ABOUT DR. MORTAZAVI
With passion, drive, and commitment to providing state of the art patient care, Dr. Martin Mortazavi is an integral member of the neurosurgical society. In addition to treating the full panorama of Brain and Spine diseases, Dr. Mortazavi treats complex tumors and vascular lesions of the brain and the spinal cord.
Dr. Mortazavi is the founding Chairman of the National Skull Base Foundation. He is also the founding Chairman of the California Institute of Neuroscience and the Director of its Cerebrovascular, Skull Base and Tumor program.
He graduated from the Karolinska Institute, School of Medicine and completed his residency in Neurological Surgery at The University of Alabama in Birmingham, under tutelage of Mark Hadley, James Markert, Winfield Fisher and Shane Tubbs, where he received several awards including the Morawetz and the Beverley Walters Research Awards.
Further advancing his neurosurgical knowledge, Dr. Mortazavi pursued a postdoctoral research fellowship in neurotrauma and regeneration at Barrow Neurological Institute under the mentorship of Nicholas Theodore and Robert Spetzler, during which he received the American Association of Neurological Surgeons Synthes Spinal Cord Award.
He pursued two clinical fellowships in Skull Base and Cerebrovascular neurosurgery under the tutelage of world-renowned pioneers of neurosurgery, Takanori Fukushima in Japan, and Laligam Sekhar at The University of Washington in Seattle.
Dr. Mortazavi holds an ongoing interest in advancing the field of neurological surgery. He has authored and co-authored more than 100 scientific papers and book chapters that have been published in well-known neurosurgical journals.
With a desire to impart his knowledge and skill set, Dr. Mortazavi has mentored many undergraduate and graduate scientists and neurosurgical residents. He is a member of 10 Editorial Boards of scientific journals and numerous professional organizations including the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, the American Medical Association, North American Skull Base Society, International College of Surgeons, Cerebrovascular section of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, and Western Neurosurgical Society.
Dr. Mortazavi strives to listen to the needs of his patients. He explains surgical procedures in a patient-friendly manner, takes the time his patients need, and maintains ongoing communication throughout the course of care. Every patient’s treatment plan is individually tailored.
Dr. Mortazavi’s continued achievement in the field of neurosurgery is due to his compassion, technical expertise, and sincere dedication to successful patient outcomes. He speaks English, Swedish, Farsi, Spanish and Norwegian. He is also a pianist and in his free time he composes music, collects art and plays soccer.
Dr. Mortazavi’s clinical interests include treatment of complex neurosurgical disorders, particularly Cerebrovascular disorders such as Aneurysm, AVM, AVF and Cavernous Malformation, Cerebral revascularization for intractable ischemia, Brain Tumors Skull base tumors, Craniocervical junction and cervical problems Spine and Spinal Cord Tumors, Surgery of Microvascular compression disorders such as Trigeminal Neuralgia and Hemifacial Spasm.
Education:
- Undergraduate: Sigtunaskolan Humanistiska Laroverket, Sigtuna, Sweden
Major: Natural Sciences | Aug 1984 –June 1988 - Graduate: Karolinska Institute, School of Medicine, Stockholm, Sweden
Degree: MD | Jan 1989 – June 1994 - Umea University, Umea, Sweden
Degree: Post doc degree in Sports Medicine | Sep 1996 – May 1997
Internships:
- Sweden: Ornskoldsviks Hospital, Ornskoldsvik, Sweden | Jan 1996 – Dec 1997
St Goran Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden | Jan 1998 – Jun 1998 - USA: University of Florida, Shand’s Hospital, Gainesville, Fl, USA | Jul 1998 – Jun 1999
Residencies:
- Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden
Completed Residency in Orthopedic Surgery | Jun 2000 – Jul 2005 - University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Al, USA
Completed Residency in Neurological Surgery | Mar 2009 – Jun 2013
Fellowships:
- Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden
Spine fellowship: Infolded during Orthopedic Residency - Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, Az, USA
Postdoc research fellowship in Neurotrauma and regeneration | May 2007 – Dec 2008 - Takanori Fukushima Skull base Fellowship, Japan
Skull base fellowship: Infolded during Neurosurgery residency | Mar 2012 – Mar 2012 - Laligam Sekhar Cerebrovascular and Skull Base Surgery Fellowship
Dept. of Neurosurgery, University of Washington | Jul 2013 – Jul 2014
Expertise
Dr. Mortazavi’s clinical interests include treatment of complex neurosurgical disorders, particularly:
- Cerebrovascular disorders such as Aneurysm, AVM, AVF and Cavernous Malformation
- Cerebral revascularization for intractable ischemia
- Brain Tumors
- Skull base tumors
- Craniocervical junction and cervical problems
- Spine and Spinal Cord Tumors
- Surgery of Microvascular compression disorders such as Trigeminal Neuralgia and Hemifacial Spasm
EXPERTISE AND SPECIALTIES
Dr. Mortazavi’s clinical interests include treatment of complex neurosurgical disorders, particularly:
- Cerebrovascular disorders such as Aneurysm, AVM, AVF and Cavernous Malformation
- Cerebral revascularization for intractable ischemia
- Brain Tumors
- Skull base tumors
- Craniocervical junction and cervical problems
- Spine and Spinal Cord Tumors
- Surgery of Microvascular compression disorders such as Trigeminal Neuralgia and Hemifacial Spasm