Please see the dedicated biography page of Dr. Aaron Cohen-Gadol for more information.

Elected: 2019
Aaron A. Cohen-Gadol (Cohen) is a professor and Vice Chairman of Innovation at the USC Department of Neurological Surgery. He also is the founder and president of The Neurosurgical Atlas (www.neurosurgicalatlas.com), the world's leading educational association for microsurgical techniques, which is a platform for introduction and dissemination of innovative neurosurgical techniques. The Atlas has more than 70,000 members and receives more than 2,800 visits per day. The Atlas is considered the Bible of Neurosurgery.

The Scandinavian Neurosurgical Society awarded Dr. Cohen its prestigious Vilhelm Magnus Medal—1 of only 11 medals ever awarded—for his preeminent contributions in pioneering brain surgeries that have transformed patient outcomes worldwide. He has published more than 560 peer-reviewed papers in respected journals. These innovations have advanced the field of neurosurgery and the outcome of surgery for many patients.

Dr. Cohen performed his undergraduate and medical school studies at the University of California, San Diego, and the University of Southern California, respectively. He then completed his residency training at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He also completed fellowship training in two subspecialties, epilepsy surgery (Yale University) and skull base/cerebrovascular surgery (University of Arkansas). Dr. Cohen has a Masters Degree in Clinical Research from Mayo Graduate School and an MBA from the Kelley School of Business.

His areas of interest include surgical treatment of complex intracranial tumors and vascular lesions. His clinical research interests include neurosurgical operative anatomy using virtual reality and advanced three-dimensional modeling, innovative operative approaches to deep lesions, and intraoperative fluorescence/mass spectroscopy. His basic science research is focused on novel drug therapies for glioblastoma. 

He is also the Associate Editor-in-Chief for Neurosurgical Focus and a member of the American Academy of Neurological Surgery. He was elected as a member-at-large for the Board of Directors of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons.

Dr. Cohen and his wife (Isabelle Saparzadeh) have three children, Lianna, Serene, and Aaron. They enjoy many outdoor activities. As refugees who arrived in the United States in 1988, the Cohen family is especially grateful for the opportunities provided to them in this great country and consider themselves very proud American citizens.