Hearty congratulations to our recently promoted faculty members

The Neurosurgery Department is pleased and proud to announce the promotion of three of its faculty members, thanks in part to their record of published research, ability to attract grant funding, academic visibility, teaching excellence, and administrative or community service. Congratulations to:

• Ramu Tummala, MD, who was promoted from Associate Professor to Professor
• Ann Parr, MD, PhD, was promoted from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor, and
• Michael C. Park, MD, PhD, was promoted from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor.

Ramu Tummala, MD
Tummala joined the Neurosurgery Department in 2007. “My focus is not only on my patients, but on ensuring that the next generation of neurosurgeons is well trained,” he said. “This promotion means a great deal to me because it says the university is as committed to what I see as important as I am.”

With a firm foundation in neurosurgery research and inquiry, Tummala has authored or co-authored almost 60 peer-reviewed journals. He leads an ongoing Endovascular Surgical Neuroradiology Fellowship Grant funded by Microvention, a California-based medical device company that has pioneered the development of catheter-based, minimally invasive, neuroendovascular technologies to help treat neurovascular disorders.

As the Neurosurgery Department’s Vice Chairman of Professional Development, Tummala works with the Department Head to help faculty advance their national and international profile as leaders in clinical and academic neurosurgery, among other responsibilities.

The Twin Cities medical community has recognized Tummala’s clinical capabilities and he has been listed as a Top Doctor by Mpls.St.Paul Magazine for four consecutive years (2016 – 2019).

Tummala has been invited to speak during numerous national and international meetings. In addition, he is an ad hoc manuscript reviewer for the journals, Neurosurgery and World Neurosurgery.

After earning his medical degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Tummala completed his residency in neurosurgery at the University of Minnesota. He completed two fellowships, one in Cerebrovascular/Skull Base Surgery at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital in Florida and another in Neuroendovascular Surgery at the University of Buffalo, NY.

Michael C. Park, MD, PhD
Park, who is a MnDRIVE* Neuromodulation Scholar, joined the Neurosurgery Department in 2014. He is what’s known as a stereotactic and functional neurosurgeon and has extensive experience with neuromodulation, such as deep brain stimulation. This surgical therapy for movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, essential tremor, dystonia, and now epilepsy, modulates brain activity to treat the symptoms associated with these conditions. He also uses neuromodulation to stimulate the spinal cord and for delivery of intrathecal drug therapy to help treat cancer and chronic pain.

As the recently appointed Program Director for the Neurosurgery Residency Program, Park oversees training of the next generation of neurosurgical leaders at the U of M.

Being promoted to Associate Professor means a great deal to Park. “I’m on the newly created Master Clinician Track, which has slightly different criteria than the tenured track,” he explained. “A lot of good clinicians don’t make it to the next level in an academic setting because they concentrate on their clinical practice and on educating residents. This track recognizes the good work they do. It means the university is validating what you’ve accomplished so far.”

Park’s research interests include investigating the impact of the brain’s structure on neurological conditions, neuromodulation (deep brain stimulation), and medical device innovation. He is a Clinical Core Co-Investigator for the U of M’s Udall Center of Excellence for Parkinson's Disease Research.

Listed as first author for 7 of the 25 articles he's had published in peer-reviewed journals, Park was also first author of 3 book chapters. He has spoken to numerous national and international audiences and is currently working closely with Seoul National University in South Korea to revitalize a long-term collaborative relationship the department has had with that organization.

Enthusiastically embraced by the local medical community, Park was listed as a Mpls.St.Paul Magazine Top Doctors Rising Star in 2017 and 2018.

Park received his MD and PhD from the School of Medicine and the Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology at the University of Kansas (KU) in Kansas City, KS, and received a bachelor’s in biology from KU in Lawrence, KS, and dual bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering and Economics from Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. He completed his neurological residency at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University in Providence, RI. In addition, Park was a 2009 recipient of the William P. Van Wagenen Fellowship and studied at the Assistance Publique L’Hopital d’Adulte de la Timone in Marseille, France.

Ann Parr, MD, PhD
A member of the Neurosurgery Department faculty since 2010, Parr is the Medical Director for Spinal Neurosurgery and treats patients with spinal trauma, deformity and disease. Spinal cord injury is Parr’s research focus. She is a Principal Investigator in both the Parr Laboratory and the U of M’s Stem Cell Institute. She has received significant funding for multiple research projects and has authored or co-authored numerous journal articles and book chapters and holds two provisional U.S. patents. Parr is a sought-after speaker and has been invited to speak at national and international meetings.

“I was granted indefinite tenure by the University of Minnesota, which is a great honor,” she explained. “It confirms that my work is valued by the university and believes in the value of my future contributions.”

As a committed leader in neurosurgery, Parr has held numerous positions in professional organizations, including as a board member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, Chair of the Northwest Quadrant for the Council of State Neurological Societies, and president of the Minnesota Neurological Society. She is particularly committed to bringing more women into neurosurgery and has held several leadership positions in the American Association of Neurological Surgeons/Congress of Neurological Surgeons Joint Section on Women in Neurosurgery.

Parr earned her MD from the Medical School of Queens University in Kingston, Ontario. She completed her residency in neurosurgery at the University of Toronto and a fellowship in complex spine at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital in Florida. Parr earned her PhD in the Clinical Investigator Program at the Institute of Medical Science of the University of Toronto.