Alan R Cohen, M.D.

Headshot of Alan R Cohen
  • Director, Johns Hopkins Pediatric Neurosurgery
  • Professor of Neurosurgery

Expertise

Arachnoid Cysts, Brain Cancer, Brain Tumors, Chiari Malformations, Craniosynostosis, Endoscopic Neurosurgery, Hydrocephalus, Pediatric Brain Cancer, Pediatric Brain Tumors, Pediatric Neurosurgery, Pediatric Spinal Cord Tumors, Spinal Cord Tumors, Spinal Dysraphism, Tethered Spinal Cord ...read more

Research Interests

New instruments and techniques for minimally invasive pediatric surgery ...read more

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Insurance Information

Main Phone

Outside of Maryland & Washington D.C.

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International Patients

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Locations

Johns Hopkins Outpatient Center (now called Levi Watkins, Jr., M.D., Outpatient Center)

Appointment Phone: 410-955-7337
601 N. Caroline St.
5th Floor, Neurosciences Clinic
Baltimore, MD 21287
Johns Hopkins Outpatient Center (now called Levi Watkins, Jr., M.D., Outpatient Center) - Google Maps

Background

Dr. Cohen is the director of the Johns Hopkins Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery and the Carson-Spiro Professor of Pediatric Neurosurgery. He treats all pediatric patients, with a focus on brain tumors. Dr. Cohen sees patients at the Johns Hopkins Outpatient Center’s Neurosciences Clinic.

Dr. Cohen is a leader in developing minimally invasive techniques to enhance the safety and efficacy of selected pediatric neurosurgical procedures. He serves as Director of the Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery Laboratory at Johns Hopkins and directs the Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery Fellowship.  His lab focuses on developing novel instruments and surgical approaches. He has authored 190 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, and published two textbooks.  He has given approximately 330 national and international presentations and has been an invited visiting professor at 50 medical centers.

He is past president of the Society of Neurological Surgeons, the American Society of Pediatric Neurosurgeons and the AANS/CNS Section on Pediatric Neurological Surgery.  He is past vice president of the American Academy of Neurological Surgery and a past director of the American Board of Neurological Surgery and a current director of the American Board of Pediatric Neurological Surgery.

 

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Titles

  • Director, Johns Hopkins Pediatric Neurosurgery
  • Carson-Spiro Professor of Pediatric Neurosurgery
  • Director, Neurosurgery Medical Student Education
  • Professor of Neurosurgery
  • Professor of Oncology
  • Professor of Pediatrics

Departments / Divisions

Education

Degrees

  • MD; Weill Cornell Medical College (1978)

Residencies

  • General Surgery; New York University School of Medicine (1980)
  • Neurological Surgery; New York University School of Medicine (1987)

Fellowships

  • Neurology; National Hospitals for Neurology and Neurosurgery (1983)

Board Certifications

  • American Board of Neurological Surgery (Neurological Surgery) (1991)

Additional Training

  • American Board of Pediatric Neurological Surgery (1997)

Research & Publications

Selected Publications

View all on PubMed

Cohen AR. Brain Tumors in Children The New England Journal of Medicine 386(20): 1922-1931, May 19, 2022

Cohen AR (Editor-in-Chief):  Pediatric Neurosurgery:  Tricks of the Trade, NY:  Thieme, 2016.  (Textbook, 881 pp.)

Cohen AR:  Humility.  Neurosurgery 65(1):  6-14, 2018.  (Honored Guest Presentation:  2017 Annual Meeting, Congress of Neurological Surgeons, Boston, MA)

Cohen AR:  Simplicity. Neurosurgery 65(1):  15-23, 2018.  (Honored Guest Presentation:  2017 Annual Meeting, Congress of Neurological Surgeons, Boston, MA).

Cohen AR:  Curiosity. Neurosurgery 65(1):  37-48, 2018.  (Honored Guest Presentation:  2017 Annual Meeting, Congress of Neurological Surgeons, Boston, MA).

