Neil Martin, MD, Joins Pacific Neuroscience Institute and Providence Southern California as Regional Medical Director of Neuroscience

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May 04, 2020, 08:42 ET

SANTA MONICA, Calif., May 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Neil A. Martin, MD, has joined Pacific Neuroscience Institute (PNI) and Providence Saint John's Health Center. He also will begin a new role June 1 as regional medical director of neuroscience for Providence Southern California and will help oversee and direct neuroscience activities of the 13 Providence hospitals across Los Angeles and Orange counties and in the High Desert.

Dr. Martin's neurosurgical practice at PNI will focus on patients with facial pain syndromes such as trigeminal neuralgia, skull base tumors, aneurysms and arteriovenous malformations. He also will join the John Wayne Cancer Institute (JWCI) faculty and participate in neuroscience clinical trials and research at both PNI and JWCI. At PNI Foundation, he will serve as Director of Innovation and Quality and will focus his efforts on programmatic development at Saint John's Health Center. He also will be a neurosurgical fellowship training mentor, help with recruitment of new PNI faculty and assist in PNI Foundation fundraising efforts.

"We are delighted my long-time friend and colleague Neil Martin is returning to Southern California and joining PNI and Providence," said Daniel Kelly, MD, PNI founder and director and PNI Foundation president. "Neil will be a major asset for us in neurosurgery and he's uniquely qualified for the regional medical directorship role. With his 30 years of experience at UCLA, including department chair from 2008-16, and his most recent three-year experience as chairman of Geisinger Neuroscience Institute in Pennsylvania, he has a rare skill set."

Dr. Martin is considered one of the leading skull base and neurovascular neurosurgeons in the US, having trained countless residents and fellows, overseen numerous clinical trials and NIH grants, and authored almost 300 peer-reviewed publications. From a healthcare administrative perspective, throughout his career, he has focused on neuroscience innovation, quality of care, efficiency and reducing costs.

"The timing of Dr. Martin joining Providence is critical to the advancement of our Neuroscience Clinical Institute and we are excited for him to join our team," said Erik G. Wexler, chief executive, Providence Southern California. "Our neuroscience program will provide more integrated cost-effective care by advancing treatment in centers of excellence, connecting patients and providers more effectively through technology, and expanding research and clinical trials across the region."

At Geisinger, during Dr. Martin's tenure as Chair, the Neuroscience Institute had many accomplishments benefitting the 12-hospital system, including developing two new comprehensive stroke centers and deploying a regional telestroke/teleneurology network. As chief quality officer, along with colleagues from across the organization, he developed a system-wide surgical enhanced recovery program involving nine subspecialties, resulting in significant reductions in complications, length of hospital stay, readmissions, opioid use and costs. He also supported a population neurogenomics research program to identify novel genetic anomalies associated with stroke and degenerative spinal disease.

About Pacific Neuroscience Institute:
Pacific Neuroscience Institute provides leading edge clinical care and clinical trials for patients with a wide spectrum of neuroscience disorders including brain, skull base and pituitary tumors; stroke and related neurovascular diseases; adult hydrocephalus; vision, hearing and sinonasal disorders; facial pain syndromes; movement disorders, Alzheimer's dementia and related memory, cognitive and mood impairments, and multiple sclerosis. PNI specialists provide collaborative care at several Providence award-winning hospitals including at its primary home at Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, and at Little Company of Mary Medical Center in Torrance, California. www.pacificneuro.org.

About Providence Southern California:
Providence Southern California is a not-for-profit Catholic health network with 13 hospitals, approximately 90 clinics, Trinity Care Hospice and its Trinity Kids Care pediatric hospice, Providence High School, home health care services, eight wellness centers and numerous physician groups in its Southern California Region. Together these ministries, including secular affiliates and some representing other faiths, generate $7.5 billion in net revenue and have approximately 35,000 employees – called caregivers – and nearly 5,200 physicians on staff. Providence Southern California is part of Renton, Washington-based, Providence system of 111,000 caregivers serving in 51 hospitals, 829 clinics and a comprehensive range of services across Alaska, California, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas and Washington. PSJH strives to increase access to health care and bring quality, compassionate care to those we serve, with a focus on those most in need.