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L. Dade Lunsford Fund

Fund Purpose: The L. Dade Lunsford Honor Your Mentor fund will be dedicated to research, education, and clinical outcomes with image-guided neurosurgery that includes stereotactic radiosurgery.

L. Dade Lunsford, MD, FAANS, was born in Roanoke, Virginia on July 25, 1948. He is the youngest of four sons of Kirk Lunsford, Jr. of Roanoke and Lita Alexander of New York City. After graduating Phi Beta Kappa with high honors from the University of Virginia in 1970, he attended the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City. He returned to Charlottesville, Virginia for his surgical internship at the University in 1974.

In 1975, he accepted an appointment as resident in neurological surgery under Peter Jannetta. During his Chief Residency in 1980, he received the Van Wagenen Fellowship award from the American Association of Neurological Surgery (AANS). In 1980-1981, he obtained subspeciality training in stereotactic surgery and radiosurgery at the Karolinska Institute under Professors Erik-Olof Backlund and Lars Leksell. He joined the faculty of Neurological Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh as Assistant Professor of Neurological Surgery.

In 1985, he was promoted to Associate Professor and in 1990 to Professor. Between 1996-2006, he served as Chairman of the Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, and remains the Lars Leksell endowed chair in neurological surgery. Dr. Lunsford served as President of the UPMC-Presbyterian Medical Staff between 1999-2001 and became Distinguished Professor of Neurosurgery in 2007.

Two major accomplishments include the first usage of a dedicated CT scanner in a neurosurgical operating room in 1982 and the acquisition of the first North American Gamma Knife for stereotactic radiosurgery technology in 1987. Professional society memberships include the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS), the American Academy of Neurological Surgeons, the Society of Neurological Surgeons, Fellowship in the American College of Surgeons, and founder and first President of the International Stereotactic Radiosurgery Society. He was also the founder of the International Radiosurgery Research Foundation.

During the last 44 years, he has authored or co-authored more than 700 articles, 305 book chapters and sixteen books. Dr. Lunsford was the Congress of Neurological Surgeons Honored Guest in 2007 and was named the Castle Connolly National Physician of the Year in clinical excellence the same year. He served as the Herbert Olivecrona Lecturer at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm in 2017.

In 1971, he married Julianne Michaelis who began her career as a special education teacher and learning disabilities consultant. He now shares many of his active interests with his wife and family, including his daughter Stephanie, a graduate of the University of Virginia and Duquesne Law School and son Andrew, an engineer. He has two grandsons Ryan and Ian Panach. His activities include travel, golf, gardening and piano.

To view a list of all donors to this fund, click here.

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