Georgios Zenonos, MD

  • Assistant Professor

Associate Director, Center for Cranial Base Surgery

Georgios A. Zenonos, MD, joined the University of Pittsburgh Department of Neurological Surgery as associate director of Center for Cranial Base Surgery in July of 2019 after having received extensive formal sub-specialization in the field. He is one of a handful of neurosurgeons to have completed two fellowships in skull base surgery, one focusing on endoscopic and minimally invasive approaches at the University of Pittsburgh, and another focusing on complex open skull base approaches, as well as complex cranial neurosurgery and cerebrovascular neurosurgery at the University of Miami with the legendary doctors Jacques J. Morcos, MD, and Roberto C. Heros, MD.

Dr. Zenonos completed his internship, residency and chief residency in neurosurgery at the University of Pittsburgh from 2011-18. During this time, he received several distinctions and awards, including an award for achieving the highest score in the nation on the American Board of Neurological Surgery written exam. Other awards include the Robert J. Dempsey Award by the CNS/AANS Joint Cerebrovascular Section, the University of Pittsburgh Stuart N. Rowe Research Award, first place in the North American Skull Base Society knowledge competition, and four Walter L. Copeland Awards for cranial research. In addition, Dr. Zenonos has published extensively (see Google Scholar and PubMed), has given numerous presentations nationally and internationally, and has been frequently invited as a scientific reviewer by prominent neurosurgical journals.

Before residency, Dr. Zenonos, a native of Greece, graduated as valedictorian from the University of Athens School of Medicine in Greece, which he attended with a scholarship from the Ministry of Education. Winning the Alexander S. Onassis Award, he then pursued a basic science post-doctoral research fellowship at Harvard Medical School to study the mechanisms of programmed cell death.

"I understand that having to see a neurosurgeon, or needing a neurosurgical procedure has to be one of the most frightening experiences in someone’s life," Dr. Zenonos says. "My goal is to always to provide the best care possible for each and every one of my patients, one that utilizes the latest technologies and techniques, and one that is founded by evidence-based medicine – the same care I would want for my family, my friends, or myself. Putting myself in the patient’s shoes, and understanding the unique difficulties they are facing is always step one.”

Dr. Zenonos’ research interests include genetics of skull base tumors; surgical anatomy (refinement of skull base approaches, and surgical technique); skull base outcomes research; and high definition fiber tactography.

Specialized Areas of Interest

Endoscopic endonasal neurosurgery; minimally invasive neurosurgery; skull base tumors; skull base pathology; neuro-oncology; cerebrovascular neurosurgery; cranial nerve disorders; radiosurgery.