Yarema Bezchlibnyk, MD

I graduated from the University of Toronto in 1999 with a Bachelor's of Science (Honours) specializing in Molecular Genetics and Molecular Biology, including a minor in Bioethics. Subsequently, I defended a PhD investigating the molecular and cellular factors underlying the pathophysiology of mood and psychotic disorders under the supervision of Dr. L. Trevor Young. Upon the successful completion of my doctoral studies, I began my training in medicine at the University of Toronto. While working towards my medical degree, I conceived of and completed a project under Dr. Andres Lozano's supervision exploring the effects of deep brain stimulation (DBS) on cellular morphology. In 2010, I was accepted into the Neurosurgery residency training program at the University of Calgary, Alberta, where I worked with Dr. Zelma Kiss as a post-doctoral fellow investigating chronic pallidal DBS-induced neuroplasticity. Concurrently, I designed and executed a number of clinical studies which are also being prepared for publication, including an analysis of the long-term outcomes of GPi-DBS for cervical dystonia and a comparison of neuropsychological changes in patients undergoing GPi- or STN-DBS for PD. Upon the successful completion of my Neurosurgery board examinations, I was inducted as a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. I then completed a post-doctoral fellowship in Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery and Epilepsy Surgery at Emory University with Drs. Robert E. Gross, Jon T. Willie, and Nicholas M. Boulis. Over the course of this fellowship, I was involved in clinical studies assessing the accuracy and efficacy of stereotactic laser amygdalohippocampotomy for epilepsy, and conducted clinical studies on the accuracy and clinical outcomes of awake vs. asleep DBS.

In my capacity as Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery at the University of South Florida's Morsani School of Medicine, my clinical and research focus is on Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery, Epilepsy Surgery, and Peripheral Nerve Surgery. In this capacity, I am excited by the opportunity to expand the care received by patients suffering from movement, psychiatric, epilepsy, pain, and peripheral nerve disorders.