Igor Fineman, MD, FACS

Neurosurgeon and Spine Specialist

Dr. Fineman is a board-certified neurosurgeon and spine specialist, practicing in Pasadena, CA. Dr. Fineman specializes in the surgical treatment of brain and spine disorders, as well as CyberKnife stereotactic radiosurgery.

Dr. Fineman has focused his surgical practice on the treatment of movement disorders like Parkinson’s and essential tremor, the treatment of benign and malignant brain and spine tumors, and the treatment of degenerative spine conditions.

A Personal Approach to Care

Our care team works closely with each patient on a one-to-one basis to determine the best course of treatment for every individual. We believe that because every patient is unique, the best treatment approach is individualized and personalized to the needs of that patient.

Education & Training

Dr. Fineman earned his B.S. in bioengineering from the UCLA School of Engineering and Applied Science, before attending the UCLA School of Medicine. Dr. Fineman completed his surgical intern year at the UCLA Medical Center, and continued on to his neurosurgical residency at UCLA. Dr. Fineman served as chief resident in his final year of residency, and as a clinical instructor in Functional and Stereotactic Neurosurgery.

Professional Leadership

In addition to his surgical and patient treatment responsibilities, Dr. Fineman serves in leadership roles at leading medical and educational institutions in Southern California. He holds directorships in Neurosurgery at Huntington Hospital, and the Pasadena CyberKnife Center. He has served as a visiting Associate at the California Institute of Technology, and is on the Staff of City of Hope National Medical Center.

Research & Study

Dr. Fineman’s research interests have included metabolic changes in traumatic brain injury, the development of a neural prosthesis to bypass an injured central nervous system and allow paralyzed patients to communicate, and deep brain stimulation technologies.

Professional Experience

  • Huntington Memorial Hospital, Pasadena, CA
    • Director, Functional and Stereotactic Neurosurgery, 1/2002–Present
  • Huntington Memorial Hospital, Pasadena, CA
    • Section Head, Neurosurgery, 1/2017–1/2019
  • Pasadena CyberKnife, Pasadena, CA
    • Director, Neurosurgery, 12/2009–Present
  • Glendale Adventist Medical Center, Glendale, CA
    • Director, Stereotactic Radiosurgery, 1/2002–12/2010
    • Director, Section of Neurosurgery, 1/2001–1/2006
  • City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA
    • Faculty Neurosurgeon: 6/2007–Present
    • Director, Stereotactic Radiosurgery, 2/2002–6/2007
  • California Institute of Technology, Division of Biology, Pasadena, CA
    • Visiting Associate, 7/2000–1/2013

Education

  • UCLA Medical Center, Division of Neurosurgery
    • Clinical Instructor
    • Functional and Stereotactic Neurosurgery, Radiosurgery, 7/2000–12/2000
  • UCLA Medical Center, Division of Neurosurgery
    • Chief Resident, 7/1999–6/2000
  • UCLA Medical Center, Division of Neurosurgery
    • Resident, 7/1995–6/1999
  • UCLA Medical Center, Department of Surgery
    • Surgical Intern, 6/1994–6/1995
  • UCLA School of Medicine
    • M.D. with Thesis, 6/1994
  • UCLA School of Engineering and Applied Science
    • B.S. Engineering (Bioengineering), 6/1990

Board Certification

  • National Board of Medical Examiners Steps 1, 2, 3 (1992, 1994, 1995)
  • Diplomate, American Board of Neurological Surgery (2004)

Awards & Honors

  • UCLA Brain Injury Research Program Young Investigator Award, 2000
  • Western Student Medical Research Forum Presentation Award, 1992
  • Tau Beta Pi National Engineering Honor Society, 1990
  • UCLA Alumni Scholar Achievement Award, 1985–1989 (4 times)
  • American Heart Association Student Research Award, 1988
  • UCLA Medical Center Student Volunteer Scholarship Award, 1988

