Dr. Issam Awad, MD

Expert Publications

• De novo development of a cavernous malformation of the spinal cord following spinal axis radiation. Case report.
• Comparative localization of auditory comprehension by using functional magnetic resonance imaging and cortical stimulation.
• Toward more rational prediction of outcome in patients with high-grade subarachnoid hemorrhage.
• Carotid endarterectomy prevention strategies and complications management.
• Parenchymal perianeurysmal cystic changes in the brain: report of five cases.
• Stereotactic computed tomographic-guided aspiration and thrombolysis of intracerebral hematoma : protocol and preliminary experience.
• Case problems conference: thoracic spinal cord hernia.
• Ultrastructural pathological features of cerebrovascular malformations: a preliminary report.
• Therapeutic carotid occlusion: current management paradigms.
• Intraoperative endovascular treatment as an adjunct to microsurgical clipping of paraclinoid aneurysms.
• Impact of Guglielmi detachable coils on outcomes of patients with intracranial aneurysms treated by a multidisciplinary team at a single institution.
• The MetaFam Server: a comprehensive protein family resource.
• PANAL: an integrated resource for Protein sequence ANALysis.
• Which aneurysms should be referred for endovascular therapy?
• Expression of endothelial cell angiogenesis receptors in human cerebrovascular malformations.

Media Releases

Get to know Neurological Surgeon Dr. Issam Awad, who serves patients in Chicago, Illinois.

In practice since 1986, Dr. Awad is an internationally recognized leader in neurosurgery. He is skilled in the surgical management of neurovascular conditions affecting the brain and spinal cord, including cerebral aneurysms, cerebrovascular malformations, carotid surgery, hemorrhagic stroke, and skull base tumors. 

At UChicago Medicine, he leads the Neurovascular Surgery Program and co-leads the Stroke and Neurovascular Care team. Dr. Awad is the Director of the Safadi Center of Excellence in Clinical and Translational Neuroscience, and the Centers of Excellence for Cerebral Cavernous Malformations (CCM) and Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia (HHT). He is also The John Harper Seeley Professor of Neurological Surgery at the University of Chicago.

His research focuses on vascular biology, genetics, and comprehensive outcome analysis in neurovascular disease and stroke. His active projects include National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded investigations of molecular mechanisms involved in the formation and progression of cerebrovascular malformations. Additionally, he leads several clinical trials on minimally invasive techniques for surgical treatment of hemorrhagic stroke and novel drug therapies for Cavernous Angiomas With Symptomatic Hemorrhage (CASH).

With his research contributions having spanned several decades, his scientific innovations include the characterization of subcortical ischemic lesions in the aged, advances in the understanding of the natural history and biologic behavior of cerebral vascular malformations, and numerous technical advances in neurovascular and epilepsy surgery.

After completing his secondary studies in Lebanon, Dr. Award pursued his college education in the United States, receiving his Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry (Summa Cum Laude) in 1976, his Master of Science degree in Biochemistry in 1979, and Doctor of Medicine degree in 1980, all from Loma Linda University in California. He then went on to perform his internship at Loma Linda University Medical Center, his residency at Cleveland Clinic, and his fellowship at Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh; Barrow Neurological Institute.

An authority in his field, he is board-certified in neurological surgery through the American Board of Neurological Surgery (ABNS). The broad aim of the ABNS is to encourage the study, improve the practice, elevate the standards, and advance the science of neurological surgery and thereby serve the cause of public health.

In good standing with a number of professional organizations, Dr. Award is an active member of the New England Neurosurgical Society, the International Platform Association, the Society of Neurological Surgeons, the North American Skull Base Society, the New York Academy of Sciences, Société de Neurochirurgie de Langue Française, the World Association of Lebanese Neurosurgeons, the Yale Surgical Society, the American Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery, the World Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery, the International College of Surgeons, the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, the American Academy of Neurological Surgeons, the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, the American College of Surgeons, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, the American Epilepsy Society, the American Society of Neuroimaging, the American Heart Association, the Chicago Neurological Society, the Chicago Medical Society, the Chilean Society of Neurosurgery, the Chicago Society for Neuroscience, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Recognized as a pioneering and productive scholar, Dr. Awad has educated scores of neurosurgeon trainees and holds prominent editorial responsibilities. He has authored leading textbooks and has published more than 350 scholarly papers related to clinical innovations, surgical outcomes, and research.

Additionally, he has been elected to some of the most distinguished professional societies and has held leadership positions in professional and learned societies in the United States and around the world. He has served as president of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, chairman of the Cerebrovascular Section of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and Congress of Neurological Surgeons, on the executive committee of the American Stroke Association, and on the board of governors of the American College of Surgeons. 

Regularly included on the list of the “Best Doctors in America”, Dr. Awad serves in the U.S. National Council for Neurological Disorders and Stroke, and is the Founding Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board of Angioma Alliance. 

Happily married, he met his lifelong partner, Catherine, while in Cleveland. They enjoy biking, traveling, and the friendship of colleagues and their families throughout the world.

On a more personal note, Dr. Awad speaks several languages, including English, French, and Arabic.

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