Attending Physician
Cooper University Hospital
Ajith Thomas, MD
Prior to joining Cooper University Health Care as Chief of Neurosurgery, I was at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), a Harvard Medical School affiliated hospital in Boston, where I played an integral part in creating one of the best cerebrovascular centers in the United States.
Innovation is at the heart of all my endeavors. I was the first to demonstrate the value of progesterone in ameliorating the effects of neural injury and the utility of functional MRI in delineating speech areas in patients with brain arteriovenous malformations. Most of my clinical innovation has been in the field of cerebrovascular neurosurgery. My work has focused on multiple areas including brain aneurysm treatment, arteriovenous malformation, stroke, and arteriovenous fistulas. A classification of carotid cavernous fistulas that I’ve developed (the Thomas classification) is being extensively utilized.
I was involved with the wider adoption of flow diverter technology and improved its safety in patients. More than 100,000 flow diverters have been placed globally, and our work played an important role in the expanded use of these devices. I’ve published 50 peer-reviewed articles on the subject and recently I edited a special edition of the “Neurosurgery” journal on this technology. I have presented data on this technology at multiple meetings nationally and internationally and am recognized as a leading expert globally.
I have been involved in various technology development projects. One such project involved developing a safe cranial drill with Harvard University, which has been awarded a US patent and also won the GM Freudenstein Award. Lately, I have been involved with artificial intelligence and various imaging applications.
In the basic sciences arena, my work around the role of early endothelial cells in maintaining a healthy neurovascular niche and in supporting brain development was featured on the cover page of Brain Research. This area of research promises wide implications in our understanding of neurodegenerative disorders and their treatment.
I am proud to be the Chief of Neurosurgery at Cooper University Health Care and Professor of Neurosurgery at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University. My goal is to build a world-class Neurosurgery department that provides compassionate and competent neurosurgical care utilizing research to expand the frontiers of our clinical care. We are committed to providing a vibrant and safe environment for training neurosurgery residents at this exciting time where cutting-edge technology like robotics, augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and advances in molecular biology are poised to create extraordinary therapeutic advances that were not previously available.