Andres Lozano

Andres M. Lozano is a Spanish-Canadian neurosurgeon and scientist known for his work in deep brain stimulation and MR-guided focused ultrasound surgery. He holds the Alan & Susan Hudson Cornerstone Chair in Neurosurgery at the University Health Network Toronto and is a university professor at the University of Toronto. His work has been covered by major international news publications, including BBC, Scientific American, The Independent, The Globe and Mail and NPR. He is also leading the exclusive Canadian site (CAN-PRIME) for the Neuralink trial.

Early life and education

Andres Lozano was born in Sevilla, Spain, and moved to Canada at a young age. He completed his BSc in cell biology and his M.D. at the University of Ottawa in 1983. He then pursued a Ph.D. in neurobiology at McGill University, graduating in 1989. Lozano completed his neurosurgical training, earning his FRCS(C) in 1990, and became a diplomate of the American Board of Neurological Surgery in 1994.

Career

Lozano's career has been centered at the University of Toronto, where he has held several positions, including the Dan Family Chairman of Neurosurgery (2010–2020) and the RR Tasker Chair in Functional Neurosurgery (1999–2021). He has also been a Canadian Research Chair in Neuroscience and an active staff member at the University Health Network since 1991.

Research and contributions

Lozano has contributed extensively to the development and application of Deep Brain Stimulation and Focused Ultrasound Surgery for various neurological disorders, including Parkinson's disease, dystonia, depression, and Alzheimer's disease. His research has resulted in over 830 publications with an h-index above 145, ranking him among the most highly cited neurosurgeons globally according to Clarivate.

His team's work has included the mapping of cortical and subcortical circuits and the development of novel therapies. Lozano has led several "first in man" trials, including DBS applications for conditions like Huntington's disease and anorexia. Together with Helen Mayberg, in 2005, he published on the first human DBS for depression trial in the modern-era of DBS, targeting Brodman area 25, which has led to multiple completed and ongoing clinical trials for DBS for depression, globally. In 2010, he led the first pilot trial for human DBS in Alzheimer's disease trial targeting the Fornix region, which has led to multiple clinical trials, as well Winn Prize Award (The Society of Neurological Surgeons), 2010 Pioneer in Medicine Award, Society for Brain Mapping and Therapeutics, 2012 Elected Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, 2012 Olivecrona Medal, Karolinska Institute, 2012 Margolese National Brain Prize, University of British Columbia, 2013 Innovations Award, Canadian College of Neuropsychopharmacology, 2014 Elected Fellow of the European Academy of Sciences 2016 Elected Officer of the Order of Canada 2016 TD Bank's "10 Most Influential Hispanic Canadians" Award 2016 Doctor Honoris causa, University of Sevilla, Spain 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, 2018 Named Honorary Member of the Colombian Society for Neurosurgery, 2019 Dandy Medal, Walter E. Dandy Society, 2021 SANS International Gold Medal, Saudi Association for Neurological Surgery, 2022 Honorary Member, Spanish Society for Neuromodulation, 2022 Norman Rosenblum Award for Excellence in Mentorship in the MD/PhD Program, University of Toronto, 2023 Fellow, International Association of Parkinsonism and Related Disorders, 2023 Named #2 in Canada on the Ranking of Best Neuroscientists in Canada (Research.com), 2023, 2024 Inaugural Alim-Louis Benabid Award, Deep Brain Stimulation Society, 2024 Elected Fellow of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, 2024

He has also been named one of Thomson Reuters' Highly Cited Researchers program and Most Influential Scientific Minds annually from 2015 to 2022.

Editorial and professional roles

Lozano serves as the editor-in-chief of Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery. He has been a founding member of several research organizations, including the Michael J. Fox Foundation and the Weston Foundation.

Selected publications

Some of Lozano's publications in recent years include:

"Deep Brain Stimulation: Current Challenges and Future Directions" (Nat Rev Neurol, 2019) "Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Action of Deep Brain Stimulation" (EMBO Mol Med, 2019) "Fornix-Region Deep Brain Stimulation Induced Memory Flashbacks in Alzheimer's Disease" (N Engl J Med, 2019) "Trends and Disparities in Deep Brain Stimulation Utilization in the United States" (Lancet Reg Health Am, 2023)