Howard L. Weiner, MD, FACS, FAAP, FAANS, FAES

Texas Children’s Neurosurgery is a national and international destination for world class, innovative, high quality and attentive neurologic care for children. We train the future leaders in pediatric neurosurgery, and we investigate neurologic conditions for which we have unique insight and access. 

Howard L. Weiner, MD is Chief of Neurosurgery and the George A. Peterkin Jr. Endowed Chair at Texas Children’s Hospital (TCH), where he leads a team of 10 pediatric neurosurgeons, the largest and one of the most active groups of its kind in the nation. He is Professor (with Tenure) and Vice Chair of Neurosurgery at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) in Houston, Texas. 

Prior to this, he was Professor of Neurosurgery at NYU Langone Medical Center, where he worked for 27 years. A graduate of the Ramaz School in Manhattan (1981), he received his BA from the University of Pennsylvania (1985) and MD from Cornell University Medical College (1989), graduating from both Penn and Cornell with highest academic standing in his class. At Penn, he completed his senior honors thesis under neuroscientist Eliot Stellar. Dr. Weiner completed neurosurgery residency and pediatric neurosurgery fellowship at NYU and was a research fellow in the labs of Howard Hughes Investigator Ed Ziff, PhD, at NYU, and Nicole Le Douarin, PhD, in Paris. He conducted basic brain tumor research and was awarded an NIH grant. 

Dr. Weiner has a national and international surgical practice in pediatric epilepsy and brain tumor surgery, has served on the editorial board of several leading medical journals, and is a widely sought-after mentor and academic leader. Recognized consistently in “Best Doctors” lists, Dr. Weiner has been invited to speak at numerous national and international meetings and academic medical centers and has been a Visiting Professor both in the US and abroad. 

Patients are drawn from around the world not only to his novel neurosurgical treatment approaches, but also to his warm, caring, down-to-earth, and highly attentive bedside manner. He has worked intensely over the years to impart this holistic philosophy of “hospitality” in pediatric neurological surgery to the many residents, fellows, and students whom he has mentored. His other interests include running, fitness, music, and learning. 

Clinical Interests

Brain tumor surgery, epilepsy surgery, tuberous sclerosis complex, cortical dysplasia surgery, hemispherotomy, temporal lobectomy, brain mapping, craniosynostosis and craniofacial surgery, Chiari malformation surgery, tethered cord surgery, hydrocephalus, awake craniotomy, cavernous malformation surgery

Education

Organizations

Board Certifications

American Board of Neurological Surgery

American Board of Pediatric Neurological Surgery

* Texas Children’s Hospital physicians’ licenses and credentials are reviewed prior to practicing at any of our facilities. Sections titled From the Doctor, Professional Organizations and Publications were provided by the physician’s office and were not verified by Texas Children’s Hospital.

Research interests

Tuberous sclerosis complex, brain functional mapping, innovative approaches in epilepsy surgery 

Layon SA, Marsack K, Parham MA, Burns HR, McClernon EE, Hollier LH, Weiner HL. Advanced practice providers in pediatric neurosurgery: single institution analysis of clinical and surgical productivity. Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics: in press

Garret Lynn Kurteff, Alyssa Field, Saman Asghar, Elizabeth C. Tyler-Kabara, Dave Clarke, Howard L. Weiner, Anne E. Anderson, Andrew Watrous, Robert J Buchanan, Pradeep N Modur, Liberty S. Spatiotemporal mapping of auditory onsets during speech production. Journal of Neuroscience, 2024 Nov 20;44(47):e1109242024

Giridharan N, Wong M, Weiner HL. Subpial Resection of Epileptogenic Tubers: Operative Nuances and Lessons Learned. Neurosurgical Focus: Video, 2024 Jul 1;11(1):V8

