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About Alexander A. Khalessi, MD, MBA

Alexander Khalessi, MD, MBA, is a board-certified neurosurgeon who specializes in complex cranial surgery, endovascular neurosurgery, stroke care, and neurological oncology. He is chair of the Department of Neurological Surgery, professor of neurological surgery, radiology and neurosciences and the inaugural Don and Karen Cohn Chancellor's Endowed Chair in Neurosurgery. Dr. Khalessi is the current president of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS), the leading academic society for neurosurgical professionals worldwide.

Dr. Khalessi provides both open surgical and minimally invasive, catheter-based approaches to complex neurosurgical conditions, including brain tumors, aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations (AVM), carotid disease and ischemic stroke. He is passionate about finding innovative, personalized solutions that result in the best possible outcomes for his patients, and is consistently named a "Top Doc" in the annual San Diego Magazine "Physicians of Exceptional Excellence" survey. Dr. Khalessi has been named a Castle Connolly Top Doctor of San Diego for the second year in a row which distinguishes him in the top 7% of doctors across the nation.

An active clinical leader in the field of neurosurgery and the treatment of cerebrovascular disease, Dr. Khalessi holds several national leadership positions. In addition to his role as CNS president, he serves on the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS)/CNS' Washington Committee and sits on the Board of Governors for the American College of Surgeons.

Additionally, Dr. Khalessi is a founding member of the Medical Device Innovation Consortium and advises the FDA on early clinical feasibility for emerging neurovascular devices. He further served as a charter member of the NIH Interventional Advisory Panel for StrokeNet, which provides scientific oversight for federally funded research in neurovascular disease. Dr. Khalessi has been selected by his UC peers to serve as ascending vice chair of the UC Health Stroke and Cerebrovascular Consortium, which unites experts across all six UC campuses.

A dedicated educator, Dr. Khalessi has directed national and international training courses, including the intermediate resident course for the Society of Neurological Surgeons (SNS). He served on the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), Residency Review Committee (RRC) for Neurological Surgery, and editorial board for the Journal of Graduate Medical Education. Dr. Khalessi also participated in the authorship of the ACGME Neurosurgery and Endovascular Surgical Neuroradiology Milestone Projects.

Dr. Khalessi is widely published, authoring more than 150 peer-reviewed papers and monographs and more than 230 abstracts and presentations. He has served as principal or co-investigator of more than 25 clinical trials and grants. His research has spurred advances in the catheter-based treatment of ischemic stroke, endoscopic treatment of intracerebral hemorrhage, multi-modal treatment of cerebral aneurysms and AVMs and complex surgical approaches to brain tumors.

Dr. Khalessi earned his medical degree at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and completed his neurosurgical residency at the University of Southern California, including an enfolded endovascular neurosurgery fellowship at State University of New York Buffalo. He obtained a bachelor's degree in public policy and master's degree in health services research from Stanford University, and holds a master's degree in business administration from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Sloan School of Management.

Outside of work, Dr. Khalessi enjoys spending time with his wife Sara, a lawyer, and their two young sons.

UC San Diego Health Links

For more information, see Stroke Care and Neurological Care.

Medical DegreeJohns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MDResidencyUniversity of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CAFellowshipSUNY Buffalo School of Medicine, Buffalo, NYMaster's DegreeMassachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
GenderMale
LanguagesFarsiSpanish
Date Joined Staff2011-08-11
Board Certifications
American Board of Neurological Surgery
Conditions and Treatments
  • Skull Base Surgery
  • Extracranial Carotid Disease Management
  • Intracranial Aneurysms
  • Neurotrauma and Critical Care
  • Mechanical Thrombectomy for Ischemic Stroke
  • Spontaneous Intracranial Hemorrhage and Endoscopic Evacuation
  • Brain Tumors
  • Stroke
  • Cerebrovascular Accident
  • Concussion
  • Open Cranial Surgery
  • Neuro-Oncology
  • Head Injury
  • Endovascular Neurosurgery
  • Endovascular Treatment of Stroke
  • Fluorescence-Guided Surgery
  • Metastatic Brain Tumors
  • Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia (HHT)
  • Trigeminal Neuralgia
Cancer
Neurosurgery
Top Docs

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Videos

Meet Alexander Khalessi, MD: Neurosurgeon and Chair of Neurological Surgery

Meet Alexander Khalessi, MD: Neurosurgeon and Chair of Neurological Surgery

Open Payments Program Notification

For informational purposes only, a link to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Open Payments web page is provided here. The federal Physician Payments Sunshine Act requires that detailed information about payment and other payments of value worth over ten dollars ($10) from manufacturers of drugs, medical devices, and biologics to physicians and teaching hospitals be made available to the public.

View Open Payments Data for Dr. Khalessi