Cleveland Area Education & Awareness Program

Expert Speaker: Dr. Edward C. Benzel, Cleveland Clinic

Topic: "The Chiari Malformation: Who Really Needs Surgery?"

A panel of patients and professionals, moderated by Benzel, will address relevant issues regarding the Chiari Malformation and the clinical decision making process.

 About Dr. Edward Benzel: Edward C. Benzel, MD, is Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at Cleveland Clinic. He also holds a faculty appointment, Professor of Surgery, at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University (CCLCM of CWRU).

Dr. Edward Benzel is an internationally recognized thought leader in spine surgery and biomechanics. He was appointed Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at Cleveland Clinic in 2007. His clinical interests include cervical spondylosis, syringomyelia and Chiari malformation, complex spine instrumentation, and spine tumors. He has authored multiple textbooks in the field of spine care, as well as several co-authored and edited texts (19) and chapters (> 220). In addition, Dr. Benzel has published many (> 180) refereed manuscripts. Besides publishing research, Dr. Benzel is frequently invited as a visiting professor, speaker, and instructor at hospitals, universities, and major national and international medical meetings.

While Dr. Benzel holds multiple patents and has participated in many medical advances, he is perhaps best known as an educator. He started and directed the Neurosurgery Residency Training Program and the Spine Fellowship Programs at the University of New Mexico, and has been instrumental in the development and success of these programs at the Cleveland Clinic. His innovations in Neurosurgery Resident Education have won accolades and numerous awards.