New Neurosurgical Director Named

Georgios Zenonos, MD, has been named neurosurgical director of the Center for Cranial Base Surgery, Pituitary Center of Excellence, and Center for Cranial Nerve Disorders at the UPMC Neurological Institute. He also is an associate professor of neurological surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Zenonos joined the UPMC Department of Neurosurgery in 2019 after receiving extensive formal sub-specialization training. He is one of a handful of neurosurgeons to have completed two fellowships in skull base surgery: one focusing on endoscopic and minimally invasive approaches, and the other focusing on complex cranial base neurosurgery and cerebrovascular neurosurgery.

Dr. Zenonos has published extensively, given numerous presentations nationally and internationally, and is frequently invited by prominent neurosurgical journals to be a scientific reviewer. In this role, he will further leverage his experience and work closely with his colleagues to further advance the work of the UPMC Neurological Institute, particularly the Skull Base Surgery program.

In the late 1970s, Eugene Myers, MD, then chair of the Department of Otolaryngology at the University of Pittsburgh, and Joseph Maroon, MD, a prominent neurosurgeon in the Department of Neurosurgery, began to collaborate on treating complex tumors and lesions located at the skull base — the deep and anatomically intricate area separating the brain from the face, sinuses, and neck.

At that time, no formal subspecialty or surgical approach existed for many of these challenging cases, which often involved both intracranial and extracranial components. Traditional neurosurgical approaches were limited, and outcomes were often poor.

Recognizing the need for a multidisciplinary approach, Dr. Myers and Dr. Maroon combined their respective surgical skills to create a team capable of accessing and removing tumors previously deemed inoperable.

Their collaboration evolved into a formal Skull Base Surgery Program at UPMC. They refined combined craniofacial and skull base techniques, which integrated:

• Microsurgical principles.
• Reconstructive and vascularized flap techniques.
• Innovative approaches to the anterior, middle, and posterior cranial fossae.

This teamwork model — uniting neurosurgeons and head and neck surgeons in a single operative field — was revolutionary and later became a global standard of care.

By the 1980s, the University of Pittsburgh became internationally recognized for pioneering:

• Craniofacial and skull base tumor resections.
• Refined microsurgical and reconstructive methods.
• Training programs for international fellows and residents.

Dr. Myers and Dr. Maroon, along with colleagues such as Peter Jannetta, MD; L. Dade Lunsford, MD; and Laligam Sekhar , MD, contributed to expanding the program’s reputation. They hosted skull base surgery courses, published landmark papers, and helped establish the North American Skull Base Society (NASBS), solidifying Pittsburgh’s leadership in the field.

UPMC’s skull base team was among the first to:

• Apply computer-assisted navigation and intraoperative imaging.
• Use endoscopic and minimally invasive skull base approaches.
• Develop multidisciplinary tumor boards for complex cranial base pathologies.

The Pittsburgh model of skull base surgery — based on collaboration, anatomical mastery, and innovation — became a template emulated by major academic medical centers worldwide.

UPMC’s skull base surgery program remains a world leader, continuing the pioneering work of Dr. Myers and Dr. Maroon. It integrates neurosurgery, otolaryngology, plastic surgery, radiation oncology, and radiology, maintaining Pittsburgh’s legacy as a birthplace of modern skull base surgery.