Susan Rubin, MD | Julian Bailes, MD | Joseph Alleva, MD, MBA
Medical Director, NorthShore Neurological Institute
Chairman, Department of Neurology
Susan Rubin, MD, is a neurologist at the NorthShore Neurological Institute, specializing in multiple sclerosis, women's neurological issues and headaches. She is the director of NorthShore’s Women's Neurology Program, and a Clinical Associate Professor at University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine.
She completed her medical degree at University of Illinois at Rockford and her internship at Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, IL. She achieved both her residency and fellowship training at Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.
Additionally, Dr. Rubin is conducting promising Multiple sclerosis (MS) research looking at better medications, new approaches toward relapses and the lifestyle modifications making a difference toward living a better life with MS. She also acts as principal investigator in clinical trials that look at new drugs, as well as research on genes. Her research will arm clinicians with the information to better diagnose and manage patients with this chronic, life-long disease.
Surgical Director, NorthShore Neurological Institute
Chairman, Department of Neurosurgery
Julian E. Bailes, MD, is a nationally recognized leader in neurosurgery, with special emphasis on brain tumors and the impact of brain injury on brain function. Dr. Bailes and the NorthShore Neurological Institute team are among the first in the country to use emerging technology to treat brain tumors, including Visualase MRI Laser-Guided Therapy. Dr. Bailes is also one of the first neurosurgeons in the Chicago area to use the minimally-invasive NICO BrainPath as part of the Six Pillars approach, offering promising outcomes for patients with otherwise inoperable brain tumors.
Dr. Bailes joined NorthShore in 2011 as Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery and Co-Director of the NorthShore Neurological Institute. As one of Chicago’s most experienced brain tumor surgeons, Dr. Bailes is conducting leading-edge clinical trials, including exploring the effectiveness of using fluorescent dye in the resection of tumors.
Previously, Dr. Bailes served for 11 years as Professor and Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at West Virginia University School of Medicine where he specialized in the diagnosis and surgical treatment of cerebrovascular disease, stroke and traumatic brain injury. He was the primary treating physician of Randal McCloy Jr., the only survivor among 13 miners trapped in the 2006 Sago Mine explosion in West Virginia—the longest period of time any survivor has been trapped underground in the United States.
As a national authority in neurosurgery, Dr. Bailes served on the NASA Crew Protection Work Group for the Orion Mars-Lunar Mission. Since 1994, he has been a neurological consultant to the NFL Players’ Association (NFLPA), which has supported research on the effects of head injuries on retired professional athletes. He is the Medical Director of the Center for Study of Retired Athletes based at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Medical Director of Pop Warner Football; and an adviser to the NCAA.
Dr. Bailes has over 170 scientific peer-reviewed publications or book chapters concerning various aspects of neurological surgery and brain injury, including five books on neurological disease. Additionally, he performs editorial duties for a number of medical journals. Dr. Bailes has been honored as one of the nation’s best surgeons for 10 consecutive years in US News & World Report’s “America’s Best Doctors” and “America’s Top Surgeons.” He has had numerous appearances on national television programs, including Dr. Oz, Good Morning America and NBC Nightly News, and has most recently been recognized as a 2014 “Chicago Top Neurosurgeon” by Chicago Magazine.
The research done by Dr. Bailes and neuropathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu as it relates to the discovery of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in football players was featured in the movie Concussion. The movie is based on an article, “Game Brain,” that appeared in GQ as well as the book and documentary, “League of Denial.”
Chief, Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Joseph T. Alleva, MD, MBA, has spent his entire career at NorthShore University HealthSystem (NorthShore) since completing his specialty training in 1994 at the prestigious Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC). As Chief of the Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) and as a leader of the NorthShore Neurological Institute, he directs a team of physiatrists and therapists (physical, occupational, speech-language) experienced in treating patients with brain and spine disorders. His expertise in the field most recently landed him on the “America’s Best Doctors” list compiled by US News and World Report, and for more than a decade, he has consistently been lauded in Castle Connolly Guide’s How to Find the Best Doctors in Chicago. In 2011, Chicago magazine featured Dr. Alleva on its “Best Sports Medicine Doctors” list.
Dr. Alleva holds an MD degree from the Chicago Medical School and completed an internship in internal medicine and neurology at Northwestern University Medical School. After the RIC, where he served as chief resident, he went on to fellowship training in spine and sports medicine at the University of Buffalo in New York. While on the East Coast, Dr. Alleva began working with athletes at the collegiate and professional levels. He served as team physician for the Buffalo Blizzard Professional Soccer organization and for the Daemen College Basketball team. Closer to home, Dr. Alleva was team physician for the Niles North High School athletic department.
Dr. Alleva is board-certified in PM&R as well as electromyography. He has numerous publications to his credit on non-surgical spine care and pain management.