MD Class of 2012
Pediatric neurosurgeon, Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital
A medical career shaped by mentorship
As a pediatric neurosurgeon, S. Hassan A. Akbari, MD, improves the lives of children with cerebral palsy and other muscle spasticity disorders. His areas of expertise include selective dorsal rhizotomy, a procedure he learned at WashU Medicine from the late T.S. Park, MD, who pioneered the mobility-enhancing surgery.
“When I was at WashU, I observed Dr. Park do countless selective dorsal rhizotomy surgeries,” Akbari says. “And I credit him for a lot of what I know about the surgery, as well as my passion for performing it today.”
Akbari, AB ’08, MD ’12, MS ’18, attributes his close relationships with Park and other WashU mentors for his professional foundation and trajectory.
In 2021, Akbari, who was then at Penn State Health, contacted Matthew Smyth, MD, a professor of neurosurgery and pediatrics at WashU Medicine from 2003-2021, to congratulate him on being named chief of the pediatric neurosurgery division at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital. Akbari texted: “Congratulations. And if you ever have a job opening, let me know.” Smyth responded, essentially, “OK, let’s chat Monday.”
Their follow-up communication led to a job offer. “And now I get to work closely with another of my longtime mentors,” Akbari says.
At All Children’s Hospital, Akbari sees any pediatric patient who might need surgery for spasticity, a type of disruptive muscle contraction that arises from some neurological conditions. He also treats patients with Chiari malformation, a structural issue where the bottom part of the brain extends into the spinal cord.
As director of clinical research for the hospital’s pediatric neurosurgery division, Akbari researches Chiari malformation and other neurological disorders, as well as the sociodemographic barriers to neurosurgical procedures.
He also serves as the hospital’s director for undergraduate medical education, where he oversees medical students in different rotations, including pediatrics clerkships. He participates in educational outreach in the community, as well.
Akbari, who embodies the difference a good mentor can make, now relishes being the teacher.