Newswise — Corey Raffel, MD, PhD (43209), has been named chief of Neurosurgery at Nationwide Children's Hospital, effective December 1. Dr. Raffel also holds an academic appointment as Professor of Neurosurgery at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. He joins the Nationwide Children's Neurosurgery program alongside Ed Kosnik, MD, and Scott Elton, MD.
As chief, Dr. Raffel will step into the role held by Dr. Kosnik, Nationwide Children's nationally renowned neurosurgeon, since 1986. This leadership transition will enable Dr. Kosnik to return full-time to advancing the program's clinical practice, which has grown dramatically in the last two decades. Dr. Elton, who has been with Nationwide Children's since 2001, will continue his role as staff neurosurgeon, providing outstanding clinical care, while rededicating a portion of his time to furthering his academic career.
"Dr. Raffel brings a history of NIH-funded research to complement an already powerful clinical program," said Steve Allen, MD, chief executive officer of Nationwide Children's Hospital. "We are so pleased to have someone of his caliber in our Neurosurgery program."
Allen added, "Words cannot adequately express my appreciation for Dr. Kosnik's leadership and his continuing commitment to building our Neurosurgery program."
Dr. Raffel, 54, comes to Nationwide Children's with more than 12-years experience at the world-renowned Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. While at Mayo Clinic, he held ranks as an attending staff consultant at the Mayo Eugenio Litta Children's Hospital and was Professor of Neurosurgery at the Mayo College of Medicine. Dr. Raffel held a position that combined basic science research into the molecular biology and molecular genetics of medulloblastoma with clinical care of pediatric neurosurgery patients. He has been awarded two individual investigator awards from the NIH for his work, and has been the recipient of a number of private foundation grants.
Dr. Raffel graduated from Harvard University in 1974 and attended the University of California-San Diego from 1974-1980. During that time, he received both his MD and PhD in Biology. Dr. Raffel did his general surgery internship and neurosurgery residency at the University of California-San Francisco (UCSF). He remains proud that he completed his training under the tutelage of Charles Wilson, MD. Dr. Raffel then did a fellowship in pediatric neurosurgery spending six months at the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, working with Harold Hoffman, MD, Robin Humphreys, MD, and Bruce Hendrick, MD, and a further six months back at UCSF, where he worked with Michael Edwards, MD.
After completion of his fellowship, Dr. Raffel joined the faculty of the University of Southern California (USC) under the Chairmanship of Martin Weiss, MD, and was stationed at the Children's Hospital, Los Angeles. He spent eight years on the USC faculty during which time he obtained the rank of Associate Professor. While at USC, Dr. Raffel divided his time between clinical pediatric neurosurgery and research on the molecular genetics of medulloblastoma.
Dr. Raffel is board-certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery (1990) and the American Board of Pediatric Neurological Surgery (1996). He is a member of numerous professional and community societies including the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, American Society of Pediatric Neurosurgeons, American College of Surgeons, American Academy of Neurological Surgeons, and the American Brain Tumor Association where he currently sits on the Scientific Advisory Council.
Dr. Raffel has published more than 80 peer-reviewed articles, written over 30 book chapters and has presented at more than 100 national and international meetings.
His research interests include tumor suppressor genes and oncogenes in medulloblastoma, tumor stem cells in medulloblastoma, and oncolytic viral therapy for pediatric brain tumors. He has special interest in the surgical treatment of brain tumors and epilepsy.
Dr. Raffel and his wife, Kathy Raffel, are the parents of two children, Forrest and Colin. The Raffel family looks forward to their lives in Columbus. Dr. Raffel said he is excited to be a part of the Nationwide Children's Hospital team.
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