Henry Brem, MD
Henry Brem is the Henry Brem Professor of Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins University and Director of the Neurosurgery Translational Research Center and the Hunterian Laboratory. He also is a professor of Oncology, Ophthalmology, and Biomedical Engineering and a member of the National Academy of Medicine. He served as the Harvey Cushing Professor and Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins from 2000-2025.
Brem earned his undergraduate degree from New York University, his medical degree from Harvard, and trained in general surgery at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital and in neurosurgery at Columbia University’s Neurological Institute of New York. At Johns Hopkins he has built one of the largest brain tumor research and treatment centers in the world. He has trained numerous researchers who have revolutionized the fields of intra-operative imaging, angiogenesis, immunotherapy, targeted therapies and controlled release polymers for drug delivery to the brain. He has been continuously funded by the NIH since 1985 and is currently funded by several active grants. As chairman of the Hopkins Neurosurgery Department he has raised over $350M in philanthropy. He has published over 400 research papers, 60 book chapters, 11 patents and an H index of 107 with over 50,000 citations.
Dr Brem is committed to collaboration across disciplines to inspire and facilitate the translation of scientific advances for direct patient benefit. As such, he has helped found Johns Hopkins Brain Science Institute and was co-principal investigator of the Johns Hopkins Coulter Foundation “Translational Research Partner Program” which funded innovative biomedical engineering projects across disciplines that have the potential to rapidly develop into useful products for patients. Henry Brem has developed new tools and techniques that have changed the field of neurosurgery. Brem carried out the pivotal clinical study that introduced navigational imaging into the neurosurgical suite. His work led to the FDA’s approval of the first image guidance computer system for intra-operative localization of tumors. Furthermore, he has changed the surgical armamentarium against brain tumors by inventing and developing Gliadel wafers to intra-operatively deliver chemotherapy to brain tumors. He has founded several biotechnology companies and currently serves on the boards of companies.
His mentoring has been recognized by Johns Hopkins and the national neurosurgical organizations. Twenty two chairs of neurosurgical departments have trained during his tenure as Department Director at Johns Hopkins. He is serving as Director of Clinical Innovation for the NIH funded NeuroTech Harbor.