Activities & Honors

Honors

  • Summa cum Laude, Harvard University, 1974
  • Phi Beta Kappa, Harvard University, 1974
  • Faculty Alpha Omega Alpha Award, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 2002
  • J. Horvitz Award for Excellence in Clinical Service, Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital Clinical Faculty, 2004
  • Scholarship in Teaching Award, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 2005
  • Colors of the Rainbow Award, Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital Family Advisory Council, 2006
  • Children’s Miracle Network National Achievement Award for Outstanding Contributions to Patient Care, Children's Miracle Network, 2007
  • Golden Stethoscope Award- Rainbow Clinical Faculty, Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital, 2008
  • Research Innovation Award Smart Start- A Novel Device for Minimally Traumatic Brain Dissection, Institute for Pediatric Innovation, 2009
  • America’s Top Docs, Castle Connolly, 1996 - 2019
  • Best Doctors in America, Woodward White, 1997 - 2019
  • First Prize, for the textbook- Pediatric Neurosurgery: Tricks of the Trade, British Medical Association, 2016
  • First Prize, Prose Award for Professional and Scholarly Excellence for the textbook- Pediatric Neurosurgery: Tricks of the Trade, Association of American Publishers, 2017
  • Chairman’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 2017
  • Honored Guest, Congress of Neurological Surgeons Annual Meeting Boston, Massachusetts, 2017
  • Honorary Faculty, Congress of Neurological Surgeons Annual Meeting Boston, Massachusetts, 2017
  • Honorary Faculty, Universidade Evangelica do Parana Curitiba, Brazil, 2018
  • Richard J. Otenasek, Jr. Faculty Teaching Award, Department of Neurosurgery from the Neurosurgery House staff Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 2018
  • First Prize, British Medical Association, ohen AR (Editor-in-Chief): Pediatric Neurosurgery: Tricks of the Trade, NY: Thieme, 2016. (Textbook, 881 pp.), British Medical Association, 2017
  • First Prize, Association of American Publishers, Prose Award for Professional and Scholarly Excellence, Association of American Publishers, 2017

Memberships

  • American Society of Pediatric Neurosurgeons, Past President
  • AANS/CNS Section on Pediatric Neurological Surgery, Past President
  • Society of Neurological Surgeons, Past President
  • Boston Society of Neurology and Psychiatry, Past President
  • Ohio State Neurosurgical Society, Past President
  • American Academy of Neurological Surgery, Past Vice President
  • Hydrocephalus Association, Medical Advisory Board
  • American College of Surgeons, Fellow
  • American Academy of Pediatrics, Fellow
  • American Association of Neurological Surgeons, Fellow

Professional Activities

  • Director, American Board of Pediatric Neurological Surgery
  • Past Director, American Board of Neurological Surgery
  • Editorial Board, Child’s Nervous System

Videos & Media

Recent News Articles and Media Coverage

New A.I. Tool Diagnoses Brain Tumors on the Operating Table, The New York Times, Oct. 11, 2023

Fall at the pediatrician left Frederick 15-month-old minutes from death, WTOP-AM, July 27, 2020 

‘Every Parent’s Worst Nightmare’: 15-Month-Old Frederick Boy Nearly Dies After Falling At Pediatrician’s Office, WJZ-TV July 21, 2020

7-Year-Old Boy Forms Special Bond With Johns Hopkins Neurosurgeon Who Saved His Life, WJZ-TV CBS Baltimore, Dec. 26, 2019

Collaboration Conquers a Rare Intracranial Cyst, e-Pediatrician June 17, 2019

Doctors Find Air Pocket Hidden in Man's Brain CNN 3/14/2018

Boy's skull pierced with screw in treehouse-building accident CNN Jan 26, 2018

Hopkins' Cohen Emphasizes 3 H's of Patient Care. NIH Record, December 1, 2017

Online Seminar "Advances in the Treatment of Pediatric Brain Tumors" 3/7/2017

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