s brilliant team of researchers and clinicians on the ReHAB (Reconnecting the Hand and Arm to Brain) project and help implant the electrodes in the next patient,” Dr. Bazarek says. “The REHAB project involves the implantation of electrodes in the brain and arm of a paralyzed patient to record and decipher brain signals/commands and then execute the desired movement through electrical stimulation of the limb.” Inspired by a segment on 60 Minutes, an anonymous donor pledged $4.5 million in 2023 to expand the groundbreaking reanimation study.

A Welcome Return to Cleveland

A Chicago native, Dr. Bazarek is happy to relocate to the Midwest and is enjoying Cleveland’s accessibility. He is also excited to return to University Hospitals and Case Western Reserve University.

“There is such a rich research history between these two world-renowned academic medical institutions,” he says. “In terms of achieving both my clinical and research goals of advancing the field of neuro-restoration, this is the place to be. I can’t say enough about this opportunity.”

For more information, contact Dr. Bazarek at Stanley.Bazarek@UHhospitals.org.

Contributing Experts:
Stanley Bazarek, MD, PhD
Neurosurgeon
University Hospitals Neurological Institute
Assistant Professor
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine

Nicholas C. Bambakidis, MD
Vice President and Director
University Hospitals Neurological Institute
Harvey Huntington Brown, Jr. Chair in Neurosurgery
University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center
Professor
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine