Julie G. Pilitsis MD, PhD, MBA

Julie G. Pilitsis, MD, PhD, MBA, is Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Arizona Tucson and the Physician Executive for Functional Neurosurgery for Banner Health System. Before this role, she served as Dean of the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine and Vice President for Medical Affairs Strategic Initiatives at Florida Atlantic University where she led the FAU Health Network initiative. Under her stewardship, FAU began the transition from a community-based medical school to an integrated system by partnering with a public hospital for the creation of an academic medical center and faculty practice.

Dr. Pilitsis previously served as division chief of functional neurosurgery and chair and professor of the neuroscience department at Albany Medical College in New York. This straddled position with leadership roles in both the clinical and basic sciences gave her a unique perspective and opportunities to develop many synergies. During her time at Albany, she completed her BMA and graduated from ELAM.

Over these roles, Dr. Pilitsis has maintained a busy functional neurosurgery practice and built a program from the ground up at each institution where she worked. She maintains an NIH-sponsored research program focused on device optimization for neuromodulation with three active grants and has published over 250 journal articles, five textbooks, and numerous chapters. She was the president of the North American Neuromodulation Society (NANS), a 2000-member organization in 2023. She will be president of the American Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery (ASSFN) from 2024 - 2026. She was the previous chair of the AANS/CNS Section on WIN and Pain.