Hooman Azmi, M.D. is a board-certified neurosurgeon who is fellowship-trained in functional and restorative neurosurgery. His areas of expertise include Parkinson’s disease, essential tremor and other movement disorders, facial pain syndromes such as trigeminal neuralgia, chronic and malignant pain syndromes, peripheral nerve disorders, and minimally invasive and image-guided treatment of neurological disorders. He also cares for patients with traumatic brain injuries as well as degenerative and traumatic spinal disorders.
Dr. Azmi specializes in focused ultrasound (FUS), also known as high-intensity focused ultrasound, a minimally invasive alternative to deep brain stimulation for patients with essential tremor and Parkinson’s disease tremor that has not responded to medications. FUS uses sound waves to treat brain tissue that is the source of the tremor. The outpatient procedure, which typically takes two hours, doesn’t require surgical incisions or anesthesia and many patients experience immediate and significant reduction in hand tremors.
Quality of care for neurosurgical patients admitted to the hospital is a priority for Dr. Azmi, as he serves on several quality and safety committees. Dr. Azmi and his team at HUMC received the first gold seal awarded to a hospital in the United States by the Joint Commission for Accreditation of Hospitals, honoring his protocols for disease-specific care of patients with Parkinson’s disease.
After attending medical school at New York Medical College, Dr. Azmi completed his residency at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. He returned to New York Medical College as a Post-Doctorate Research Fellow, investigating the role of glia in neurological disease. Dr. Azmi also completed a Functional and Stereotactic Neurosurgery Fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic Center for Neurological Restoration.