Leadership

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Alfredo Quiñones-Hinojosa, M.D.

​Alfredo Quiñones-Hinojosa, M.D., is a consultant and serves as chair of the Department of Neurologic Surgery at Mayo Clinic in Florida. Dr. Quiñones-Hinojosa joined the staff of Mayo Clinic in August 2016 and is recognized with the distinction of a named professorship, the William J. and Charles H. Mayo Professorship.

Dr. Quiñones-Hinojosa earned his B.A. in psychology at the University of California–Berkeley and his M.D. at Harvard Medical School, where he graduated cum laude. He completed an internship in general surgery, postdoctoral fellowship in developmental and stem cell biology, and residency in neurosurgery at the University of California, San Francisco.
Dr. Quiñones-Hinojosa’s clinical interests are surgical treatment of primary and metastatic brain tumors with emphasis in motor and speech mapping during surgery, as well as treatment of patients with pituitary tumors and skull base tumors using minimally invasive approaches. He leads NIH-funded research to cure brain cancer. His research focuses on brain tumors and stem cell migration, healthcare disparities for minorities and clinical outcomes for neurosurgical patients. Currently, he has 11 submitted patents and started a new company named Sidera Medicine, LLC. Furthermore, he is frequently invited to give presentations on his research to both national and international audiences, and he has authored numerous journal articles, book chapters, abstracts and other written publications. He is an editorial board member and reviewer for several prominent publications. Most notably, Dr. Quiñones is the Editor-in-Chief for one of the most well-respected and widely read operative neurosurgical textbooks in the world –Schmidek and Sweet’s Operative Neurosurgical Techniques (6thedition). As well, he is one of the authors for–Controversies in Neuro-Oncology, which was awarded first
prize by the British Medical Association.

In recognition of his work, Dr. Quiñones-Hinojosa has received many awards and honors, including being named as one of the 100 most influential Hispanics in 2008, the 2014 Gary Lichtenstein Humanitarian Award and Neurosurgeon of the Year, and by the 2015 Forbes Magazine as one of Mexico’s most brilliant minds in the world. He has received honorary degrees from Southern Vermont College, Lackawanna College, Dominican University, University of Notre Dame and Loyola University.

In addition, he has published an autobiography, “Becoming Dr. Q,” about his journey from migrant farm worker to neurosurgeon and recently Disney with Plan B Entertainment productions announced that his inspirational life story is going to be featured in a movie.

Besides his clinical and research activities, Dr. Quiñones-Hinojosa is active in education and provides mentorship to many postdoctoral fellows.

Dr. Quiñones-Hinojosa is co-founder and serves as president of mission:brain, Bridging Resources and Advancing International Neurosurgery a 501 (c)(3) non-profit foundation. He also serves on the Board of Directors of Voices Against Brain Cancer, and he is co-chair of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons/Congress of Neurological Surgeons Tumor Section International Committee. Moreover, he serves on many study sections of the National Institutes of Health, including being chair of meeting sessions.

President

Michael Lawton,
​M.D.

Michael T. Lawton MD is the chairman of the Department of Neurological Surgery at the Barrow Neurological Institute, as well as its President and Chief Executive Officer and the Robert F. Spetzler Endowed Chair in Neurosciences. He is chief of vascular and skull base neurosurgery, specializing in the surgical treatment of aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations, arteriovenous fistulas, cavernous malformations, and cerebral revascularization, including carotid endarterectomy. As chief of one of the busiest cerebrovascular services in the country, he has experience in surgically treating over 4200 brain aneurysms and over 800 AVMs. He is also practices the endovascular treatment of aneurysms and skull base tumor surgery.

Dr. Lawton co-directs and conducts his research at the Barrow Aneurysm and AVM Research Center, a collaborative research group funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health that investigates the physiology of cerebral circulation and the pathophysiology of vascular malformations. His basic science investigations study the formation, underlying genetics, and rupture of brain AVMs, as well as the hemodynamics, rupture, and computational modeling of brain aneurysms. His clinical investigations study the anatomy of microsurgical approaches to vascular lesions and the outcomes of aneurysm, AVM, and bypass surgery. He is the principle investigator of a NIH U54 grant and program director of the Brain Vascular Malformation Consortium (BVMC), a multicenter group studying malformations associated with Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia, cavernous malformations, and Sturge Weber Syndrome.

