Dr. Rafael Tamargo obtained his undergraduate degree from Princeton University and his medical degree from the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. He then completed his internship in general surgery at the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center and his residency in neurosurgery at The Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Dr. Tamargo is the Director of the Division of Cerebrovascular Neurosurgery and specializes in the treatment of brain aneurysms, brain and spinal cord arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), and brain and spinal cord arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs). Dr. Tamargo is also the Director of the Johns Hopkins Brain Aneurysm Center. He has extensive experience with cases of multiple aneurysms and of complex/giant aneurysms. He specializes in performing extracranial-to-intracranial microsurgical arterial bypasses and cardiopulmonary hypothermic bypass for complex/giant aneurysms, and has performed more than 650 aneurysm surgeries. In addition, Dr. Tamargo specializes in the treatment of carotid artery stenosis in the neck for which he performs a carotid endarterectomy. Dr. Tamargo is also the neurosurgical director of the Acoustic Neuroma Center and specializes on the treatment of skull base tumors such as acoustic tumors, meningiomas, orbital tumors and benign and malignant cranionasal tumors.

Dr. Tamargo has a particular interest in and extensive experience with revascularization procedures for moyamoya disease. For this condition, Dr. Tamargo performs a microsurgical extracranial to intracranial artery (EC-IC) bypass or, more specifically, a superficial temporal artery to middle cerebral artery (STA-MCA) bypass accompanied by an encephaloduroarteriomyosynangiosis (EDAMS).

A recipient of numerous honors and awards, some of Dr. Tamargo’s most recent accolades include the Neurosurgery Faculty Teaching Award and the Hopkins Richard S. Ross Clinician Scientist Award.

Dr. Tamargo sees patients on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings at The Johns Hopkins Outpatient Center located in Baltimore.

Certifications:

• 1985, National Board of Medical Examiners
• 1995, American Board of Neurological Surgery