Nduka M. Amankulor, MD
Presidential Associate Professor in Neurosurgery
Chief, Neurosurgical Oncology, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
Director U. Penn Brain Tumor Center, University of Pennsylvania Department Abramson Cancer Center
Director, Brain Tumor Center, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
Diversity Search Advisor, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Pennsylvania
Vice Chair, Diversity Equity and Inclusion, University of Pennsylvania, Department of Neurosurgery
Department: Neurosurgery
Contact information
3400 Civic Center Blvd
PCAM 15th Floor South
Philadelphia, PA 19104
PCAM 15th Floor South
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Office: 215-662-3487
Fax: 215-349-5534
Fax: 215-349-5534
Education
BA (Philosophy)
New York University, 1998.
MD (Medicine)
Yale School of Medicine, 2004.
BA (Philosophy)
New York University, 1998.
MD (Medicine)
Yale School of Medicine, 2004.
Post-Graduate Training
Intern, Department of Surgery, Yale New Haven Hospital, New Haven, CT, 2004-2005.
Resident, Department of Neurosurgery, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 2005-2010.
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Cancer, Biology & Genetics, Department of Neurosurgery , Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, 2007-2009.
Chief Resident, Department of Neurosurgery , Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 2010-2011.
Clinical Fellow, Department of Neurosurgical Oncology, Memorial Sloan- Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, 2011-2012.
Intern, Department of Surgery, Yale New Haven Hospital, New Haven, CT, 2004-2005.
Resident, Department of Neurosurgery, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 2005-2010.
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Cancer, Biology & Genetics, Department of Neurosurgery , Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, 2007-2009.
Chief Resident, Department of Neurosurgery , Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 2010-2011.
Clinical Fellow, Department of Neurosurgical Oncology, Memorial Sloan- Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, 2011-2012.
Certifications
Faculty of the American Academy of Neurological Surgeons, 2017.
American Board of Neurological Surgeons (ABNS) - Board Certified, 2017.
Permanent linkFaculty of the American Academy of Neurological Surgeons, 2017.
American Board of Neurological Surgeons (ABNS) - Board Certified, 2017.
Selected Publications
Kessel RM, Nidhi Bhati A, Yu Y, Roney JN, Gupta R, Amankulor NM, Mai W, Dasari M, Mangharam R, Panek WK.: Computed tomography- and magnetic resonance imaging-visible, patient-specific canine head phantom via 3-dimensional anatomy printing for neurosurgical training and biopsy planning: a proof of concept. Am J Vet Res Aug 2026.Linkowski L, Messing I, Berger M, Hollawell C, Friedes C, Alexander D, Wang X, Desai AS, Phillips RE, O'Rourke DM, Amankulor NM, Jackson C, Hubbeling H, Kurtz G, Bagley SJ, Bradley JD, Mohan S, Alonso-Basanta M, Lebow ES.: Hypofractionated Proton Reirradiation for Recurrent Glioblastoma: Clinical and Dosimetric Outcomes from a Large Single Institution Series. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys Jul 2026.
Li EJ, Kraya A, Costa-Pinheiro P, Scheuermann J, Young AJ, Schubert E, Aboian M, Doot R, Ware JB, Pantel AR, Binder ZA, Storm PB, Resnick AC, Amankulor NM, O'Rourke DM, Desai A, Nasrallah MP, Brem S, Bagley SJ, Mankoff D, Nabavizadeh A.: Metabolic Imaging and Molecular Signatures Reveal Metabolic Phenotypes in Recurrent Glioblastoma. J Nucl Med 67: 849-856, Jun 2026.
Friedes C, Berger M, Linkowski L, Hollawell C, Hubbeling H, Alexander D, Kurtz G, Lustig RA, Dorsey JF, Desai AS, Phillips RE, Brem S, Davatzikos C, Nasrallah M, O'Rourke DM, Jackson C, Amankulor NM, Alonso-Basanta M, Mohan S, Bagley SJ, Lebow ES.: Clinical, molecular, and immunologic determinants of survival in WHO-defined IDH-wildtype glioblastoma treated with radiotherapy: a large real-world cohort study. J Neurooncol 177: 125, Apr 2026.
Messing I, Linkowski L, Riina MD, Berger M, Baron J, Wang X, Kallan M, Hubbeling HG, Lustig RA, Dorsey JF, Kurtz G, Nagda S, Lukens JN, Flowers A, Lee JYK, Amankulor NM, Jackson C, Mohan S, Amaravadi RK, Schuchter LM, Huang AC, Mitchell TC, Alonso-Basanta M, Lebow ES.: Outcomes after SRS and ipilimumab plus nivolumab for melanoma brain metastases following prior immune checkpoint inhibitor or targeted therapy. Oncologist 31: oyag043, Mar 2026.
Belkhir JR, Garcea FE, Navarrete E, Chernoff BL, Sims MH, Haber S, Mallela AN, Pease M, Smith SO, Hintz EB, Aung T, Reedy EM, Walter K, Schmidt T, Gonzalez-Martinez J, Amankulor N, Pilcher WH, Mahon BZ.: Causal parametric language mapping with electrical stimulation during awake neurosurgery. Sci Adv 12: eadw1599, Feb 2026.
Sussman JH, Cillo AR, Kohli S, Cardello C, Patterson J, Akca E, Angione A, Moon D, Krueger K, Ghamari A, Xu E, Xu J, Tarbay AC, Li A, Budihal BR, Zhang X, Elghawy O, Panek WK, Rajappa P, Tan K, Vignali DAA, Bruno TC, Amankulor NM.: Single-cell profiling of peripheral and local immune compartments reveal unique genotype-independent prognostic immune signatures across isocitrate dehydrogenase-stratified glioma. Neuro Oncol 28: 143-158, Jan 2026.
Benavides ED, Fuentes MDM, Bell L, Benedicenti L, Galban EM, Niggel JK, Murgiano L, Lenz JA, Miska JM, Amankulor NM, Panek WK.: The role of regulatory T cells in central nervous system diseases in dogs: fighting with a double-edged sword toward translational discoveries. Am J Transl Res 17: 8222-8242, Oct 2025.
Carpenter EL, Till JE, Ballinger D, Macia C, Leche C, Yin M, Desai AS, Prior T, Mansour M, McCoy E, Patel T, Shah S, Chen HI, Zager E, Jackson C, Brem S, Binder ZA, O'Rourke DM, Amankulor N, Beaubier N, Bagley SJ.: Next-Generation Sequencing of Intraoperatively Acquired Cerebrospinal Fluid and Matched Tumor Tissue in Patients Undergoing Surgical Resection for Glioblastoma. JCO Precis Oncol September 2025.
Kathryn Levy Feldman: Geddy's Gift. The Pennsylvania Gazette July 2025 Notes: Collaboration with Penn Vet for surgical and research development in canine glioblastoma.