As a prominent Neurosurgeon and Researcher, Yarema B. Bezchlibnyk, MD, Ph.D., has dedicated his career to functional neurosurgery research and clinical treatment for epilepsy, nerve disorders, and movement disorders. He has exceptionally advanced training spanning many years and currently works as an Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery at the University of South Florida’s Morsani School of Medicine.
He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Molecular Genetics and Molecular Biology with a minor in Bioethics from the University of Toronto in 1999. Dr. Bezchlibnyk then obtained a Ph.D. in Molecular Psychiatry from McMasters University. He defended his Ph.D. degree in Philosophy, which investigated molecular and cellular factors underlying the pathophysiology of mood and psychotic disorders under the tutelage of Dr. L. Trevor Young. As he pursued a Medical degree at the University of Toronto School of Medicine, he published a research study with Dr. Andres Lozano, highlighting their work on the effects of deep brain stimulation (DBS) on cellular morphology.
To gain more experience in his specialty, Dr. Bezchlibnyk completed a Neurosurgical residency in 2010 at the University of Calgary. He worked with Dr. Zelma Kiss to research DBS-induced neuropsychological outcomes in patients with advanced PD in Canada and Hong Kong. The doctor then took on a Fellowship in Epilepsy Surgery and Functional Neurosurgery at Emory University, where he studied stereotactic and functional neurosurgery under the guidance of Drs. Robert E. Gross Jon T. Willie and Nicholas M. Boulis. The Fellowship gave him further insight into peripheral nerve surgery, nerve grafting, and transfers for peripheral nerve injuries. He is board-certified in Neurosurgery and has been practicing for 11 years.
Dr. Bezchlibnyk has been Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery at the University of South Florida’s Morsani School of Medicine for the past four years. He works in a clinical and research capacity, with his research revolving around psychiatric epilepsy pain and peripheral nerve disorders. He and his team are trying to create and develop novel and more effective approaches to these treatments. In his clinical work, Dr. Bezchlibnyk performs stereotactic and functional neurosurgery, peripheral nerve surgery, and epilepsy surgery. He enjoys working with his patients to reduce their pain and improve their quality of life.
He is a distinguished member of the American Academy of Neurological Surgeons, the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, the American Academy of Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery, and the American Epilepsy Society. He also does community outreach projects about functional neurosurgery for organizations that support epilepsy and Parkinson’s Disease.
He has been married to Mrs. Lisa Bezchlibnyk for ten years, and they have one child together. He also enjoys spending time with his mother, Kalyna Butler.
He would like to dedicate this honorable recognition to his mentors, Andres Lozano, MD, Bob Gross, MD, and Rajiv Midha, MD.
For more information, visit https://health.usf.edu/medicine/neurosurgery.
