Professor Tipu Aziz Recipient of Britain’s Highest Neurosurgery Honor

The prestigious SBNS medal is awarded to UK neurosurgeons in recognition of their contribution to British neurosurgery and is Britain’s highest neurosurgery honor. Professor Aziz was instrumental in the rise in functional neurosurgery both in the UK and internationally. He studied for his MD under Professor Alan Crossman in Manchester, elucidating pathways in the basal ganglia and providing the first robust evidence that the subthalamic nucleus was a potential target in functional neurosurgery. Along with the work of Delong in the US, this catalyzed the field that has led to over a quarter of a million STN DBS procedures worldwide. Professor Aziz started the Functional Neurosurgery Unit in Oxford and has continued to lead groundbreaking research alongside his clinical practice where he has performed over 1500 implantations. His research on the pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN) in primates also led to the PPN becoming a target in certain subtypes of Parkinson’s disease. He has led the world in DBS for chronic pain, having started anterior cingulate DBS. In addition to his own accomplishments, he has supervised over 20 PhDs, numerous fellows (many of whom have started DBS services in their own countries), and countless trainees. He has set up functional units around the world, particularly in the Third World or impoverished countries, including Bangladesh, India, and Ukraine.