Okonkwo Named Chair of AANS/CNS Joint Section on Neurotrauma and Critical Care

David Okonkwo, MD, PhD, director of the Neurotrauma Clinical Trials Center at UPMC, has been named chair of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons/Congress of Neurological Surgeons Joint Section on Neurotrauma and Critical Care. 

The AANS/CNS Neurotrauma and Critical Care Section provides a forum for education and research on trauma and critical care of the nervous system. The section represents and coordinates activities for AANS/CNS on matters relating to trauma, critical care, and sports medicine.

Dr. Okonkwo’s clinical interests include traumatic brain and spine injuries, as well as scoliosis and spinal deformities. His research focuses on biomarker development, advanced neuroimaging modalities, and novel therapeutic interventions for brain and spinal cord injury. He is the principal investigator of a national clinical research network (TRACK-TBI) that is advancing our understanding of TBI treatment, and is the principal investigator of several neurotrauma clinical trials in Pittsburgh.