Vibhor Krishna MD

Dr. Krishna is a board-certified neurosurgeon with expertise in functional neurosurgery and neuromodulation. He aims to develop a state-of-the-art functional neurosurgery practice at UNC Health, create a focused ultrasound (FUS) program for patients with movement disorders, and initiate a comprehensive pain neurosurgery program for patients with chronic pain.

As a surgeon-scientist, he focuses on translational neuroimaging research with the ultimate goal of improving patient outcomes. This research aims to enhance neuromodulation’s effectiveness through personalized medicine, develop and optimize less-invasive neurosurgery, and test emerging surgical treatments in clinical trials. For example, Dr. Krishna co-created a novel technique to visualize patient-specific brain anatomy to personalize tremor surgery and then implemented it to improve patient safety. In addition, he is actively engaged in optimizing the surgical technique of FUS, an emerging incision-less neurosurgical treatment. “Through these exciting discoveries in personalized and less-invasive neuromodulation, we can advance patient care beyond what is possible today and treat diseases such as treatment-resistant epilepsy and psychiatric disorders,” says Dr. Krishna.

Dr. Krishna will work closely with the UNC Health Departments of Neurology, Psychiatry, and Radiology, as well as the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Biomedical Research Imaging Center, and the Interventional Pain Program at UNC. Dr. Krishna received his Bachelor of Medicine, and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) in New Delhi, India. He earned a Master of Science from the Department of Epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health. He completed his neurosurgery residency training at the Medical University of South Carolina. After completing his residency, Dr. Krishna completed a 2-year fellowship in Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery at the University of Toronto. He has published over 60 research papers in prestigious journals like Neurosurgery, Journal of Neurosurgery, Movement Disorders, Pain, and JAMA Neurology.