By Amanda Vandenberg, Marketing and Communications Coordinator
The House Institute recently welcomed Zachary Barnard, MD, as its newest neurosurgeon. Originally hailing from Massachusetts, Dr. Barnard completed research at Massachusetts General Hospital and medical school at Michigan State before coming to Cedars-Sinai for his residency. During his time at Cedars-Sinai, he met and learned from House Institute neurosurgeon Dr. Gregory Lekovic, and through that connection decided to pursue a year-long neurosurgery fellowship at the House Institute. After finishing his endovascular specialty training, he chose to return to the House Institute Neurosurgery Clinic as a neurosurgery associate. Read more about Dr. Barnard’s work, research, and plans for the future.
Q. How does it feel to be back at the House Institute?
It’s kind of like coming home. It’s a bunch of people who know me, who spent a year training me, and I get along so great with everybody.
Q. What is your current work focused on?
We do a lot of skull base surgery at the House Clinic. I primarily focus on brain tumors and vascular pathologies, and I do malignant brain tumors as well. I also do vascular and endovascular procedures, aneurysms, and arteriovenous malformations. We’re working on setting up a pulsatile tinnitus clinic, which will be an excellent multi-disciplinary clinic.
Q. What research is currently of interest?
A lot of the research I want to do over the next several years focuses on endovascular neuro-oncology. Specifically, I want to treat malignant brain tumors through the blood vessels using catheters as treatment delivery agents. I also want to focus on clinical trials in a multitude of areas, not just malignant brain tumors but also skull-based tumors, vascular pathologies, and stroke.
Q. What does the future of the House Institute look like?
We have the opportunity to build something great, do some good research, and truly impact people. When I joined, I was already looking at the next five to ten years, and what excites me most is the potential—the possibility of something extraordinary being created. The House Institute is the place to build something unique and different and to do it better than anyone else is doing it.