Ablin Lecturers
2018 Michael Edwards, MD
Emeritus Professor of Neurosurgery, Stanford Medical Schooly
Lecture: 40 years of Pediatric Neurosurgery: The Impact of Moore’s Law
The Ablin Lecture at each annual meeting affords the President the opportunity to present speakers on topics that he feels would interest meeting attendees. The lecture honors the memory of George Ablin and his contributions to neurosurgery in general and the Western in particular. This year’s lecturer is Mike Edwards whose long career as a practitioner and teacher of pediatric neurosurgery in northern California affords him a unique view of a subspecialty over time.
Dr. Edwards completed his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Florida, Gainesville and his Medical Degree from Tulane University. He continued at Tulane for his internship and neurosurgical residency. He then moved west to San Francisco to complete a neuro-oncology fellowship under Charles B. Wilson in 1977. He remained at UCSF as faculty and was appointed the director of the pediatric division in 1987. From 1992-1995, Dr. Edwards served as the Vice-Chair of the department and he remained a Clinical Professor until 1999. He then practiced in Sacramento at Sutter Medical Center but returned to the Bay Area in 2004 as an Endowed Professor of Neurosurgery and Pediatric Neurosurgery at Stanford University Medical Center. In 2007, he became the Chief of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford and served in this role until his recent retirement.
Michael has been very active in organized neurosurgery throughout his career, serving on many committees in the AANS and CNS and as the President of the California Association of Neurosurgeons in 2005. He has been a visiting professor across the United States and has given invited lectures across the globe. As an international leader in pediatric neurosurgery, he has served on multiple medical advisory boards relating to pediatric neurosurgical diseases and on editorial boards of many peer-reviewed journals.
His research has mainly focused on brain tumor biology and therapy with a special interest in childhood medulloblastoma. He has published over 200 peer-reviewed articles and edited several neurosurgical books. Dr. Edwards is by all accounts, a master surgeon but by far one of his greatest gifts, is training future neurosurgeons and inspiring the next generation of pediatric neurosurgeons. The many pediatric fellows he trained during his career have gone on to flourish in practice all over the world.
Michael and his wife, Linda, have a son and daughter who they enjoy bicycling and skiing with at their H: on Lake Tahoe. You may also find him driving his Ford Raptor or spending time with his grandchildren.
