Garni Barkhoudarian is associate professor of neuroscience and neurosurgery at the Pacific Neuroscience Institute and Chief of Neurosurgery at Providence Saint John’s Health Center. Born outside Detroit, Michigan, Dr. Barkhoudarian grew up in Los Angeles, where he attended college at the University of California, Los Angeles, graduating with honors. He then attended the University of Michigan Medical School, graduating in 2005. He completed his neurosurgical residency at UCLA Health Center and fellowship in Endoscopic and Pituitary Surgery at Brigham and Women’s hospital with Dr. Edward Laws.
As Co-director of the Pituitary Disorders Center and chief of radiosurgery, Dr. Barkhoudarian has particular expertise in skull base, pituitary and brain tumors, trigeminal neuralgia, hemifacial spasm and other vascular compression syndromes. For many conditions, he applies the keyhole concept of minimizing collateral damage to the brain using advanced neuroimaging and neuro-navigation techniques along with endoscopy to improve targeting and lesion visualization.
Dr. Barkhoudarian’s research interests include evaluating outcomes of pituitary and brain tumor surgery, and biomarker research for pituitary adenomas, meningiomas and metastatic brain tumors. He is the principal investigator of clinical trials evaluating brain and pituitary tumor treatment options. As director of the PNI Multidisciplinary Neuroanatomy and Surgical Skills Laboratory, he conducts skull base and anatomic research to help innovate minimally invasive approaches to intracranial tumors. This laboratory is also central to the education and training of Pacific Neuroscience Institute’s clinical and international fellows.
Dr. Barkhoudarian joined the executive committee of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) in 2017, where he chaired the Self-Assessment of Neurological Surgery (SANS) team. He expanded his passion of neurosurgical education as vice-chair of the education division, helping develop live and virtual education courses for the CNS membership and helping foster collaboration with the AANS/CNS sections and the Society of Neurooncology. As head of the ACCME program, Dr. Barkhoudarian had helped with CME accreditation and adjudication for the CNS. Dr. Barkhoudarian is Scientific Program Chair for the CNS Annual meeting.
Dr. Barkhoudarian focuses on advancing innovation in neurosurgery as well as education future generations to the highest levels of the discipline. He is a loving husband to Dr. Evelyn Baghdasraian-Barkhoudarian and a proud father of two boys, Sevan (9) and Aren (8). On his “off” times, he enjoys chess, skiing, mountain biking and Formula One racing.