Tord D Alden

Tord D Alden, MD is an Associate Professor in the Department of Neurological Surgery at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, specializing in Pediatric Neurological Surgery. He practices clinically at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago and maintains affiliations with Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital, Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital, and Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

Education:

• MA: University of California, Berkeley (1991)
• MD: Rush Medical College (1995)
• Intern: Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Surgery (1996)
• Resident: University of Virginia Hospitals, Neurological Surgery (2000)
• Fellow: Saint Louis Children's Hospital, Pediatrics Neurosurgery (2001)
• Fellow: Auckland Hospital, Neurosurgery (2002)

Dr. Alden's research focuses on complex pediatric neurological conditions including epilepsy mechanisms, Chiari malformation with syringomyelia, brain/spinal cord tumors, hydrocephalus management, and vascular disorders. His work emphasizes surgical innovation in skull base and spinal procedures, with particular attention to outcomes in craniovertebral junction anomalies and cerebrospinal fluid dynamics. Recent studies investigate immune contributions to pediatric epilepsy and health disparities in CNS tumor care.

Analysis of his 2022-2025 publications reveals dominant themes in minimally invasive techniques (endoscopic endonasal approaches), collaborative multi-center research through the Park-Reeves Syringomyelia Research Consortium, and translational studies addressing surgical complications and health equity. His work spans clinical outcomes, surgical innovation, and quality improvement in neurosurgical documentation systems.

Dr. Alden participates in the Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (NUCATS) and contributes to multidisciplinary teams managing complex genetic disorders like mucopolysaccharidoses and skeletal dysplasias, often requiring integrated neurosurgical, orthopedic, and genetic expertise.