Anand Vasant Germanwala, MD

Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Anand V. Germanwala, M.D., graduated as class valedictorian from Keystone Oaks High School. He then attended a six-year combined BS/MD program through Pennsylvania State University and Jefferson Medical College where he graduated summa and magna cum laude, respectively. A portion of his two-year undergraduate study was spent at Harvard University where he ranked at the top of the class. During his residency training under the direction of L. Dade Lunsford, M.D. at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Dr. Germanwala had the privilege of training under neurosurgeons who performed pioneering work in the field of skull base surgery. During his training period, he was the first resident to win the trifecta of junior, senior, and chief resident of the year awards. He then gained additional training in more traditional cerebrovascular and skull base surgery approaches at Johns Hopkins University under the mentorship of Rafael Tamargo, M.D.
As an attending academic neurosurgeon, he has treated over 2,500 patients and specializes in the treatment of patients with brain tumors, especially those involving the cranial base. He is able to offer patients both traditional open craniotomy and newer endoscopic endonasal approaches. Dr. Germanwala was recognized as the first neurosurgeon in the world to clip a ruptured cerebral aneurysm along the skull base solely through the endoscopic endonasal approach. With regards to cranial base tumors, he has one of the largest experiences in the Chicagoland area and has performed more than 800 endoscopic endonasal and more than 300 lateral skull base cases. As Co-director of the Loyola Center for Cranial Base Surgery, he evaluates and treats patients with pituitary adenomas, meningiomas, craniopharyngiomas, acoustic neuromas, Rathke’s Cleft cysts, metastases, glioblastoma, gliomas, ependymomas, chondrosarcomas, chordomas, osteosarcomas, encephaloceles and cerebrospinal fluid leaks. His work in this area has given him the clinical background and experience to give over 300 invited national and international lectures in the field, appear on national television, and serve as invited faculty or meeting chair at over 75 national and international skull base courses. Dr. Germanwala also conducts clinical and basic science research in the field of skull base surgery and has published over 200 peer-reviewed journal articles, chapters and abstracts. Additionally, his collaborations with scientists across Loyola University Chicago allow him to pursue scholarly work focused on this complex niche. He and his teams have secured over $1,150,000 in intramural and extramural grants to fund skull base tumor clinical and scientific investigation. Together, they have won multiple awards for their clinical, research, and teaching activities.

In recognition of his academic and clinical achievements, he is one of the few Loyola physicians to ever receive early promotion to Professor. In addition to several teaching awards, he has been honored with the Loyola Distinguished Professor and Loyola Distinguished Residency Program Director awards. Dr. Germanwala’s current positions as Professor in the Departments of Neurological Surgery and Otolaryngology at the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, Vice Chair and Residency Program Director, and Chief of Neurological Surgery at the affiliated Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital provide him with the unique background to provide exceptional clinical care, educate the next generation of neurosurgeons, conduct translational research, develop leadership experience, and collaborate with other individuals in the subspecialty field of cranial base surgery. He is a member of several societies and has held multiple leadership positions within organized neurosurgery. In 2018, he was recognized by the Congress of Neurological Surgeons as one of 10 emerging leaders through the Vanguard Leadership Award in neurosurgery. Dr. Germanwala completed Harvard Medical School’s Surgical Leadership Program with commendation in 2022 while ranking at the top of the class. Since 2024, he serves as the Lead Examiner for the American Board of Neurological Surgery and is the 2025-2026 President of the Illinois State Neurosurgical Society.

He is married to Arpita Germanwala, M.D., an otolaryngologist, and has two daughters, Atasi and Anika. Along with his parents, they are the lights of his life. They enjoy spending time together laughing, traveling, reading, and watching the Pittsburgh Steelers.