Ekkehard M. Kasper, MD, PhD

Professor, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Biography

Dr. Kasper is an internationally renowned neurosurgeon and professor of neurosurgery who has a deep mastery of surgical intervention for diseases, injuries and conditions that impact the brain and spinal cord. He has a particular interest in neuro-oncology, treating tumors on the brain, spine, and pituitary gland, whether they are benign, malignant, or metastatic.

Dr. Kasper was a professor at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario and served as Service head of Neurosurgery and Director of the brain tumor service at Hamilton Health Sciences and its Juravinski Cancer Center in Hamilton, Ontario. Prior to that he spent 13 years at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Mass. where he was Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School and he held several leadership roles including Chief of Neurosurgical Oncology and Stereotactic Neurosurgery and co-director of the Brain Tumor and Keith Field Cyberknife Center.

In addition to his clinical duties, Dr. Kasper also has a strong interest in research, medical education, and academic work. While practicing at Hamilton Health Sciences, Dr. Kasper was Professor of Surgery at McMaster University, and he launched and directed a neurosurgery oncology fellowship. Dr. Kasper holds various editorial roles for 13 scientific journals, and he is a reviewer for 29 journals in the field related to neurology and neurosurgery, both domestic and international.

He earned his medical degree from Albert Ludwig University in Freiburg, Germany, and was awarded a neurobiology doctorate (DPhil) from Oxford University where he attended St. Johns College. He later completed neurosurgical residency at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston, Mass. In addition to his training at MGH, Dr. Kasper pursued a research fellowship in Neuroanatomy and Cell Biology and a clinical fellowship in Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery, Radiosurgery and Neurosurgical Oncology at the University of Freiburg in Germany. He is double board certified in neurosurgery and neurocritical care, with additional certifications in neurosurgery in Canada and Europe.

Publications

  • Published 5/8/2025

    Laviv Y, Kasper EM. Butterfly glioblastoma: trends in therapeutic modalities, extent of resection and survival in the temozolomide era. a SEER-based study. Neurosurg Rev. 2025 May 08; 48(1):406. PMID: 40338381.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 4/14/2025

    Hamade YJ, Ogando-Rivas E, Tataryn ZL, Costa ML, Al-Khalili K, Yeung T, Pluemer J, Robinson JE, Abdul-Jabbar A, Kasper EM, Oskouian RJ, Chapman JR. Iliopsoas Abscesses: Whose Problem is it? Insights Gained by an Institutional 100-Patient Consecutive Case Series. World Neurosurg. 2025 Apr 14; 198:123978. PMID: 40239860.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 1/1/2025

    Kasper EM, Kaya S. Dura Opening in Cases with Acute Traumatic Subdural Hemorrhage. Acta Neurochir Suppl. 2025; 133:71-75. PMID: 39570350.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 1/1/2025

    Agolia JP, Robertson S, Turel K, Kasper EM. Preventing Wrong-Level Spine Surgery. Acta Neurochir Suppl. 2025; 133:1-8. PMID: 39570339.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 9/20/2024

    Hurth H, Ebner FH, Clement E, Naros G, Rosenberger P, Kasper EM, Tatagiba M, Drexler B. The risk of intraoperative venous air embolism from neurosurgical procedures performed in the lounging position: an in-depth analysis of detection, management, and outcomes of 1000 consecutive cases. J Neurosurg. 2025 Mar 01; 142(3):797-807. PMID: 39303312.

    Read at: PubMed

Education

  • Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, MD
  • Oxford University, PhD