He has published over 450 peer-reviewed articles, over 70 book chapters, and 3 textbooks, including Seven AVMs: Tenets and Techniques for Resection and Seven Aneurysms: Tenets and Techniques for Clipping, which has won numerous awards and sold more copies than Yasargil’s Microneurosurgery. His awards include the Young Neurosurgeon Award from the World Federation of Neurological Societies, the Harold Rosegay Teaching Award, and the Diane Ralston Clinical and Basic Science Teaching Award. He has given over 600 invited lectures nationally and internationally, including visiting professorships at over 40 neurosurgical institutions. He has been active in resident teaching, directing the CNS Anatomy Course for Senior Residents, co-directing the AANS Vascular Skills Course, and directing industry-sponsored anatomy courses. He sponsors an observership in vascular neurosurgery that has hosted more the 100 neurosurgeons and residents nationally and internationally. He co-founded mission:brain, a teaching mission to raise the level of neurosurgery practiced in developing countries, and has conducted 7 missions in Mexico and the Philippines.

Vice President

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William
​Aarsheim

Will Aarsheim is Managing Partner of Q Surgical, Northern California’s largest distributor of neurosurgical instruments and products. Will’s career has been focused on neurosurgical equipment distribution since the year 2000. In 2009, after learning of the admirable work of the many neurosurgeons who dedicate their time and resources to helping patients in areas around the world where neurosurgery care is not widely available, Will founded the Circle of Willis Foundation in an effort to support neurosurgeons engaged in bringing top quality neurosurgical care to overextended health care systems and their patients world-wide. In 2011 he helped launch the mission:brainFoundation, the mission of which is closely aligned to his Circle of Willis Foundation, and since that time he has focused his surgical philanthropic efforts solely with mission:brain.

As a neurosurgical products distributor, Will is able to use his industry connections to obtain donations or lowest cost products in support of mission:brain’s overseas missions. In addition, due to his experience in the neurosurgical instrument/product field, he is in a unique position to use his expertise to understand and fill the equipment needs of the hospitals served by mission:brain. Will also serves as mission:brain's Treasurer.

Will’s philanthropic interests outside the world of neurosurgery include serving on the Board of Legal Aid of Marin, the mission of which is to provide access to the civil justice system to low income, vulnerable and otherwise underserved residents of Marin County.

In his personal life Will resides in Larkspur, California with his wife and two sons. He enjoys kayaking, sailing, and mountain biking and has run over sixty ultra-marathons.
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Treasurer

Lisa T. Hannegan,
​MS, CNS, ACNP

​Lisa Hannegan is both a Nurse Practitioner and a Neuroscience Clinical Nurse Specialist who practiced within the Department of Neurological Surgery at the University of California San Francisco for over 25 years. She is also an Assistant Clinical Professor at the UCSF School of Nursing.

Ms. Hannegan has worked directly with thousands of patients with neurosurgical diagnoses and brings her considerable expertise to the Foundation. In addition to being a founding member of mission:brain, Lisa is a Co-President of the Aneurysm and AVM Foundation.

Ms. Hannegan’s motivation to serve as board member is fueled by her appreciation of the challenges faced by neurosurgery patients, the lessons she has been taught by their lives and her desire to give back to this community. She thanks her parents, who volunteered at mission clinics in Guatemala each year and instilled in Ms. Hannegan an understanding of how important it is to give back to those who are less fortunate than we are.

Secretary​

April M.
​Sabangan

​April Sabangan was born and raised in the Philippines and came to the United States in 1996 to join her family. She’s been a nurse for over 20 years and has worked in the operating room for 16 of those years, specializing in neurosurgery at UCSF Medical Center. Having experienced the disparity in health care first hand, April has always been driven towards trying to bridge the gap. She’s worked with several other organizations involved in humanitarian efforts in the past prior to helping start mission:brain. She’s been involved in projects in several countries including Haiti, Jordan and the Philippines.

Executive Director