Originally from Brooklyn, New York, Christopher S. Graffeo was an Undergraduate at the University of Virginia, where he studied literature, art history, and philosophy. After returning to New York City and working for several years as an editor and a musician, he enrolled in the Postbaccalaureate Premedical Program at Columbia University and went on to medical school at NYU.

Christopher completed his neurosurgery residency training and skull base neuro-oncology fellowship at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, followed by an open cerebrovascular fellowship with Dr. Michael Lawton at the Barrow Neurological Institute. He joined the faculty of the University of Oklahoma (OU) Department of Neurosurgery in 2022, where his clinical practice focuses on complex cranial surgery, including skull base tumors, cerebrovascular diseases, and stereotactic radiosurgery.

He has published more than 230 peer-reviewed publications, 6 book chapters, and was a 2022 NREF Young Clinician Investigator Award recipient. Christopher is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Neurological Surgery Reports, leads the AANS Early Career Neurosurgeons Committee as Vice Chair and Chair-Elect, and serves as the Director of Social Media for the North American Skull Base Society. At OU, he is the Medical Student Director for Neurosurgery, supervising the Student Research Forum, as well as both the Selective and Sub-intern courses. His favorite pastimes include skiing, rock climbing, cycling, reading, live music, and hanging out with his wife, Audrey, and their sons, Leif and Hal.

Dr. Marilene B. Wang is a Professor in the Department of Head and Neck Surgery at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, where she is Co-Director of the Rhinology and Skull Base program. She received her BA in Mathematics from La Sierra University, Riverside, CA, and her MD from Loma Linda University School of Medicine. She completed her Residency in Head and Neck Surgery at UCLA and was recruited afterward to serve on the faculty. Her practice is focused on rhinology and endoscopic skull base surgery. She has an active cancer research laboratory, studying cell cycle regulation and curcumin suppression of head and neck cancer, which has received National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other extramural funding. She has mentored numerous students and residents in her laboratory, many of whom have gone on to distinguished professional careers. She has authored over 220 peer-reviewed scientific articles, 17 book chapters, and 2 textbooks, and presented over 300 abstracts or lectures at meetings all over the world. She is Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Neurological Surgery Reports, serves on the Editorial Review Boards for International Forum of Allergy and Rhinology and The Laryngoscope, and is a reviewer for numerous other academic journals. She is on the Board of Directors for the American Rhinologic Society (ARS). She served as Vice President of the Triological Society, Western Section, from 2020 to 2022. She has been named to the Best Doctors of America database, Best Doctors in Southern California, and Best Doctors in Los Angeles. She was Chair of the Awards Committee for the ARS from 2014 to 2017, Chair of the Constitution and Bylaws Committee for the American Head and Neck Society (AHNS) from 2017 to 2021, Chair of the Complementary/Integrative Medicine Committee for the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) from 2013 to 2017, and has been an active member of multiple other committees for the AAO-HNS, ARS, AHNS, and American Thyroid Association. She received a Distinguished Service Award from the AAO-HNS in 2013 and was named a Cochrane Scholar in 2014.

Article published online:
28 June 2023

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