Selected Publications & Research

  1. Hauschild, M., Mulliken, G.H, Fineman, I., Loeb, G.E., and Andersen, R.A. Cognitive signals for brain-machine interfaces in posterior parietal cortex include continuous 3D trajectory commands. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2012; 109:17075–17080
  2. Maguire, A., Ngo, J, Fonsworth III, P.K., Doan, J, Birch, J.A., and Fineman, I. Alleviation of Developmental Stuttering Following Deep Brain Stimulation of the Ventral Intermediate Nucleus of the Thalamus. American Journal of Psychiatry, 2012, 169:7 759–780
  3. Ross, I.B. and Fineman, I. Delayed neurologic complications of vertebral bone cement injections. Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences, 2010; 37:125–127
  4. Munoz, C., Juarez, G., Munoz, M.L., Portnow, J., Fineman, I., Badie, B., Mamelak, A., Ferrell, B. The quality of life of patients with malignant gliomas and their caregivers. Social Work Health Care, 2008;47(4): 455–78
  5. Rizutto, D.S., Mamelak, A.N., Sutherling, W.W., Fineman, I, and Andersen, R.A. Spatial selectivity in human ventrolateral prefrontal cortex. Nature Neuroscience, 2005, 8: 415–417
  6. Scherberger H, Fineman, I., Musallam, S., Dubowitz, D.J., Bernheim, K.A., Pesaran, B., Corneil, B.D., Gilliken, B., and Andersen, R.A. Magnetic resonance image-guided implantation of chronic recording electrodes in the macaque intraparietal sulcus. Journal of Neuroscience Methods, 2003, 130(1):1–8
  7. Andersen, R.A., Burdic, J., Musallam, S, Scherberger, H., Pesaran, B., Meeker, D., Corneil, B., Fineman, I., Nenedic, Z., Cham, J., Greger, B., Tai, Y., and Mojarradi, M. Recording advances for nural prosthetics. Conf Proc IEEE EngMed Biol Soc. 204; 7: 5352–5355
  8. Kelly, D.F., Oskouian, R.J. and Fineman, I. Collagen sponge repair of small cerebrospinal fluid leaks obviates tissue grafts and cerebrospinal fluid diversion after pituitary surgery. Neurosurgery, 2001, 49:885–890
  9. Fineman, I., Giza, C.C., Nahed, B.V., Lee, S.M., and Hovda, D.A. Inhibition of neocortical plasticity during development by a moderate concussive brain injury. Journal of Neurotrauma, 2000, 17: 739–749
  10. Fineman, I., Johnson, J.P., Di-Patre, P., and Sandhu, H. Chronic renal failure causing brown tumors and myelopathy: case report and review of pathophysiology and treatment. Journal of Neurosurgery (Spine 2), 1999, 90:242–246
  11. Doberstein, C., Fineman, I., Hovda, D.A., Martin, N.A., Keenly, L. and Becker, D.P. Metabolic alterations accompany ionic disturbances and cellular swelling during a hypoxic insult to the retina: an in vitro study. Acta Neurochirurgica, 1994, Sup. 60: 41–44.
  12. Fineman, I., Hovda, D.A., Smith, M. and Becker, D.P. Concussive brain injury is associated with a prolonged accumulation of calcium: a 45-Ca++ autoradiographic study. Brain Research, 1993, 624: 94–102.
  13. Hovda, D.A., Yoshino, A., Kawamata, T., Katayama, Y., Fineman, I. and Becker, D.P. The increase in local cerebral glucose utilization following fluid percussion brain injury is prevented with kynurenic acid and is associated with an increase in calcium. Acta neurochirurgica, 1990, Sup. 51:331–333
  14. Fineman, I., Hart, D., and Nord, E.P. Intracellular pH regulates Na+ –independent Cl–-base exchange in JTC-12 (proximal tubule) cells. American Journal of Physiology, 1990, 258: F883–92

Professional Organizations

  • American Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery
  • American Association of Neurological Surgeons
  • Congress of Neurological Surgeons
  • North American Spine Society
  • Society for Neuroscience

Languages

Russian, Spanish

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Call: (626) 535-0552

Request An Appointment

Interested in getting our perspective on your treatment? Request an appointment today.

(626) 535-0552