Maxwell Boakye

Clinical Focus

• Neurological Surgery
• Neurosurgery

Administrative Appointments

• Director, Outcomes research Lab (2007 - present)
• Director, Neural Plasticity Lab (2007 - present)
• Medical Student Applicant Interviewer, Stanford Medical Center (2007 - present)

Honors and Awards

• Stanford School of Medicine Faculty Fellow, Stanford University School of Medicine (2007)
• Stanford Center of Excellence Faculty Fellowship Award, Stanford University School of Medicine (2005)
• Young Clinician Investigator Award, AANS/NREF (2004)
• Outstanding Research Prize, Cornell Medical College (1995)
• Continued Fellowship Support Award,, Howard Hughes Medical Institute (1994 - 1995)

Professional Education

Graduate & Fellowship Program Affiliations

• Neurosurgery

Web Site Links

• Neural Plasticity Lab

Industry Relationships

Stanford is committed to ethical and transparent interactions with our industry partners. It is our policy to disclose payments of $5,000 or more, equity valued at $5,000 or more in a publicly traded company, or any equity in a privately held company, to physicians and scientists employed by Stanford University from companies or other commercial entities with which they interact as part of their professional activities. View Full Information

Research Interests

We utilize functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) methods in combination with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and electroencephalography of somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs) to monitor plasticity in both motor and sensory cortices during the recovery process in patients with central nervous injury. The laboratory is interested in developing improved fmri sensorimotor activation tasks, characterizing the patterns and significance of CNS injury-induced cortical plasticity, evaluation of therapies such as cortical stimulation, constrait-induced therapy and other novel rehabilitation strategies for patients with CNS injuries. Current projects include investigating the differential plasticity of motor and sensory cortex in patients with spinal cord injury. Future projects include comparison of plasticity in spinal cord injury patients to that in patients with phantom limb pain.One goal of the lab is to evaluate of cortical mapping technologies in monitoring the response to therapy.

Publications

• Implications of neuroplasticity for neurosurgeons. Boakye M, Surg Neurol. 2009; 71 (1): 5-10
• National trends in spinal fusion for cervical spondylotic myelopathy. Lad SP, Patil CG, Berta S, Santarelli JG, Ho C, Boakye M. Surg Neurol. 2009; 71 (1): 66-9; discussion 69
• National trends in vertebral augmentation procedures for the treatment of vertebral compression fractures. Lad SP, Patil CG, Lad EM, Hayden MG, Boakye M. Surg Neurol. 2009; 71 (5): 580-4; discussion 584-5
• National trends in spinal arteriovenous malformations. Lad SP, Santarelli JG, Patil CG, Steinberg GK, Boakye M. Neurosurg Focus. 2009; 26 (1): 1-5
• Inpatient complications, mortality, and discharge disposition after surgical correction of idiopathic scoliosis: a national perspective. Patil CG, Santarelli J, Lad SP, Ho C, Tian W, Boakye M. Spine J. 2008 Nov-Dec; 8 (6): 904-10