History

Dr. Robert J. Maciunas was a gifted and visionary surgeon and pioneer in the field of neurosurgery and deep-brain stimulation.

In 2004, he became the first surgeon in North America to implant a deep brain stimulator to treat Tourette's syndrome, which can cause uncontrollable motions and outcries. His patient recovered far beyond predictions, giving hope to people around the world with this debilitating neurological disorder. Maciunas had already helped to develop radiation surgery and imaging techniques for invasive surgery. He once called his work an "equal mix of high science and high art."

Dr. Maciunas was one of the world's foremost experts on brain imaging, having spent his career studying and teaching computer navigation. Image-guided systems are used to treat complicated tumors or those that are hard to access. He was the author of numerous books and other publications about image-guided neurosurgery, including the very first in the field, Interactive Image Guide: Neurosurgery.

Dr. Maciunas was the Vice Chairman of Neurological Surgery at the University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland where he was also the Director of the Brain Tumor Center and Gamma Knife and Cyberknife Radiosurgery Center.

Dr. Maciunas was an enthusiastic supporter of the research program at Hawken. He served as a mentor and was co-chair and co-founder of the STEMM Pathways Advisory Committee. It was he who originally proposed the creation of a student research symposium as part of the STEMM Pathways program.