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Postdoctoral Research Fellow
The Loyal and Edith Davis Neurosurgical Research Laboratory, Department of Neurosurgery Research, Barrow Neurological Institute
Dr. Kivanc Yangi is a neurosurgeon-in-training who currently works as a postdoctoral research fellow at the Loyal & Edith Davis Neurosurgical Research Laboratory, Department of Neurosurgery Research at Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Arizona. He is also a PGY-5 neurosurgical resident at the University of Health Sciences, Prof. Dr. Cemil Tascioglu City Hospital in Istanbul, Turkey.
Dr. Yangi earned his M.D. degree with honors from Istanbul University, Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty in 2018. In addition to his medical education, he holds an Associate Degree in Healthcare Management from Istanbul University, which he completed with high honors.
His early exposure to international neurosurgical research and training began during his undergraduate years. In 2012-2013, he completed a research fellowship at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) under Assoc. Prof. Dr. Guralp Onur Ceyhan, followed by an observership at the International Neuroscience Institute (INI) in Hannover under Prof. Dr. Madjid Samii (2013-2014). During his time at INI, with the support of Prof. Dr. Madjid Samii, he attended the first module of the International Basic Neurosurgery Course (IBNC) in 2014, laying the foundation for his structured neurosurgical education.
Expanding his training, he completed fellowships at the University Hospital of Cologne with Prof. Dr. Boris Krischek (2014-2015) and at Berlin Charité University under Prof. Dr. Peter Vajkoczy (2014-2015). His international exposure continued at Mayo Clinic Rochester, where he worked as a Research Trainee under Prof. Dr. Robert J. Spinner (2016), contributing to the development and writing of research projects.
In 2016, as a 4th-year medical student, he participated in the WFNS Live Surgery Seminar in Harare, Zimbabwe, delivering an oral presentation titled "Surgery of Cerebellopontine Angle Tumors". Among 25 young neurosurgeons, his presentation was selected as the second-best oral presentation.
As a 5th-year medical student, he successfully completed all four modules of the International Basic Neurosurgery Course (IBNC) and was awarded the Basic Neurosurgery Training Completion Certificate by the Turkish Neurosurgical Society in 2017.
Since 2017, he has given talks at 45 medical schools across Turkey, covering career development, research methodologies, and neurosurgical advancements. He has also completed multiple EANS training courses, specializing in tumor and vascular neurosurgery. In 2024, he successfully passed the Turkish Neurosurgery Board Exam - Written Part.
His research received the Imaging Fast Track Award from the Barrow Neuroimaging Innovation Center (2024) for his work on ultra-high-resolution 7-Tesla Anatomic MR Imaging of ex-vivo formalin-fixed human brainstem. He has authored 23 peer-reviewed international publications and abstracts, with 10 additional manuscripts under peer review.
Dr. Yangi’s research interests include neurovascular surgery, neuro-oncology, and artificial intelligence applications in neurosurgery. His work focuses on integrating artificial intelligence and advanced imaging techniques into neurosurgical practice, postmortem in-situ tractography, and brainstem surgical approaches.
He is a member of several neurosurgical societies, including the European Association of Neurosurgical Societies (EANS), the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS).
With an interest in clinical neurosurgery, research, and medical education, Dr. Yangi continues exploring artificial intelligence and advanced neuroimaging in neurosurgery.
Disclosure(s): No financial relationships to disclose
Sunday, April 27, 2025
1:33 PM – 1:47 PM EDT