Fady Girgis, BSc Pharm, MD, EdM, MAS, FRCSC

Dr. Girgis is a neurosurgeon and clinician scientist subspecializing in deep brain stimulation, epilepsy, complex facial pain, brain tumors, and peripheral nerve surgery. As a functional neurosurgeon, he has extensive experience and expertise in neuromodulation, brain mapping, and awake brain surgery. Additionally, he teaches at the University of Calgary medical school as well as in the residency training programs.

Dr. Girgis trained at several institutions throughout Canada and the United States. After completing a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy at the University of Toronto, he practiced part-time as a pharmacist while completing medical school at the University of Calgary. He stayed in Calgary for his neurosurgical residency, during which he also traveled to Boston to complete a 2-year post-doctoral research fellowship at Harvard Medical School and a master’s degree in education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Following residency, he obtained his board certification and then completed a clinical fellowship in functional neurosurgery at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. He then moved to California and practiced for several years at the University of California Davis, during which time he also completed another master’s degree in clinical-translational medicine. He recently joined the University of Calgary to continue his practice and research as a functional neurosurgeon-scientist. He is widely published, and serves as a reviewer for several neurosurgical journals.

Head shot

Areas of Research

Neuromodulation - focused ultrasound
Low intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU) is a novel technology that can be used to safely and transiently modulate neural signals. This research, coupled with neurosurgical techniques in clinical patients, looks at using LIFU to investigate various cognitive processes in the human brain.
Neurophysiology of cognition
Neurosurgical patients with implanted brain electrodes (epilepsy, deep brain stimulation, etc.) participate as study subjects to investigate various cognitive processes, such as theory of mind.
Clinical trials - pain
Surgically implanted stimulators (spinal, peripheral nerve) are investigated in the treatment of various pain disorders.

Supervising degrees

Neuroscience - Masters: Accepting Inquiries
Neuroscience - Doctoral: Accepting Inquiries