Dr. Michael E. Ivan is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Miami where he acts as Jackson South's Chief of Cranial Neurosurgery and Neuro-oncology Service and Co-Director of Neurosurgery. He is also the Director of Research for the University of Miami Brain Tumor Initiative within Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. He is an active member of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons and is a leader among his peers, serving as an executive member of the Young Neurosurgeon's Committee for the American Association of Neurological Surgeons. Dr. Ivan graduated from Cornell University and received his Doctorate of Medicine and Master's Degree from UMDNJ/Rutgers University. While at Rutgers Medical School, he served as President of his class and was honored as a Gold Humanism Scholar. He then completed his neurological surgery training at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), consistently ranked as one of the top neurosurgical training programs in the United States. At UCSF, Dr. Ivan focused on the treatment and management of brain tumors, vascular malformations, and skull base lesions. He was awarded the Howard Naffziger award for best clinical resident and received multiple awards for his research on brain tumors and stereotactic neurosurgery. As a testament to his dedication to medical education, Dr. Ivan was awarded the Teaching Excellence Award for Cherished Housestaff from UCSF. After residency, he moved to Miami and completed a fellowship in Neuro-Oncology at the University of Miami (UM). At UM, he continues his research on minimally invasive brain tumor management with state of the art treatments, including laser interstitial thermal therapy and fluorescence guided surgery. The primary focus of Dr. Ivan's clinical, academic, and research interests has been on the microenvironment of brain tumors and their invasive qualities.