Leo Nelson Hopkins

Leo Nelson Hopkins (1943-2024)

ACTIVE AREAS OF RESEARCH

After completing his undergraduate studies at Rutgers University, Dr. Hopkins earned a Doctor of Medicine degree cum laude from Albany Medical College. His post-graduate training included a surgical internship at Case Western Reserve, followed by neurology and neurosurgical training at the State University of New York at Buffalo.
 
Dr. Leo Nelson Hopkins, M.D., FACS, served as Physician Advisor at BioStar Ventures LLC. Dr. Hopkins held positions as a Professor and Chairman of Neurosurgery at the State University of New York at Buffalo beginning in January 1989, and as a Professor of Radiology starting in July 1989. He served as Secretary of the Academy of Neurological Surgery. His leadership extended to roles as Chairman of the Scientific Program and Board Member of both The American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and The Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS). From September 1998, he served on the Board of Directors for Micrus Endovascular LLC. He also served as Director of marketRx Inc. and was on the medical advisory boards of several medical device companies.
 
Dr. Hopkins was active on numerous national boards and committees in the neurosurgery field and served as a member of the Executive Committee of the Stroke Council of the American Heart Association (AHA). Additionally, he was a member of the editorial board of Neurosurgery.

EDUCATION AND AWARDS

A noted expert in cerebrovascular disease, Dr. Hopkins was frequently invited to speak at national and international scientific meetings, addressing audiences in Europe, Asia, North America, South America, Central America, and Africa.
 
In 2012, Dr. Hopkins was named SUNY Distinguished Professor, the highest academic honor within the SUNY system.
 
Under his leadership, UB Neurosurgery earned recognition as one of the most highly respected neurosurgical departments, ranking seventh in publications among North American neurosurgical departments and first per capita. Dr. Hopkins pioneered endovascular neurosurgery, a sub-specialty focused on minimally invasive surgical procedures, with patients traveling from around the world for treatment in Buffalo.

L. Nelson Hopkins passed away on 5 October 2024: In remembrance of Leo Nelson Hopkins