Elected: 2012

Gregory J. Zipfel was born in Peoria, IL on February 2, 1969. He received his B.S. degree from the University of Illinois in 1991 and his M.D. degree from Northwestern University in 1995. He served as a neurosurgery resident at the University of Florida under the mentorship of Drs. Albert Rhoton and Arthur Day and as a cerebrovascular and skull base surgery fellow at the University of Miami under the mentorship of Drs. Roberto Heros and Jacques Morcos. He also completed a post-doctoral research fellowship at Washington University in St. Louis in the world-renowned brain ischemia laboratory of Dr. Dennis Choi.

Following training, Dr. Zipfel was recruited to Washington University in St. Louis in 2004. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 2011, Professor in 2015, and Chair of the Department in 2019. In addition, he serves as neurosurgeon-in-chief at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and is the inaugural holder of the Ralph G. Dacey Distinguished Endowed Chair at Washington University. 

Dr. Zipfel focuses his practice on the surgical management of cerebrovascular disease and skull base tumors. He also directs the Cerebrovascular Research Program in the Department of Neurosurgery at Washington University. This program has three primary areas of interest: 1) Examining the impact of vascular oxidative stress on Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, and other cognitive disorders; 2) Exploring the molecular basis and developing novel therapeutics for subarachnoid hemorrhage-induced brain injury; and 3) Determining and classifying the pathophysiology, natural history, and treatment of dural arteriovenous fistulae. Dr. Zipfel’s research has been continuously funded by the NIH since 2005 and has been supported by numerous other foundations including the American Heart Association, American Health Assistance Foundation, Brain Aneurysm Foundation, and Neurosurgery Research & Education Foundation. His CV lists over 250 peer-reviewed publications – primarily in the areas of cerebrovascular surgery, brain aneurysms, vascular malformations, and vascular dementia.

Dr. Zipfel is also a dedicated neurosurgical educator and leader. He serves as PI of the Washington University R25 grant to support neurosurgery resident research, co-PI of the national K12 neurosurgery research career development program, and founder and director of the Academy Emerging Investigator Program. He has served as visiting professor at >25 universities, was member and co-chair of the editorial board of the Journal of Neurosurgery, served as Chair of the Joint Cerebrovascular Section of the AANS/CNS, and is currently serving in several leadership roles in the Society of Neurological Surgeons, the American Academy of Neurological Surgery, and the Neurosurgery Research and Education Foundation.