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Dr. Henry Woo
Stony Brook University Medical Center

The term physician-scientist could have been invented to describe neurosurgeon Henry Woo, MD, as he so perfectly embodies it. Not only is he equal parts clinician and researcher, but he also has integrated the two seamlessly in his role as Director of the Cerebrovascular and Stroke Center at Stony Brook’s Institute for Advanced Neurosciences.

When he came to Stony Brook University Medical Center over three years ago from Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Woo already had an international reputation—a world expert on the treatment of aneurysms and vascular malformations of the central nervous system; a specialist in cerebrovascular and endovascular neurosurgery as well as stereotactic radiosurgery; and the holder of numerous patents. He characterizes his move to Stony Brook as an opportunity to provide the most advanced cerebrovascular care in an area that previously had no cerebrovascular neurosurgeons or neurointerventionalists.

“Few in the country are capable of providing the level of service and research that we do here at Stony Brook,” he says. This includes: offering access to virtually every major clinical trial in the country on cerebrovascular disease; pioneering devices for opening blocked blood vessels in the brain, flow-diverting devices for aneurysms; developing the world’s first neuroendovascular replicator for training physicians with the actual devices they will use, novel imaging modalities for patients who present with strokes and working with medical manufacturers to develop and test equipment.

“It is an exciting time to be involved in the neurosciences. For example, we are looking at ways to cure aneurysms and perform minimally invasive procedures for complex brain surgeries,” says Dr. Woo. “The fact that Stony Brook is so committed to advancing neurosciences means that even more exciting things are going to be happening in the near future—right here on Long Island.”