Sharona Ben-Haim, MD1, Dennis Spencer, MD2, Jonathan Roth, MD3, and Howard L. Weiner, MD4. The technical landscape of modern epilepsy surgery. Neurosurgical Focus: Video, 2024 Jul

Meena Vessell, MD1,2; Andrew Willett, BS3;Beatrice Ugiliweneza, PhD, MSPH3; Mayur Sharma, MD4; Ian Mutchnick, MD, MS3,5; Maxwell Boakye, MD, MPH, MBA2; Joshua Chern, MD, PhD6; Howard L. Weiner, MD1,2;Joseph Neimat, MD, MS, MBA3. National 22 Year Epilepsy Surgery Landscape Shows Increasing Open and Minimally Invasive Pediatric Epilepsy Surgery. Epilepsia, 2024 Jun 29 (online ahead of print)

Aldave G, Ricciardelli A, Snyder R, Whitehead WE, Weiner HL, Patel D, Gadgil N. The occipital interhemispheric transtentorial approach in infants and toddlers: efficacy and complications. Child’s Nervous System, 40:2367-2372, 2024

Katlowitz KA, Curry DJ, Weiner HL. Novel surgical approaches in childhood epilepsy: laser, brain stimulation, and focused ultrasound. Advances and Technical Standards in Neurosurgery, 49:291-306, 2024

Roe A, Flannery A, Hamilton K, Kanev P, McBride L, Oluigbo C, Raskin J, Spinoza ZT, Tu A, Weiner HL, Weprin B, Hsu CH, Avellino AM: A nationwide survey of members of the American Society of Pediatric Neurosurgeons and factors associated with well-being. Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics, 34:537-545, 2024

Dang HQ, Khan AB, Gadgil N, Trandafir C, Malbari, Weiner HL. Behavioral improvements following lesion resection for pediatric epilepsy: pediatric psychosurgery? Pediatric Neurosurgery, 58:80-88, 2023

LoPresti MA, Katlowitz KA, Sharma H, McGinnis JP, Weiner HL: Vagus nerve stimulation in children: outcomes and future directions. Neurosurgery, 92:1043-1051, 2023

Ravindra VM, Karas PJ, Lazaro T, Coorg R, Awad AW, Patino I, McClernon EE, Clarke D, Cairampona Whitehead L, Anderson A, Diaz-Medina G, Houck K, Katyayan A, Masters L, Nath A, Quach M, Riviello J, Seto ES, Sully K, Agurs L, Sen S, Handoko M, LoPresti M, Ali I, Curry DJ, Weiner HL. Epilepsy surgery in young children with tuberous sclerosis complex: a novel multi-modal surgical approach. Neurosurgery, 92:398-406, 2023

Whitehead WE, Weiner HL: Infantile and childhood hydrocephalus. New England Journal of Medicine, 387:2067-2073, 2022

Gadgil N, Rao G, Sawaya R, Yoshor D, Ruggieri L, Cormier N, Curry DJ, Whitehead WE, Aldave G, Bauer DF, McClugage S, Weiner HL. Pediatric neurosurgery at Texas Children’s Hospital: the legacy of Dr. William R. Cheek. Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics, May 7;1-7, 2021

Roth J, Constantini S, Ekstein M, Weiner HL, Siboni-Uliel S, and the Early Epilepsy Surgery Group. Epilepsy surgery in infants up to 3 months of age: a multicenter, multinational study. Epilepsia, Aug;62(8):1897-1906, 2021

Treiber J, Curry D, Weiner HL, Roth J. Epilepsy surgery in tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC): emerging techniques and redefinition of treatment goals. Child’s Nervous System, 36:2519-25, 2020

Mohan A, Weiner HL, Mohila C, Adesina A, Chintagumpala M, Curry DJ, Jea A, Lee JJ, Lam SK, Whitehead WE Dauser RC, Yoshor D, Aldave G. Epilepsy outcome following resection of low-grade brain tumors in children. Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics, 23:726-731, 2019 View All Publications

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