Frank Attenello

Frank Attenello, MD, MS is an Associate Professor of Clinical Neurological Surgery and Cancer Biology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, holding the Sloan Family Endowed Professorship. He specializes in neurosurgical treatments for primary and metastatic brain tumors, employing advanced techniques like BrainPath and laser interstitial thermal therapy. His research focuses on epigenetic regulation of glioma chemoresistance and neural stem cells in brain injury, supported by NIH grants and foundational funding. Dr. Attenello has authored over 150 peer-reviewed articles and serves on editorial boards for Journal of Neurosurgery and Journal of Neuroscience Research. His clinical work emphasizes minimally invasive approaches and improving outcomes for patients with neurologic diseases.

Education: BS/MS in Molecular Biochemistry and Biophysics from Yale University; MD from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Postdoctoral training included neurosurgery residency at USC and tumor genetics fellowship at UCSF. His NIH-funded laboratory studies glioblastoma mechanisms and clinical outcomes, with a focus on disparities in healthcare access and surgical outcomes.

Research Interests: Glioblastoma biology, epigenetics, neuro-oncology, surgical innovation, healthcare disparities, and medical trainee well-being. His lab explores long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in glioma progression and chemoresistance, using CRISPR screening to identify therapeutic targets. He also investigates factors influencing surgical outcomes and postoperative recovery, particularly in safety-net hospitals.

Awards: Harvey Cushing Neurosurgery Award (Johns Hopkins), Ronald L. Bittner National Neuro-oncology Award, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Fellowship, and NIH K08 Career Development Award. His work bridges clinical practice and translational research, aiming to improve patient care through genomic insights and surgical innovation.

Advising & Grants: Principal investigator on NIH grants and numerous foundational awards. Leads clinical outcomes research on factors improving patient outcomes and mitigating burnout in medical trainees. Advises on Science Translational Medicine and editorial boards of neurosurgical journals.

Labs/Teams: Directs a basic science lab at USC studying glioma mechanisms and a clinical outcomes lab analyzing surgical and systemic factors influencing neurologic disease results. Collaborates widely on national databases (e.g., National Cancer Database) to assess treatment disparities and quality metrics.