Benjamin C. Warf, MD
Director, Neonatal and Congenital Anomaly Neurosurgery
Professor of Neurosurgery, Harvard Medical School
Image
Benjamin C. Warf, MD
Director, Neonatal and Congenital Anomaly Neurosurgery
Professor of Neurosurgery, Harvard Medical School
Medical Services
Languages
English
Education
Fellowship
Pediatric Neurosurgery
Boston Children's Hospital
1992
Boston
MA
Undergraduate School
BS, Chemistry
Georgetown College
1980
Washington
DC
Medical School
MD
Harvard Medical School
1984
Boston
MA
Residency
Neurosurgery
Case Western Reserve University
1991
Cleveland
OH
Media
Caregiver Profile
Meet Dr. Benjamin C. Warf
Condition Q&A
What is Complex Tethered Spinal Cord?
Condition Q&A
How we treat and diagnose complex tethered spinal cords
Condition Q&A
What is involved in complex tethered spinal cord surgery and aftercare?
Certifications
American Board of Neurological Surgery
Professional History
I am a pediatric neurosurgeon specializing in hydrocephalus, spina bifida and neuroendoscopy with a passion for training the next generation of surgeons and improving access to quality care both here and abroad.
I am the director of Neonatal and Congenital Neurosurgery and hold the Hydrocephalus and Spina Bifida Chair at Boston Children's Hospital. I founded the Global Hydrocephalus and Spina Bifida Program here and, in 2016, started the hospital's first global pediatric neurosurgery fellowship.
The Harvard community has played a major role in my development. I graduated from Harvard Medical School in 1984, was the first fellow in pediatric neurosurgery at Boston Children’s Hospital under emeritus chief, Dr. R. Michael Scott, and was a Harvard-Macy Scholar in Medical Education.
I felt strongly about using my expertise in parts of the world where medical resources are scarce. From 2000 to 2006, I served as chief of surgery and founding medical director at CURE Children’s Hospital of Uganda, the only pediatric neurosurgery hospital in sub-Saharan AfricaWhile there, I developed a new operative procedure (ETV/CPC) to treat infant hydrocephalus in a permanent way that avoids the placement of a shunt for the majority. We have since introduced this procedure into the United States as well as many other countries throughout the world. While in Uganda, we also found that most cases of infant hydrocephalus in East Africa are the result of neonatal infection, and thus potentially preventable. We recently launched a non-profit organization called NeuroKids (neurokids.org), for which I serve as Chairman. Our goal is to eliminate untreated hydrocephalus in low-income countries through training, research, and advocacy.
In 2007 I was presented with the Humanitarian Award of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, and in 2012 I was honored to received a MacArthur “Genius” grant “for improving access to care and standards of that care both at home and in the developing world”.
Read more about Dr. Warf:
Approach to Care
I am motivated personally by my children, one of whom was born with special needs. My experience as both a parent and a provider has deepened my understanding of treating children with disabilities and has particularly enriched my practice in the care of children with hydrocephalus and spina bifida and their families.
