About Me

I am pleased to have the opportunity to present my credentials to you and share other information about myself. It's very important that you feel comfortable with your neurosurgeon, and I hope this page will help you learn more about me and my practice.

Biography

I came to the U.S. with my family from Greece when I was 5 years old. Growing up in New Jersey, I was always interested in science and enjoyed those courses in school the most. As my education progressed I was drawn to medicine by the intellectual rigor of the field and the opportunity to help people. Once in medical school, I found myself most interested in surgery and was attracted to neurosurgery by the complex and delicate nature of the surgeries. My neurosurgical training at the Cleveland Clinic prepared me superbly for my rewarding and challenging practice here at Kaiser Permanente. When I am away from work I love spending time with my wife and three children. We love to ski in the winter and vacation in tropical settings in the summer. I spend as much time as work allows with my family; children grow up so quickly.

About my practice

One of the best parts of medical practice is meeting new people and developing relationships with them. In surgery the doctor-patient relationship is very important, since a patient must trust me a great deal to allow me to treat his or her disease surgically. In my role as the chief of neurosurgery here at our San Diego Medical Center, and as the regional neurosurgical skull base surgeon, I am privileged to have dedicated staff and colleagues with whom to work. My partner, a head and neck skull base surgeon/neurotologist, and I comprise the Skull Base Surgery Center of Excellence for Kaiser Permanente Southern California. We are closely affiliated with UC San Diego and train neurosurgical residents and neurotology fellows in these complex surgeries. In fact, we are an integral part of one of only 15 accredited neurotology fellowship programs in the U.S. With the volume of patients we care for and our academic affiliation, we conduct clinical research, present papers at meetings, and publish papers in journals.

How I thrive

Balancing work, family, and health are very important to me. I exercise on a regular basis to stay healthy and reduce stress. The time spent with my family is a great source of joy for me. Helping my children grow up and succeed is rewarding and fun.