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Joseph R. Madsen, MD 1981

-Associate Professor of Surgery (Neurosurgery), Harvard Medical School
-Medical Director, Neurosurgical Clinic, Children's Hospital
-Director, Neurodynamics Laboratory, Children's Hospital

Research:
Dr. Madsen's research interests focus on application of signal processing and biophysical modeling to understand such problems in pediatric neurosurgery as hydrocephalus and epilepsy. A major thrust is the integration of multiple levels of study and understanding of molecular, dynamic, functional, and clinical phenomena. Some projects culminate in device and therapeutical protocol design.

Career Highlights:
Dr. Madsen received his BA in chemistry from the University of Utah in 1976 and his MD from Harvard Medical School and the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology in 1981. He completed his internship in surgery at the Beth Israel Hospital and his residency in neurosurgery at the Massachusetts General Hospital. Following his residency, Dr. Madsen completed an Elsberg Fellowship in Neurological Surgery and a Clinical Investigator Development Award (CIDA) fellowship.

An epilepsy neurosurgeon, Dr. Madsen is known as an innovator in clinical as well as research realms. He organized the Laboratory of Neurodynamics in 2000 to combine clinical research with the opportunity to do truly basic research involving data from human subjects, This opportunity is uniquely available because the need and benefits of neurosurgical intervention, Advanced technologies, such as digital signal processing (DSP), wavelet analysis, and cutting edge cognitive science combine in this new laboratory. Another exciting clinical issue involves the growing technology of electrostimulation (of the vagus nerve presently, and in the future other targets) in the treatment of epilepsy. Quantitative approaches are employed to advance understanding of the mechanism of these new technologies, as well as the pioneering investigation of new methods.