Publications
Poor surgical outcomes following Paenibacillus infant infectious hydrocephalus. View Abstract
Poor Surgical Outcomes Following Paenibacillus Infant Infectious Hydrocephalus. View Abstract
Five-year outcomes after surgical treatment of infant postinfectious hydrocephalus in sub-Saharan Africa: results of a randomized trial. View Abstract
Management and Outcomes in Isolated Congenital Aqueductal Stenosis: A Single-Center Retrospective Cohort Study. View Abstract
Incidence of idiopathic syrinx in pediatric patients diagnosed with VACTERL association. View Abstract
Feasibility Versus Success: Bridging the Evidence Gap in Endoscopic Third Ventriculostomy for Fetal Interventions. View Abstract
Endoscopic third ventriculostomy with or without choroid plexus cauterization for preventing shunt dependence in pediatric hydrocephalus: preliminary results of a prospective clinical case series in a lower-middle-income country (Egypt). View Abstract
"Dangling choroid" with contralateral glomus displacement and ischemic torsion in congenital hydrocephalus: illustrative case. View Abstract
Parental arsenic exposure and tissue-specific DNA methylation in Bangladeshi infants with spina bifida. View Abstract
Maternal arsenic exposure modifies associations between arsenic, folate and arsenic metabolism gene variants, and spina bifida risk: A case?control study in Bangladesh. View Abstract
Infection rates during eras of intrathecal antibiotic use followed by antibiotic-impregnated catheter use in prevention of cerebrospinal fluid shunt infection. View Abstract
Arsenic modifies the effect of folic acid in spina bifida prevention, a large hospital-based case-control study in Bangladesh. View Abstract
Antibiotic impregnated catheters and intrathecal antibiotics for CSF shunt infection prevention in children undergoing low-risk CSF shunt surgery. View Abstract
The Importance of Neurosurgical Intervention and Surgical Timing for Management of Pediatric Patients with Myelomeningoceles in Bangladesh. View Abstract
Genome-wide analysis of spina bifida risk variants in a case-control study from Bangladesh. View Abstract
Arsenic modifies the effect of folic acid in spina bifida prevention, a large hospital-based case-control study in Bangladesh. View Abstract
Utilization trends in cerebrospinal fluid shunt infection prevention techniques in the United States from 2007 to 2015. View Abstract
Proceedings of the 15th International Newborn Brain Conference: Other forms of brain monitoring, such as NIRS, fMRI, biochemical, etc. View Abstract
Syndrome of anterior neural stalk, vertebral abnormality, enteric duplication cyst, and diaphragmatic hernia related to persistent ventral neurenteric canal: report of two cases. View Abstract
Associations of Standard Care, Intrathecal Antibiotics, and Antibiotic-Impregnated Catheters With Cerebrospinal Fluid Shunt Infection Organisms and Resistance. View Abstract
Neonatal Paenibacilliosis: Paenibacillus Infection as a Novel Cause of Sepsis in Term Neonates With High Risk of Sequelae in Uganda. View Abstract
Morbidity and etiology-based success rate of combined endoscopic ventriculostomy and choroid plexus cauterization: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 1918 infants. View Abstract
Paenibacillus spp infection among infants with postinfectious hydrocephalus in Uganda: an observational case-control study. View Abstract
Endoscopic third ventriculostomy with choroid plexus cauterization: predictors of long-term success and comparison with shunt placement for primary treatment of infant hydrocephalus. View Abstract
Choroid plexus-targeted NKCC1 overexpression to treat post-hemorrhagic hydrocephalus. View Abstract
Postinfectious hydrocephalus in African infants: common, under-recognised, devastating, and potentially preventable. View Abstract
Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Pediatric Post Neurosurgical Care in a Lower Middle-Income Country: The Zambian Experience. View Abstract
Hindgut Duplication in an Infant with Omphalocele-Exstrophy-Imperforate Anus-Spinal Defects (OEIS) Complex. View Abstract
Improving Infant Hydrocephalus Outcomes in Uganda: A Longitudinal Prospective Study Protocol for Predicting Developmental Outcomes and Identifying Patients at Risk for Early Treatment Failure after ETV/CPC. View Abstract
Proceedings of the 13th International Newborn Brain Conference: Other forms of brain monitoring, such as NIRS, fMRI, biochemical. View Abstract
Assessing the utility of low resolution brain imaging: treatment of infant hydrocephalus. View Abstract
