Prof Keyoumars Ashkan MBE
Professor Ashkan MBE is Professor of Neurosurgery with over 20 years of consultant level experience in surgical management of brain tumours, movement disorders, complex pain and spinal disease.
Bio
Professor Ashkan MBE is a leading neurosurgeon at King’s College Hospital, London & The London Clinic. He is one of the handful of neurosurgeons in the UK to be awarded a Professorship.
Professor Ashkan underwent dual postgraduate training in medicine & surgery, obtaining Membership of the Royal College of Physicians in 1997 & the Fellowship of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons of England & Glasgow in 1998. Thereafter, he underwent higher specialist training in general neurosurgery in London, being awarded the Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons in Neurosurgery in 2002. His subspecialist training in stereotactic & functional neurosurgery included a Fellowship in France with Professor Benabid, the founder of modern deep brain stimulation surgery, which led to a MD degree in 2006. He was appointed as a Consultant Neurosurgeon at King’s College Hospital in January 2007 & subsequently was promoted to the position of Professor.
In addition to his expertise in degenerative spine disease, which includes the management of back & neck pain, arm pain & sciatica together with peripheral nerve disorders such as carpal tunnel syndrome, Professor Ashkan’s main interests are neuromodulation surgery & brain tumours. This includes deep brain stimulation, spinal cord stimulation & occipital nerve stimulation for movement disorders, pain, headaches & image guided minimally invasive & stereotactic surgery for brain tumours including awake craniotomies & brain mapping. He is also one of the few UK surgeons trained in Gamma & Cyberknife radiosurgery as well as Visualase laser ablation for tumours.
Professor Ashkan has published over 850 peer reviewed papers, abstracts & book chapters & is an Associate Editor or reviewer for several journals & grant awarding bodies.
His surgery to remove a brain tumour while the patient remained awake to play the violin attracted worldwide attention. He was awarded an MBE for services to neurosurgery in the 2025 New Year Honours list.
Areas of expertise
- Carpal tunnel syndrome decompression
- DCVax immunotherapy
- Visualase laser ablation for brain tumours
- Cyberknife radiosurgery
- Laminectomy
- Foraminotomy
- Back pain
- Neck pain
- Sciatica
- Brachialgia
More information
5 Devonshire Place
London, W1G 6HL
- Qualified 1993
- Professor of Neurosurgery & Consultant Neurosurgeon
King's College Hospital & King's College London
Professor Ashkan has held many national and international positions including:
- Council Member of the Society of British Neurological Surgeons
- The UK Lead for Genomics England programme for brain tumours
- President of the British Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery
- Chairman of the Neurosurgery Section of the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
- King’s College Hospital Lead for Neuro-Oncology
- Chair of King’s Neuroscience Clinical Trial Unit
- Chair of King’s Neuroscience Research Delivery Unit