Life Changing Is ... Innovating New Treatments

Robert M. Friedlander, MD, Neurosurgeon

"The culture of innovation is one that we strive for."

The brain controls and affects many things that people do every day. When it becomes impaired, it can have devastating effects.

Diseases of the brain, skull base, and spinal cord can affect our ability to perform even the simplest everyday tasks. That's why the UPMC Department of Neurosurgery strives every day to provide world-class treatment for even the most complex conditions.

"The brain is an amazing frontier, but there's so much more that we need to learn," says Robert M. Friedlander, MD, chair, Neurosurgery, UPMC.

For many years, UPMC has been a leader in treating neurological conditions. Our team has pioneered and refined new techniques and technologies to provide care for conditions ranging from common to complex. Innovations include minimally invasive surgical techniques created within the department.

These advances allow UPMC to provide the most comprehensive care possible while minimizing risks for patients.

"The culture of innovation is one that we strive for," Dr. Friedlander says. "We've created many new technologies, new ways of treating patients. To develop the new paradigms of treatments for brain disorders is just a wonderful thing to be able to do every day."

The goal of treatment is to help people regain normal function. The team works together to provide individualized care for each patient, whether treatment is surgical or nonsurgical.

Dr. Friedlander says it's rewarding to see a patient have a good outcome and return healthy to their lives and loves.

"When you see the faces of all the people that you help, and the family, and how grateful they are, and what they are doing for the world, it's something that's incredibly satisfying," he says.

At UPMC, Life Changing Medicine means moving medicine forward to help patients.

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