Frank Attenello, MD, MS
Assistant Professor of Clinical Neurological Surgery
Keck School of Medicine of USC
Frank Attenello MD, MS is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Neurological Surgery at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and LAC+USC Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA specializing in treatment of primary and metastatic brain tumors. He employs multiple surgical modalities to map and preserve neurologic function in tumor surgery including exoscopic subcortical surgery (BrainPath) and laser interstitial thermal therapy. Dr. Attenello performs both cranial surgery and stereotactic radiosurgery.
Dr. Attenello received combined BS/MS degrees in Molecular Biochemistry and Biophysics from Yale University. He then received his medical degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where he received the institutional Harvey Cushing Neurosurgery Award and the Ronald L. Bittner national Neuro-oncology research award. His work on glioblastoma and neural stem cells at Johns Hopkins was supported by a fellowship from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. He then completed neurosurgical residency at the University of Southern California, with a postdoctoral fellowship in tumor genetics at the University of California, San Francisco.
Dr. Attenello has authored six neurosurgical book chapters and over 100 peer-reviewed manuscripts including articles in Science, BMJ, Genome Biology, and Journal of Neuroscience. He was appointed Associate Scientific Advisor for Science Translational Medicine, and is an elected member of multiple national committees including the American Association of Neurological Surgeons’ Young Neurosurgeon Committee and the Neurosurgery Research and Education Foundation Executive Committee.
He is Principal Investigator and Director of the Glioma Research Laboratory in the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, studying genetics and angiogenesis in glioblastoma as well as role of neural stem cells in brain injury. His laboratory is supported by a NIH KL2 Research Career Development Award and several NIH and foundational grants, including generous patient support. In addition, Dr. Attenello directs a clinical outcomes laboratory studying factors associated with improved outcome in patients with neurologic disease, as well as modifiable factors associated with physician trainee success and burnout. Using data and experience gained in the laboratory, Dr. Attenello is identifying genetic and clinical factors, and new therapies for improved patient outcomes.