The low utility of routine cranial imaging after pediatric shunt revision. View Abstract
Preoperative risk and postoperative outcome from subdural fluid collections in African infants with postinfectious hydrocephalus. View Abstract
Parental metal exposures as potential risk factors for spina bifida in Bangladesh. View Abstract
Normal childhood brain growth and a universal sex and anthropomorphic relationship to cerebrospinal fluid. View Abstract
Brain growth after surgical treatment for infant postinfectious hydrocephalus in Sub-Saharan Africa: 2-year results of a randomized trial. View Abstract
Risk factors for pediatric surgical site infection following neurosurgical procedures for hydrocephalus: a retrospective single-center cohort study. View Abstract
Immune activation during Paenibacillus brain infection in African infants with frequent cytomegalovirus co-infection. View Abstract
Choroid plexus NKCC1 mediates cerebrospinal fluid clearance during mouse early postnatal development. View Abstract
Safety of delayed surgical repair of omphalocele-exstrophy-imperforate anus-spinal defects (OEIS) complex in infants with significant comorbidities. View Abstract
Exome sequencing implicates genetic disruption of prenatal neuro-gliogenesis in sporadic congenital hydrocephalus. View Abstract
Paenibacillus infection with frequent viral coinfection contributes to postinfectious hydrocephalus in Ugandan infants. View Abstract
Geospatial Mapping of International Neurosurgical Partnerships and Evaluation of Extent of Training and Engagement. View Abstract
Management of Post-hemorrhagic Ventricular Dilatation in the Infant Born Preterm. View Abstract
Complex Management of Hydrocephalus Secondary To Choroid Plexus Hyperplasia. View Abstract
Inflammation in acquired hydrocephalus: pathogenic mechanisms and therapeutic targets. View Abstract
The CURE Protocol: evaluation and external validation of a new public health strategy for treating paediatric hydrocephalus in low-resource settings. View Abstract
Outcomes in children undergoing posterior fossa decompression and duraplasty with and without tonsillar reduction for Chiari malformation type I and syringomyelia: a pilot prospective multicenter cohort study. View Abstract
The Incidence of Postoperative Seizures Following Treatment of Postinfectious Hydrocephalus in Ugandan Infants: A Post Hoc Comparison of Endoscopic Treatment vs Shunt Placement in a Randomized Controlled Trial. View Abstract
Noninvasive Thermal Evaluation of Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt Patency and Cerebrospinal Fluid Flow Using a Flow Enhancing Device. View Abstract
Reversible intracranial hypertension following treatment of an extracranial vascular malformation: case report. View Abstract
Infection risk for Bactiseal Universal Shunts versus Chhabra shunts in Ugandan infants: a randomized controlled trial. View Abstract
Pediatric neurosurgical workforce, access to care, equipment and training needs worldwide. View Abstract
Subspecialty pediatric neurosurgery training: a skill-based training model for neurosurgeons in low-resourced health systems. View Abstract
Patterns of Hydrocephalus in Rural Haiti: A Computed Tomography-Based Study. View Abstract
Renal Outcomes in Children with Operated Spina Bifida in Uganda. View Abstract
De Novo Mutation in Genes Regulating Neural Stem Cell Fate in Human Congenital Hydrocephalus. View Abstract
Operative and consultative proportions of neurosurgical disease worldwide: estimation from the surgeon perspective. View Abstract
Children with spina bifida in Eastern Uganda report a reasonable quality of life relative to their healthy school-attending peers. View Abstract
Global hydrocephalus epidemiology and incidence: systematic review and meta-analysis. View Abstract
Global neurosurgery: the current capacity and deficit in the provision of essential neurosurgical care. Executive Summary of the Global Neurosurgery Initiative at the Program in Global Surgery and Social Change. View Abstract
Normative human brain volume growth. View Abstract
Economic burden of neonatal sepsis in sub-Saharan Africa. View Abstract
Endoscopic Treatment versus Shunting for Infant Hydrocephalus in Uganda. View Abstract
Learning Based Segmentation of CT Brain Images: Application to Postoperative Hydrocephalic Scans. View Abstract
Development of a Unifying Target and Consensus Indicators for Global Surgical Systems Strengthening: Proposed by the Global Alliance for Surgery, Obstetric, Trauma, and Anaesthesia Care (The G4 Alliance). View Abstract
