Samer K Elbabaa, MD - Pediatric & Fetal Neurosurgery

Samer K. Elbabaa, MD, FAANS, FAAP, FACS, is a board-certified pediatric neurosurgeon and serves as the director of the Leon Pediatric Neuroscience Center of Excellence at Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children. He also serves as chief of pediatric neurosurgery at Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children. He specializes in pediatric brain and spinal cord tumor microneurosurgery, neuroendoscopy, fetal neurosurgery, minimally invasive endoscopic treatment of hydrocephalus, pediatric craniofacial surgery, skull base surgery, fetal repair of myelomeningocele and cranio-cervical junctional anomalies. Previously, Dr. Elbabaa performed 90 open fetal in-utero surgeries for spina bifida in Saint Louis before moving to Orlando in 2017. He is considered one of the most experienced fetal neurosurgeons in the United States and the world.

Dr. Elbabaa earned his medical degree at the University of Jordan. He completed an internship in general surgery and residency in neurosurgery at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He completed a clinical fellowship in pediatric neurosurgery at the Cleveland Clinic. He also earned a certification in microsurgery at University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland.

Previously, Dr. Elbabaa was the Reinert Endowed Chair in Pediatric Neurosurgery and associate professor of neurosurgery at Saint Louis University School of medicine and director of pediatric neurosurgery at SSM Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital in Saint Louis, Missouri. Prior to that, he practiced as a pediatric neurosurgeon and co-director of the Children's Brain Tumor Clinic at Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock.

He received numerous awards and professional recognitions by his patients and their families, including the 2013 St. Luke’s Faithful Healer Award and the 2015 Ambassador Choice Award. He also received the 2013 Research Support Award from the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) /Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) Section on Pediatric Neurosurgery.

An internationally recognized neurosurgeon and an accomplished researcher, Dr. Elbabaa frequently serves as a visiting professor, guest lecturer and conference speaker at scientific conferences, surgical training courses, symposia and universities worldwide. He has published, reviewed and edited for numerous peer-reviewed professional journals such as World Neurosurgery and Pediatric Neurosurgery.

Dr. Elbabaa is a fellow of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and of the American College of Surgeons, and he is a member of Congress of Neurological Surgeons and the International Society of Pediatric Neurosurgeons. He also serves on numerous committees and executive boards for national and international professional neurosurgical organizations. Dr. Elbabaa is also a professor of neurosurgery at the University of Central Florida (UCF) College of Medicine.