Our Communities

Become a Part of the SDSC Community

Connect with Visionary Leaders and Innovators in Surgery

Leadership community

Collaborative Leadership for the Future of Surgical Science

The SDSC Clinical Leadership Committee is a group
of influential surgical leaders dedicated to shaping the future of
surgery through AI and data science.

This committee plays a crucial role in guiding research and
practice development with the goal of impacting patient care
and improving surgical outcomes.

Chris Graffeo Portrait

Dr. Christopher S. Graffeo, MD, MS, is an Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery and Associate Program Director at the University of Oklahoma. His clinical focus includes skull base tumors, cerebrovascular disease, and stereotactic radiosurgery, while his research explores advanced data modeling, surgical neuroanatomy, and education. As Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Neurological Surgery: Reports, he brings extensive expertise to the SDSC Clinical Leadership team, aiming to harness AI to revolutionize scholarship, teaching, and clinical care in neurosurgery.

Christopher S. Graffeo
MD, MS
Ian A. Buchanan, M.D.

Ian A. Buchanan, M.D., is a neurosurgeon specializing in complex spinal disorders. He graduated from Harvard Medical School’s Harvard/MIT Health Sciences and Technology program and completed his neurosurgery residency at USC, serving as chief resident at the L.A. County Medical Center. Dr. Buchanan further trained with a combined neurosurgery and orthopedic fellowship in spinal deformity and robotics at Columbia University/New York-Presbyterian. His research focuses on simulation models for resident education, healthcare cost reduction, and using machine learning to improve patient outcomes. He is a member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, and the North American Spine Society.

Ian Buchanan
Neurosurgeon
No photo cover

João Paulo Almeida, MD, is the Robert L. Campbell Scholar in Neurological Surgery, and is an Associate Professor and Director of Skull Base Surgery at Indiana University. He earned his medical degree from Universidade Federal do Ceará and completed his neurosurgery residency at State University of Campinas. As a clinical fellow, Dr. Almeida trained in neuro-oncology, skull base, and cerebrovascular surgery at Toronto Western Hospital and Cleveland Clinic. He was an assistant professor at Mayo Clinic Florida, where he led the Skull Base Lab, and is now adjunct professor. Dr. Almeida has authored over 110 peer-reviewed papers, 75 presentations, and 29 book chapters. His research and teaching focuses on skull base surgery, neuro-oncology, and microsurgical anatomy.

João Paulo Calvacante de Almeida
Neurosurgeon
Visish Srinivasan Photo

Dr. Srinivasan is a cerebrovascular neurosurgeon specializing in microsurgical, skull base, and endovascular techniques to treat disorders such as aneurysms, AVMs, strokes, and carotid disease. He offers comprehensive treatments, including open surgery, endovascular procedures, and stereotactic radiosurgery. His research focuses on aneurysm healing, endovascular device development, intravascular imaging, and intra-arterial tumor therapies.

Visish Srinivasan
Neurosurgeon
Pamela Peters portrait

Dr. Pamela Peters, MD, is a Gynecologic Oncologist and Medical Director of Gynecologic Oncology Sutter East Bay Medical Group. Her clinical interests include complex robotic and laparoscopic surgery for treatment of gynecologic malignancies, and hereditary cancer syndromes. Her research focus is on implementation science and surgical education for trainees and early career surgeons. She joined the SDSC Clinical Leadership team because she is interested in AI as a tool to empower surgeons with information to improve the quality of the surgical care they provide.

Pamela Peters
Gynecologic Oncologist

We invite Laparoscopy experts to join the SDSC Clinical Leadership Committee. Contact us to learn more about joining.

We invite ENT experts to join the SDSC Clinical Leadership Committee. Contact us to learn more about joining.

Research Community

Become a Valued Member of the SDSC Fellows’ Research Community

At SDSC, collaboration is at the core of our mission to drive global surgical improvements. The SDSC Fellows’ Research Community is a cornerstone initiative designed to foster innovation and excellence in surgical research.

This is a broad network of MDs, scientists, researchers and technologists motivated and interested in driving research in surgery through AI, ML and data science. Membership of this group enables:

Surgical Data Insights

Leverage SOC2 and HIPAA-compliant surgical video data to generate groundbreaking insights from novel research questions.

Publication Support

Publish your findings in prestigious journals—our collaborators have been featured in CNS, NASBS, and the Journal of Neurological Surgery.

Accelerate Your Research

Utilize in-house machine learning and data science resources to expedite your research and drive innovation faster.

Grant Application Assistance

Access opportunities for securing prestigious grants, with support from collaborative work completed with our team and other community members.

Amplify Your Impact

Receive dedicated support from our marketing and social media team to amplify your work, enhancing reach and impact within the broader community.

Transform Surgical Data

Engage with cutting-edge technology and be part of the surgical data science revolution driving innovation in various surgical fields.

Connect with Experts

Get connected with peers, clinicians, and technologists in your specialty, fostering collaboration and advancing your research.

If you’re interested in joining our community, please apply by using the contact form above–we’d be excited to hear from you!

Kishore Balasubramanian
Ruth Lau Rodríguez
Fiona Kolbinger
Yan Meng portrait
Yan Meng
Recai Yilmaz portrait
Recai Yilmaz
Osama Aglan portrait
Osama Aglan
Timothy Singer
Jacob Young portrait
Jacob Young
Alix Bex portrait
Alix Bex
Jonathan Chainey
Rui Feng

Leading Research,
Transforming Surgery

Browse the work from our dynamic research community, where collaboration drives groundbreaking surgical advancements.