Erratum to: Development of a Unifying Target and Consensus Indicators for Global Surgical Systems Strengthening: Proposed by the Global Alliance for Surgery, Obstetric, Trauma, and Anaesthesia Care (The G4 Alliance). View Abstract
Growing Brains: How Adapting to Africa Advanced the Treatment of Infant Hydrocephalus. View Abstract
Quality of life among children with spina bifida in Uganda. View Abstract
Past, Present, and Future of Neurosurgery in Uganda. View Abstract
Comparative effectiveness of flexible versus rigid neuroendoscopy for endoscopic third ventriculostomy and choroid plexus cauterization: a propensity score-matched cohort and survival analysis. View Abstract
Scorecard for spina bifida research, prevention, and policy - A development process. View Abstract
Neuroimaging of Children With Surgically Treated Hydrocephalus: A Practical Approach. View Abstract
Introduction: Pediatric hydrocephalus: a continuing evolution in our understanding and management. View Abstract
Global surgery for pediatric hydrocephalus in the developing world: a review of the history, challenges, and future directions. View Abstract
Ten-year survival of Ugandan infants after myelomeningocele closure. View Abstract
Surgery for epilepsy: the need for global acceptance and access. View Abstract
Prenatal diagnosis and assessment of congenital spinal anomalies: Review for prenatal counseling. View Abstract
Separating Putative Pathogens from Background Contamination with Principal Orthogonal Decomposition: Evidence for Leptospira in the Ugandan Neonatal Septisome. View Abstract
Teaching NeuroImages: Interhemispheric multiloculated cyst with callosal dysgenesis in an infant. View Abstract
Reducing neurodevelopmental disorders and disability through research and interventions. View Abstract
"Who Is My Neighbor?" Global Neurosurgery in a Non-Zero-Sum World. View Abstract
Hydrocephalus in children. View Abstract
Reopening of an obstructed third ventriculostomy: long-term success and factors affecting outcome in 215 infants. View Abstract
Volumetric brain analysis in neurosurgery: Part 3. Volumetric CT analysis as a predictor of seizure outcome following temporal lobectomy. View Abstract
Volumetric brain analysis in neurosurgery: Part 2. Brain and CSF volumes discriminate neurocognitive outcomes in hydrocephalus. View Abstract
The role of simulation in neurosurgery. View Abstract
New anatomical simulator for pediatric neuroendoscopic practice. View Abstract
Anatomical pediatric model for craniosynostosis surgical training. View Abstract
Combined endoscopic third ventriculostomy and choroid plexus cauterization as primary treatment for infant hydrocephalus: a prospective North American series. View Abstract
Three steps forward and 2 steps back: the Echternach procession toward optimal hydrocephalus treatment. View Abstract
183 Intracranial arachnoid cysts and hemorrhage. View Abstract
Effectiveness of the Bactiseal Universal Shunt for reducing shunt infection in a sub-Saharan African context: a retrospective cohort study in 160 Ugandan children. View Abstract
Presentation, pathology, and treatment outcome of brain tumors in 172 consecutive children at CURE Children's Hospital of Uganda. The predominance of the visible diagnosis and the uncertainties of epidemiology in sub-Saharan Africa. View Abstract
Position statement on fetal myelomeningocele repair. View Abstract
The microbial spectrum of neonatal sepsis in Uganda: recovery of culturable bacteria in mother-infant pairs. View Abstract
Congenital idiopathic hydrocephalus of infancy: the results of treatment by endoscopic third ventriculostomy with or without choroid plexus cauterization and suggestions for how it works. View Abstract
Shunt survival after failed endoscopic treatment of hydrocephalus. View Abstract
Dysplastic-reactive choroid plexus presenting as an intramedullary tumor of the cervicomedullary junction in a patient with myelomeningocele. View Abstract
Rainfall drives hydrocephalus in East Africa. View Abstract
Long-term outcome for endoscopic third ventriculostomy alone or in combination with choroid plexus cauterization for congenital aqueductal stenosis in African infants. View Abstract
Educate one to save a few. Educate a few to save many. View Abstract
Extradural myelomeningocele reconstruction using local turnover fascial flaps and midline linear skin closure. View Abstract
Risk factors of sudden death in young adult patients with myelomeningocele. View Abstract
