Henry Brem, M.D.

Credit: Johns Hopkins Medicine

Henry Brem, M.D., director of the Department of Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins, has been selected to receive a Castle Connolly National Physician of the Year Award for Clinical Excellence. The award is given annually to five physicians whose dedication, talents and skills have improved the lives of thousands of people throughout the world. This year’s award ceremony will take place in New York City on March 23.

“I am grateful for this extraordinary honor,” Brem says. “I truly believe that while medicine has changed, we as people have not, and our patients have not. We have the same needs, fears, desires and hopes that unify us as part of the human race. It is a privilege to take care of our patients and those who seek our care around the world.”

Brem is the Harvey Cushing Professor of Neurosurgery at The Johns Hopkins University, where he also serves as neurosurgeon-in-chief; a professor of oncology, ophthalmology and biomedical engineering; and director of the Hunterian Neurological Research Laboratory. He has developed tools and techniques that have changed the field of neurosurgery, and he carried out the pivotal clinical study that introduced navigational imaging into the neurosurgical suite. Brem’s work led to the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the first image guidance computer system for intraoperative localization of tumors.

Brem changed the surgical treatment of brain tumors by introducing new approaches for targeted therapy. He also developed new classes of polymers and microchips for drug delivery that are custom-synthesized for the agent being developed. In addition, he used his laboratory experience to design and lead many novel multi-institutional clinical trials to prove the safety and efficacy of targeted therapy in patients with brain tumors.

Under Brem’s guidance, Johns Hopkins’ neurosurgery department was ranked first in the nation by U.S. News & World Report in 2010, a distinction it held for four consecutive years.

Brem has received numerous honors for his work, including the Johns Hopkins Professors’ Award for Excellence in Teaching, the Grass Award from the Society of Neurological Surgeons, the New York University Distinguished Alumnus Award, the Society for Biomaterials’ Technology Innovation and Development Award, and numerous America’s Top Doctor awards from Castle Connolly, a New York City-based research and information company best known for publishing a variety of books, including the Top Doctors series, aimed at helping people find excellent health care.