Dr. Michael E. Ivan is a neurosurgeon and scientist at the University of Miami Miller School Of Medicine who specializes in complex brain tumor surgery. He acts as the Neuro-oncology Site Disease Group Leader, Director of Research for the University of Miami Brain Tumor Initiative within Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, and is the Principal Investigator of the Ivan Brain Tumor Laboratory.

Dr. Ivan has a busy clinical neurosurgery practice which includes surgery, radiosurgery (gamma knife), laser surgery, and minimally invasive surgery on skull base tumors, primary brain tumors (glioblastoma, gliomas), secondary brain tumors (metastatic), meningiomas, pituitary tumors, acoustic neuromas, and other lesions of the brain. He leads the way in the use of novel techniques in neurosurgery such as fluorescence guided surgery, awake craniotomies, robotic surgery, advanced brain mapping techniques, augmented reality in neurosurgery, and the use of advanced neuro-imaging, allowing a safer and more complete surgery to be performed. Dr. Ivan continues clinical research focused on improving and prolonging the quality of life of his patients, which has led to more than 150 publications. He has also given more than 100 invited lectures on brain tumors throughout the world. Dr. Ivan is one of the few neurosurgeons in the country with a research lab focused on brain tumors. His team studies patient’s tumors to develop new treatments targeting their genetic makeup, pathways of invasion, and growth mechanisms. Dr. Ivan’s Brain Tumor Lab has won multiple national and local research awards and grants for their work on novel translational Neuro-oncology therapies.

After graduating from Cornell University with B.S. in Chemical Engineering, Dr. Ivan received his Doctorate of Medicine and Masters Degree from UMDNJ/Rutgers University. While at New Jersey Medical School, he served as President of his class and was honored as a Gold Humanism Scholar. He then completed his neurological surgery training at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), nationally ranked as one of the top training programs in the country. At UCSF, Dr. Ivan focused on the treatment and management of brain tumors, vascular malformations, epilepsy, and skull base lesions. He was awarded the Howard Naffziger award for best clinical resident and received multiple awards for his research on brain tumors and stereotactic neurosurgery. After residency, he moved to Miami and completed a fellowship in Surgical Neuro-oncology at the University of Miami. As a testament to his dedication to medical education, Dr. Ivan was awarded the Teaching Excellence Award for Cherished Housestaff from UCSF and the Department of Neurological Surgery Teaching Award from the University of Miami. Dr. Ivan continues to be active as an instructor for the University Of Miami Miller School Of Medicine.

Dr. Ivan is recognized as an international leader in neurosurgery. He acts as the President of The Florida Neurosurgical Society and is on the executive board of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS)/Congress of Neurosurgeons (CNS) Joint Tumor Section, as well as past Vice-Chairman of the Young Neurosurgeon's Committee for the American Association of Neurological Surgeons. He has acted as the past planning chair of the AANS Tumor Section Meeting. He is the future planning co-chair for the upcoming CNS/AANS Tumor Symposium. Dr. Ivan is an active member of the Society of Neuro-oncology and North American Skull Base Society.