Joseph D. Ciacci, MD

Joseph Ciacci, MD, is a board-certified neurosurgeon with extensive experience in neuro-oncology of the spine and brain. Dr. Ciacci's primary interests are tumors of the spine and brain, complex spinal reconstruction, and stereotactic radiosurgery, a form of radiation therapy that focuses high-power energy on a small area of the body.

As a professor in the Department of Neurological Surgery, Dr. Ciacci instructs medical students, residents and fellows at UC San Diego School of Medicine. He also directs the Neurosurgery Residency Program.

In addition, Dr. Ciacci conducts clinical trials on treatments for spinal cord injury, including neural stem cell transplantation.

Dr. Ciacci was on the faculty at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine for nine years prior to joining the faculty at UC San Diego Health. He also has been a visiting professor and delivered lectures throughout the U.S. and internationally.

He completed neuro-oncology fellowships at UCLA and the National Institutes of Health, completed his residency at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, and interned at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. He earned his medical degree from University of Buffalo, SUNY School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. He is board certified in neurological surgery.

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