The impact of combined endoscopic third ventriculostomy and choroid plexus cauterization on the management of pediatric hydrocephalus in developing countries. View Abstract
Five-year survival and outcome of treatment for postinfectious hydrocephalus in Ugandan infants. View Abstract
Costs and benefits of neurosurgical intervention for infant hydrocephalus in sub-Saharan Africa. View Abstract
Management of Dandy-Walker complex-associated infant hydrocephalus by combined endoscopic third ventriculostomy and choroid plexus cauterization. View Abstract
Hydrocephalus associated with neural tube defects: characteristics, management, and outcome in sub-Saharan Africa. View Abstract
Initial experience with combined endoscopic third ventriculostomy and choroid plexus cauterization for post-hemorrhagic hydrocephalus of prematurity: the importance of prepontine cistern status and the predictive value of FIESTA MRI imaging. View Abstract
Factors affecting survival of infants with myelomeningocele in southeastern Uganda. View Abstract
Association of bacteria with hydrocephalus in Ugandan infants. View Abstract
Encephalocele in Uganda: ethnic distinctions in lesion location, endoscopic management of hydrocephalus, and survival in 110 consecutive children. View Abstract
Surgery for hydrocephalus in sub-Saharan Africa versus developed nations: a risk-adjusted comparison of outcome. View Abstract
Pediatric hydrocephalus in East Africa: prevalence, causes, treatments, and strategies for the future. View Abstract
Endoscopic third ventriculostomy in the treatment of childhood hydrocephalus in Uganda: report of a scoring system that predicts success. View Abstract
Intraoperative assessment of cerebral aqueduct patency and cisternal scarring: impact on success of endoscopic third ventriculostomy in 403 African children. View Abstract
Neurocognitive outcome and ventricular volume in children with myelomeningocele treated for hydrocephalus in Uganda. View Abstract
Neurosurgical humanitarian aid. View Abstract
Surgery for pharmacoresistant epilepsy in the developing world: A pilot study. View Abstract
Combined endoscopic third ventriculostomy and choroid plexus cauterization as primary treatment of hydrocephalus for infants with myelomeningocele: long-term results of a prospective intent-to-treat study in 115 East African infants. View Abstract
Application of neuroendoscopy to intraventricular lesions. View Abstract
Endoscopic third ventriculostomy and choroid plexus cauterization for pediatric hydrocephalus. View Abstract
Comparison of endoscopic third ventriculostomy alone and combined with choroid plexus cauterization in infants younger than 1 year of age: a prospective study in 550 African children. View Abstract
Comparison of 1-year outcomes for the Chhabra and Codman-Hakim Micro Precision shunt systems in Uganda: a prospective study in 195 children. View Abstract
Hydrocephalus in Uganda: the predominance of infectious origin and primary management with endoscopic third ventriculostomy. View Abstract
Nonselective partial dorsal rhizotomy: a clinical experience with 1-year follow-Up. View Abstract
The relative contributions of interpersonal and specific clinical skills to the perception of global clinical competence. View Abstract
Interpreting the judgment of surgical faculty regarding resident competence. View Abstract
Separation of complex pygopagus conjoined twins. View Abstract
Intracavernous teratoma in a school-aged child. View Abstract
Dorsal tethering bands of the meningocele manque: sonographic findings. View Abstract
Cavernous sinus thrombophlebitis: case report. View Abstract
The electromyographic responses to dorsal rootlet stimulation during partial dorsal rhizotomy are inconsistent. View Abstract
Occult spinal dysraphism in the infant. View Abstract
Recurrent meningitis: the search for the dermoid or epidermoid tumor. View Abstract
Cervical paraspinous desmoid tumor in a child: case report. View Abstract
Tethered spinal cord in patients with anorectal and urogenital malformations. View Abstract
Evidence for the ventral origin of oligodendrocyte precursors in the rat spinal cord. View Abstract
Intracranial tumor in infants: characteristics, management, and outcome of a contemporary series. View Abstract
Ventral brain-stem compression from a subarachnoid ependymal cyst. View Abstract
Maternal intracranial hemorrhage complicating severe superimposed preeclampsia. A case report. View Abstract
Neocarzinostatin chromophore binds to deoxyribonucleic acid by intercalation. View Abstract
Locations