Walter Jean, M.D., and Lehigh Valley Fleming Neuroscience Institute
Chief of neurosurgery is world renowned for his expertise in complex brain surgery.
Receiving world-class neurosurgical care in eastern Pennsylvania and surrounding regions used to mean a drive to a major city. No more.
An hour north of Philadelphia, in the Lehigh Valley, Walter Jean, M.D., and Lehigh Valley Fleming Neuroscience Institute offer leading-edge care as part of a health network whose mission is anchored by compassionate, patient-centered providers.
Dr. Jean’s Background
Dr. Jean joined Lehigh Valley Health Network in early 2021, coming from George Washington University Hospital, where he was a professor of neurological surgery.
Dr. Jean joined Lehigh Valley Health Network in early 2021, coming from George Washington University Hospital, where he was a professor of neurological surgery.
With over 20 years’ experience in both open and endoscopic skull base surgery, Dr. Jean has several clinical interests including acoustic neuromas, pituitary adenomas, skull base meningioma, intraventricular tumors, and trigeminal neuralgia. His acclaimed textbook, Skull Base Surgery: Strategies, is used by neurosurgeons across the globe to learn about open and endoscopic skull base surgery.
Dr. Jean serves as reviewer for several high-impact neurology and neurosurgery journals. In addition, he is an active member of several professional groups including the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, the North American Skull Base Society, and the American Association of Neurological Surgeons.
Lehigh Valley Fleming Neuroscience Institute
Lehigh Valley Fleming Neuroscience Institute was announced in June 2022 to build on an already great neurology and neurosurgery foundation that includes Dr. Jean and others.
Lehigh Valley Fleming Neuroscience Institute was announced in June 2022 to build on an already great neurology and neurosurgery foundation that includes Dr. Jean and others.
The Neuroscience Institute has Lehigh Valley Health Network poised to enter a new era of brain, spine, and other neurological and neurosurgical care, collaboration, and research.
LVHN serves over 50,000 patients annually in outpatient and inpatient neurology settings, with about two-thirds of that total in neurology and the balance in neurosurgery. Neurology inpatient and outpatient visits have grown exponentially over the past two years, and that trend is expected to continue.
Complex and Rewarding Field
Dr. Jean says his focus is on “complex intracranial” neurosurgery and performing brain surgery for vascular disease and tumors.
Dr. Jean says his focus is on “complex intracranial” neurosurgery and performing brain surgery for vascular disease and tumors.
“There is a space between the bottom of the brain and the part of the skull on which it sits,” he says. “The space is called the skull base, and my focus is in this area. Working in this small space is very challenging. It requires tiny little movements, operating in small, narrow corridors. Solving problems in this area requires attention to three-dimensional detail, which I find very interesting and rewarding.”
Technology, including extended reality, is a game changer, according to Dr. Jean. “It makes brain surgery more efficient and safer,” he says. “I have become a champion of virtual and augmented reality in neurosurgery because it allows me to rehearse operations, and in many cases, trial different approaches for the same problem to test which is best. Augmented reality serves as GPS for brain surgery, and I can see the turns and stops through the microscope in my operative field. It makes the operations quicker and safer.”
Restoring patients to health and alleviating their suffering is extremely rewarding, says Dr. Jean. But what also motivates him each day is teaching the next generation of brain surgeons, passing on what he has learned through studying and experience, so they can go out and help countless more patients in the future.
‘Thank You’ to Readers
“My thanks to Suburban Life readers for my inclusion on the [Top Physicians] list,” Dr. Jean says. “Award-winning neurology and neurosurgery at Lehigh Valley Fleming Neuroscience Institute is second to none. The exciting part about it all is that we’re poised for an even brighter future, one that will pay even greater dividends for our patients in expanded expertise and superior outcomes.”
“My thanks to Suburban Life readers for my inclusion on the [Top Physicians] list,” Dr. Jean says. “Award-winning neurology and neurosurgery at Lehigh Valley Fleming Neuroscience Institute is second to none. The exciting part about it all is that we’re poised for an even brighter future, one that will pay even greater dividends for our patients in expanded expertise and superior outcomes.”
Dr. Jean says Lehigh Valley Fleming Neuroscience Institute is on a path to become a destination in the United States for neurological and neurosurgical care.
“I’m proud to be part of what makes Lehigh Valley Fleming Neuroscience Institute a growing force in treating neurological and neurosurgical disorders,” Dr. Jean says.
For more about neurology and neurosurgery at Lehigh Valley Fleming Neuroscience Institute, visit LVHN.org/neuro.
Photo courtesy of Lehigh Valley Health Network
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life magazine, August 2022.
