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Rajiv Saigal, MD, Neurosurgery, San Francisco, CA

RajivSaigalMDPhD

Neurosurgery • San Francisco, CA

Brain & Spinal Tumor, Neurosurgical Spine Surgery, Neurotrauma

Associate Professor, Neurological Surgery, UCSF

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Summary

  • Dr. Rajiv Saigal is an Associate Professor of Neurological Surgery at UCSF and Attending Neurosurgeon at Washington Hospital. He is a neurosurgeon-scientist who specializes in complex spine surgery, including spinal cord injury, spinal deformity, spinal tumors, minimally invasive techniques, and neurotrauma. His research focuses on bioengineering approaches for treating spinal cord injury, especially on polymer-based approaches for controlled drug release, electrical stimulation and techniques to optimize spinal cord perfusion. He chairs the North American Spine Society Section on Spinal Cord injury.

    He started his career at the University of Washington, where he was PI of the Neurosurgical Biomaterials and Engineering lab. Dr. Saigal completed neurosurgery residency at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). He then completed an orthopedic spine deformity fellowship at Scripps and the San Diego Spine Foundation, focusing on less invasive techniques for spinal deformity. He completed a second spine fellowship at the University of Miami, focusing on minimally invasive spine surgery, including endoscopic fusion. Prior to residency, Dr. Saigal completed a PhD in medical engineering at the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology and an MD at the Tufts University School of Medicine. He also has a B.Sc. with highest honors in electrical engineering from Georgia Tech and a M.Sc. in biomedical engineering from Aalborg University in Denmark.

    He is the recipient of awards for research, teaching, and leadership, including the Global Spine Congress Best Papers, Boldrey Young Investigator Award, UCSF Neurosurgery Research and Rosegay awards, and AOA. His research has been funded by the NSF, Washington Research Foundation, UW Institute for Neuroengineering, Washington State Spinal Cord Injury Consortium, ITHS, and the Whitaker Foundation.

Education & Training

  • University of California (San Francisco)
    University of California (San Francisco)Residency, Neurological Surgery, 2009 - 2015
  • Tufts University School of Medicine
    Tufts University School of MedicineClass of 2009

Certifications & Licensure

  • CA State Medical License
    CA State Medical License 2011 - 2024
  • WA State Medical License
    WA State Medical License 2016 - 2023
  • American Board of Neurological Surgery Neurological Surgery

Clinical Trials

Publications & Presentations

PubMed

Authored Content

  • Analysis of Normal High-Frequency Intracranial Pressure Values and Treatment Threshold in Neurocritical Care PatientsJune 2020
  • Analysis of Normal High-Frequency Intracranial Pressure Values and Treatment Threshold in Neurocritical Care PatientsJune 2020

Press Mentions

  • Double Doctorates: 35+ Spine Surgeons with PhDs
    Double Doctorates: 35+ Spine Surgeons with PhDsMarch 28th, 2018
  • InVivo Therapeutics Secures Expanded Patent for Neuro-Spinal Scaffold — 5 Quick Notes Featured
    InVivo Therapeutics Secures Expanded Patent for Neuro-Spinal Scaffold — 5 Quick Notes FeaturedFebruary 12th, 2016

Professional Memberships

Other Languages

  • Spanish

Dr. Rajiv Saigal, Dr. Rajiv Saigal, MD, Dr. R Saigal