Awad was recruited in 2010 to lead the Neurovascular Surgery Program at the University of Chicago Medicine, and is currently tenured in the Biological Sciences Division. He is the John Harper Seeley Professor of Neurological Sciences and Professor of Neurological Surgery, Neurology, the Grossman Institute of Neuroscience, and the (PhD granting) Committee on Neurobiology. He is a Senior Faculty Scholar at the Bucksbaum Institute for Clinical Excellence and directs the Safadi Program of Excellence in Clinical and Translational Neurosciences. Dr Awad is active in numerous professional and learned societies. He has served on the Executive Committee of the American Stroke Association, and on the Board of Governors of the American College of Surgeons. He was the Chairman of the Joint Cerebrovascular Section of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, he directed for 25 years the Annual Course on Research Update in Neuroscience for Neurosurgeons, and he served as the 51st President of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. Dr Awad is the Founding past-President of the World Association of Lebanese Neurosurgeons, and the Founding Chairman Emeritus of Scientific and Clinical Advisory Boards of the patient advocacy group Alliance to Cure Cavernous Malformations.
Dr Awad has authored over 400 scientific papers and book chapters, and edited twelve books dealing with cerebrovascular surgery and other aspects of neurological surgery. He has presented over 500 papers and lectures at major meetings and symposia, has been a visiting professor at numerous institutions in the United States and abroad, was recognized among America’s Best Doctors, Best Teachers, and is the recipient of the Bucy Award for Excellence in Neurosurgical Education, the Arnold Award for Mentoring at Pritzker School of Medicine, and numerous other honors. Dr Awad has made numerous scientific contributions including the characterization of subcortical ischemic lesions in the aged, advances in the understanding of the natural history and biologic behavior of vascular malformations of the brain, numerous technical advances in neurovascular and epilepsy surgery, and is a recognized expert in the treatment of neurovascular disease, hemorrhagic stroke and neurosurgical critical care. His research has been cited by other researchers more than 100,000 times (H-index 98). Current research focuses on molecular mechanisms, biomarkers and therapeutic targets in cavernous angiomas (cerebral vascular malformations), the pathobiology of brain hemorrhage, and minimally invasive techniques for treating hemorrhagic stroke.
Dr. Awad's research has been funded continuously from the National Institutes of Health since 1998, including a prestigious midcareer development grant in patient-oriented research (2000-2005), and current active R01, P01 U01 and Department of Defense funding. From 2016 to 2020, he served on the United States National Advisory Council for Neurological Disorders and Stroke. In 2019, he was elected to the Association of American Physicians.
www.issamawad.com
www.uchicagomedicine.org/ccm
http://safadiprogram.uchicago.edu
Barrow Neurological Institute
AZ
Neurovascular surgery fellowship
Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh
Scotland
Neurotraumatology fellowship
Cleveland Clinic
OH
Neurosurgical residency
Loma Linda University
CA
MD
Loma Linda University
CA
MS
Code ICH: reorganising stroke care for intracerebral haemorrhage.
Code ICH: reorganising stroke care for intracerebral haemorrhage. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2025 Apr 10; 96(5):508-512.
PMID: 39608811
Circulating molecules reflect imaging biomarkers of hemorrhage in cerebral cavernous malformations.
Circulating molecules reflect imaging biomarkers of hemorrhage in cerebral cavernous malformations. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab. 2025 Jan 20; 271678X251314366.
PMID: 39829356
Fourth-generation Pipeline™ Vantage flow diversion: First reported US experience of safety and feasibility.
Fourth-generation Pipeline™ Vantage flow diversion: First reported US experience of safety and feasibility. Interv Neuroradiol. 2024 Dec 05; 15910199241301119.
PMID: 39635842
Code ICH: reorganising stroke care for intracerebral haemorrhage.
Code ICH: reorganising stroke care for intracerebral haemorrhage. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2024 Nov 27.
PMID: 39608811
Intracerebral Hemorrhage: Keep It Simple.
Intracerebral Hemorrhage: Keep It Simple. Stroke. 2024 Dec; 55(12):2942-2945.
PMID: 39474689
Epigenetic regulation by polycomb repressive complex 1 promotes cerebral cavernous malformations.
Epigenetic regulation by polycomb repressive complex 1 promotes cerebral cavernous malformations. EMBO Mol Med. 2024 Nov; 16(11):2827-2855.
PMID: 39402138
Does stereotactic thrombolysis with alteplase for intracerebral haemorrhage alter intraventricular haematoma volume? A secondary analysis of the MISTIE-III trial.
Does stereotactic thrombolysis with alteplase for intracerebral haemorrhage alter intraventricular haematoma volume? A secondary analysis of the MISTIE-III trial. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2024 Sep 17; 95(10):892-898.
PMID: 38670789
Cerebral small vessel disease modifies outcomes after minimally invasive surgery for intracerebral haemorrhage.
Cerebral small vessel disease modifies outcomes after minimally invasive surgery for intracerebral haemorrhage. Stroke Vasc Neurol. 2024 Aug 27; 9(4):446-456.
PMID: 37949482
Except for Robust Outliers, Rapamycin Increases Lesion Burden in a Murine Model of Cerebral Cavernous Malformations.
Except for Robust Outliers, Rapamycin Increases Lesion Burden in a Murine Model of Cerebral Cavernous Malformations. Transl Stroke Res. 2024 Jul 09.
PMID: 38980519
Mild Hypoxia Accelerates Cerebral Cavernous Malformation Disease Through CX3CR1-CX3CL1 Signaling.
Mild Hypoxia Accelerates Cerebral Cavernous Malformation Disease Through CX3CR1-CX3CL1 Signaling. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2024 06; 44(6):1246-1264.
PMID: 38660801