Justin Cetas, MD, PhD, will join the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson as the chair of Neurourgery effective July 1, 2021.

A UArizona graduate who earned his doctorate in neuroscience and medical degree at College of Medicine - Tucson, Dr. Cetas comes from the Oregon Health and Science University, where he has been an associate professor in the Department of Neurological Surgery and chief of neurosurgery at the Veterans Affairs Portland Health Care System in Portland, Ore. He will lead a UArizona Neurosurgery faculty base of 10 current medical providers, nine college affiliates and several community partners.

Dr. Cetas did his undergraduate studies at St. John’s College in Santa Fe, N.M. After his UArizona studies, he completed an internship in general surgery and residency in neurological surgery at the Oregon Health and Science University. He also completed a fellowship with the Division of Skull Base and Cerebrovascular Neurosurgery, after which he joined the faculty as an assistant professor. He became an associate professor in 2016 and served as the department’s residency program director since 2017 and vice chair for education since 2019. He also has served as a member of the Oregon Trauma Audit Group since 2014, and he has been on the research committee for the VA since 2017 at the Portland VA Medical Center.

Dr. Cetas has authored or co-authored nearly 50 peer-reviewed papers, 10 book chapters and multiple abstracts related to his research. He has served in editorial and ad hoc review roles for the following journals: Acta Neurchirurgica, Translational Stroke Research, Brain Hemorrhages, Frontiers in Neuroscience, Neurocritical Care, Neurological Research, PLoS One, Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism, World Neurosurgery, Cell Death and Disease, and F-1000Prime. And he has spoken as an invited lecturer at more than a dozen conferences and national and international events.

Dr. Cetas is a surgeon-scientist whose academic and clinical endeavors match those that support the College of Medicine – Tucson's tripartite mission. These include nurturing and mentoring the next generation of educators, researchers and clinicians.