This year, the  UCSF Neurosurgery Residency Program congratulates our three graduates, who recently completed their seven-year training program in the department. Our graduating chief residents have already made significant impacts on the field of neurosurgery. Learn more about their accomplishments below.  

Justin Scheer, MD 

Justin Scheer, MD, completed his undergraduate degree at UC Berkeley, where he majored in bioengineering and was a member of the Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society. He earned his medical degree from UC San Diego. 

As a neurosurgery resident at UCSF, he has trained extensively with his mentors Christopher P. Ames, MD, and Aaron J. Clark, MD, PhD to develop expertise in spine surgery.  

His clinical research focuses on spine surgical outcomes, predictive modeling, risk stratification, and objective physical metrics for spine surgery. He has published 160 peer-reviewed publications and 17 book chapters in addition to receiving an NIH R25 grant to fund his research. He built a comprehensive prehabilition program at UCSF to reduce post-operative surgical complications as well as the largest and most complete spine tissue bank for advanced -omics research.  

After graduation, he will complete a complex spine fellowship in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Columbia University in New York City. 

Featured Publications 

Scheer JK, Lau D, Smith JS, Lee SH, Safaee MM, Fury M, Ames CP. Alignment, Classification, Clinical Evaluation, and Surgical Treatment for Adult Cervical Deformity: A Complete Guide. Neurosurgery. 2021 Mar 15;88(4):864-883. 

Scheer JK, Lenke LG, Smith JS, Lau D, Passias PG, Kim HJ, Bess S, Protopsaltis TS, Burton DC, Klineberg EO, Lafage V, Schwab F, Shaffrey CI, Ames CP. Outcomes of Surgical Treatment for 138 Patients With Severe Sagittal Deformity at a Minimum 2-Year Follow-up: A Case Series. Oper Neurosurg (Hagerstown). 2021 Aug 16;21(3):94-103. 

Scheer JK, Oh T, Smith JS, Shaffrey CI, Daniels AH, Sciubba DM, Hamilton DK, Protopsaltis TS, Passias PG, Hart RA, Burton DC, Bess S, Lafage R, Lafage V, Schwab F, Klineberg EO, Ames CP; International Spine Study Group. Development of a validated computer-based preoperative predictive model for pseudarthrosis with 91% accuracy in 336 adult spinal deformity patients. Neurosurg Focus. 2018 Nov 1;45(5): E11. 

Scheer JK, Smith JS, Schwab F, Lafage V, Shaffrey CI, Bess S, Daniels AH, Hart RA, Protopsaltis TS, Mundis GM Jr, Sciubba DM, Ailon T, Burton DC, Klineberg E, Ames CP; International Spine Study Group. Development of a preoperative predictive model for major complications following adult spinal deformity surgery. J Neurosurg Spine. 2017 Jun;26(6):736-743. 

Ramin Morshed, MD 

Ramin Morshed, MD, attended UCLA, where he graduated with a degree in neuroscience. He then earned his medical degree from the University of Chicago. 

During neurosurgery residency at UCSF, his clinical focus has been on neuro-oncology and skull base surgery. His research interests have centered on the management of brain metastases, intraoperative mapping techniques, and skull base tumor outcomes. He also completed a postdoctoral fellowship with Manish Aghi, MD, PhD, studying how cancer cells metastasize to the brain. His research has been awarded by the NREF and the AANS/CNS Joint Section on Tumors as well as resident research awards through the UCSF Department of Neurological Surgery. His clinical mentors have included Drs. Theodosopoulos, Berger, Chang, Aghi, Hervey-Jumper, Abla, and Goldschmidt. 

After graduation, he will complete a fellowship in skull base surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. 

Featured Publications 

Morshed RA, Nguyen MP, Cummins DD, Saggi S, Young JS, Haddad AF, Goldschmidt E, Chang EF, McDermott MW, Berger MS, Theodosopoulos PV, Hervey-Jumper SL, Daras M, Aghi MK. CDKN2A/B co-deletion is associated with increased risk of local and distant intracranial recurrence after surgical resection of brain metastases. Neurooncol Adv. 2023 Jan 28;5(1): vdad007. 

Morshed RA, Saggi S, Cummins DD, Molinaro AM, Young JS, Viner JA, Villanueva-Meyer JE, Goldschmidt E, Boreta L, Braunstein SE, Chang EF, McDermott MW, Berger MS, Theodosopoulos PV, Hervey-Jumper SL, Aghi MK, Daras M. Identification of risk factors associated with leptomeningeal disease after resection of brain metastases. J Neurosurg. 2023 Jan 13:1-12. 

Morshed RA, Lee AT, Wang EJ, Young JS, Cha S, Hervey-Jumper SL, Berger MS. Functional outcomes after resection of middle frontal gyrus diffuse gliomas. J Neurosurg. 2021 Nov 19:1-8. 

Morshed RA, Jiam NT, Wang EJ, Magill ST, Knoll RM, Kozin ED, Theodosopoulos PV, Cheung SW, Sharon JD, McDermott MW. Posterior petrous face meningiomas presenting with Ménière's-like syndrome: a case series and review of the literature. J Neurosurg. 2021 Aug 27;136(2):441-448. 

Young Lee, MD 

Young Lee, MD, received a bachelor’s degree in biostatics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He then completed his medical degree at Vanderbilt University, where he received research fellowships from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. 

His clinical interests are in endovascular neurosurgery and trauma. As a resident at UCSF, he trained under the mentorship of Praveen Mummaneni, MD, Luis Savastano, MD, PhD, Adib Abla, MD, and Peter Sun, MD. He also received an NIH R25-funded Biodevice Innovation Fellowship, where he worked to develop a pressure ulcer prevention system using a sensor embedded in a dressing.

After graduation, he will be pursuing a yearlong fellowship in endovascular neurosurgery at Washington University in St. Louis in St. Louis, Missouri. 

Featured publications 

Lee YM, Lu AY, Oh T, Hwang JY, Lu DC, Sun PP. C2 translaminar screw fixation in pediatric occipitocervical fusion. Childs Nerv Syst. 2022 Jun;38(6):1125-1135.

Yue JK, Lee YM, Quintana D, Aabedi AA, Krishnan N, Wozny TA, Andrews JP, Huang MC. Paraparesis caused by intradural thoracic spinal granuloma secondary to organizing hematoma: illustrative case. J Neurosurg Case Lessons. 2022 Nov 21;4(21):CASE22432. 

Lee YM, Ordaz A, Durcanova B, Viner JA, Theodosopoulos PV, Aghi MK, McDermott MW. Cerebrospinal Fluid Leaks and Pseudomeningocele after Posterior Fossa Surgery: Effect of an Autospray Dural Sealant. Cureus. 2020 May 31;12(5):e8379.