Penn State Health physicians earn recognition from North American Skull Base Society

Penn State Health’s skull base team was designated a Multidisciplinary Team of Distinction by the North American Skull Base Society – one of just 45 such programs in North America that received the recognition. This award recognizes institutions that have experts of different specialties who treat skull base diseases, such as tumors, facial nerve paralysis, hearing loss and dizziness.

Skull base surgery is among the most difficult of surgical subspecialties. Surgeons perform intricate procedures while navigating a small area that houses important nerves and blood vessels in the brain, head, neck and spine.

“Skull base tumors can’t be resolved by a simple surgery or a single specialist,” said Dr. Kevin Cockroft, interim chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at Penn State College of Medicine. “Our team works together to create a personalized plan of care for each patient grounded in an interdisciplinary approach.”

“We are proud to have earned this recognition from the  North American Skull Base Society,” said Dr. David Goldenberg, professor and chair of the Department of Otolaryngology ─ Head and Neck Surgery. “It is a direct result of the partnership between our otolaryngology and neurosurgery teams to create a center that provides world-class, expert care.”

Penn State Health joins some prestigious programs on the 2022 list, including MD Anderson Cancer Center, Mayo Clinic and the University of Pittsburgh.

Penn State Health’s skull base team includes: 

Endocrinology:

Andrea Manni, MD

Chris Y. Fan, MD

Shyam Narayana, MBBS, MPH

Facial plastic and reconstructive surgery:

Jessyka Lighthall, MD, FACS

Head and neck oncology:

Neerav Goyal, MD, MPH, FACS

Pediatric otolaryngology:

Meghan Wilson, MD

Neurosurgery:

Brad Zacharia, MD, MS

Gregory Arnone, MD

Ephraim Church, MD

Diana Jho, MD

Alireza Mansouri, MD

James McInerney, MD

Elias Rizk, MD

Michael D. Sather, MD

Neuro-oncology:

Dawit Aregawi, MD

Michael Glantz, MD, PhD

Neurotology/otology:

Mark Whitaker, MD, FACS

Ophthalmology/oculofacial plastic surgery:

Christopher Weller, MD

Michael Wilkinson, MD

Radiation oncology:

Mitchell Machtay, MD

Sean Mahase, MD

Leonard Tuanquin, MD

Rhinology:

Johnathan McGinn, MD, FACS

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