Bizhan Aarabi, MD, FRCSC

Dr. Aarabi treats patients with severe, traumatic brain or spinal cord injuries at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center. He uses the sophisticated technology of the world-renowned integrated trauma hospital to assess conditions quickly and make life-saving decisions.

With his team of general surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, nurse practitioners and residents, Dr. Aarabi helps patients through what can be a scary time in their lives. He and his team may monitor patients for several days and, if needed, perform surgery. For traumatic brain injuries, they are prepared to perform surgery immediately. For spinal injuries, the window is around 24 hours.

Dr. Aarabi is a professor of neurosurgery and director of neurotrauma at University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM). Both traumatic brain injuries and traumatic spinal cord injuries are at the focus of research within the UMSOM Department of Neurosurgery's Neurotrauma Division. For the past 20 years, Dr. Aarabi and his peers have published nearly 150 original manuscripts, which have received a high number of citations. They are funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Department of Defense and Industry, which have requested the neurotrauma team to participate in randomized clinical trials.

Dr. Aarabi has participated in several clinical trials, including:

• Stem cell in spinal cord injury (SCI)
• North American Clinical Trial Network (NACTN registry)
• Citicoline brain injury treatment, or CORBIT (supported by NIH)
• Riluzole in Spinal Cord Injury Study, or RISCIS (supported by AO Spine)