Azarias Kassahun Admasu, MD, FCS (ECSA)
Associate professor of Neurosurgery
Basic Information
Hospital/Institution Name Governmental Institution:
Tikur Anbessa Hospital
Hospital/Institution Name Private Institution:
ALERT hospital
Samaritan surgical center
Educational Background
Medical School:
Addis Ababa University
Year of Graduation:
2009
Residency Program Specialization:
Neurosurgery
Residency Program Institution:
Addis Ababa University
Residency Program Year of Completion:
2014
Fellowship(s) Specialization:
Diploma in spine surgery
Fellowship(s) Institution:
eCCE learning, Eurospine accredited
Fellowship(s) Year of Completion:
2024
Additional Certifications (Include details of any additional certifications, training, or fellowships):
- Haukeland University Hospital, University of Bergen, Norway (2012) Attachment to departments of Radiology, Neuropathology, Neurosurgery and Neurology for a total of 5 months.
- Took part in the annual Scandinavian neurosurgical residents conference Xuan Wu Hospital, Beijing, China (2014)
- Short course on cerebral vascular diseases Endoscopic spine surgery, ALERT hospital , 2023
Professional Experience
Current Role and Responsibilities Title:
Assocaite professor of Neurosurgery, Head of Spine Unit
Current Role and Responsibilities Institution:
Neurosurgery Division, Department of Surgery, College of Health Sciences (CHS), Addis Ababa University (AAU)
Current Role and Responsibilities Years in Position:
1 year
Previous Roles and Institutions:
Head of Neurosurgery Department, ALERT hospital
2 years
Key Responsibilities:
Overlooking activities of Neurosurgery department including clinical services and teaching
Deputy department head, Departent of Surgery, CHS, AAU
1 year
Key Responsibilities:
Overlooking activities of the department, teaching, clinical services
Residency Program Institution:
Addis Ababa University
Teaching Experience (Include teaching roles, workshops, conferences attended as speaker, etc.):
- Assistant professor of Neurosurgery, CHS-AAU, 2015-2021
- Associate professor of Neurosurgery, CHS – AAU, 2021 till date
- Speaker at annual conferences of SENSP, annually since it’s inception
- Spine workshop trainer, CURE hospital, 2020 and 2021
Awards and Honors
Awards Name:
Awards Year:
Awards Issuing Organization:
Recognitions Year:
Recognitions Name:
Recognitions Issuing Organization:
Major Achievements (Include notable surgeries, procedures, innovations, etc.):
- Craniocervical fusion, Harm’s fusion
- Thoracic disc surgeries (anterior/costotransversectomy)
- Scoliosis correction surgery
- Post infection deformity correction surgery
Professional Memberships
Organizations (add more organizations as needed) Name:
AO spine member, COSECSA member
Organizations (add more organizations as needed) Role (if any):
Clinical Interests and Specialties
Areas of Interest Specialty Areas:
Spine surgery
Specific Procedures Performed Procedures:
- Craniocervical junction
- Atlanto-axial surgery
- Minimally invasive spine surgery
- Deformity correction surgery
Research and Publications
Research Interests:
Notable Publications Title:
- A two years prospective follow up and outcome of patients operated for carotid body tumors: Experience from Ethiopia; Abebe Bekele, Azarias Kassahun, Seyoum Kassa; Ethiopian Medical Journal 2012, 50 (4): 325-30
- Squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus presenting with features of intracranial space occupying lesion; Nebyou Seyoum, Kibrom Gebreselassie, Azarias Kassahun; Ethiopian Medical Journal 2012, 50 (2)
- Outcome of Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt insertion at Myungsung Christian Medical center in Ethiopia; Hagos Biluts, Azarias Kassahun; East and Central African Journal of Surgery 2015, 20(1)
- Outcome of endoscopic third ventriculostomy in pediatric patients at Zewditu Memorial Hospital, Ethiopia; Hagos Biluts, Azarias Kassahun; World Neurosurgery, August 2016, 92: 360-365
- Short-term outcome of operated traumatic brain injury patients with intracranial hemorrhage at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Hagos Biluts, Azarias Kassahun, Mersha Abebe; Ethiopian Medical Journal, December 2016, 55(1):61- 66
- Short-Term Outcome in Subaxial Spine Injury Patients Operated on in a Resource-Limited Setting, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Azarias K. Admasu, Elubabor Buno; World Neurosurgery, May 2018, 113: 702-706
- One hundred skull base meningiomas operated at Black Lion Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Abat Sahlu, Tsegazaeb Laeke, Azarias Kassahun, Abenezer Tirsit, Tequam Debebe, Tufa Gemechu, Morten Lund-Johansen; World Neurosurgery, Mar 2019, 088: E1-9
- Operative outcomes of Chiari I malformation at 2 specialist neurosurgical units in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: A retrospective cross-secitonal study; Azarias K. Admasu, Samuel Equar; ECAJS, June 2020, 25 (2),
- e-publication Prospective Study of Surgery for Traumatic Brain Injury in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: Surgical Procedures, Complications, and Postoperative Outcomes; Tsegazeab Laeke, Abenezer Tirsit, Azarias Kassahun, Abat Sahlu, Betelehem Yesehak, Samuel Getahun, Eyob Zenebe, Negussie Deyassa, Bente E. Moen, Morten Lund-Johansen, Terje Sundstrøm, World Neurosurgery, World Neurosurg. (2021) 150:e316-e323. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wneu.2021.03.004
- Prospective Study of Surgery for Traumatic Brain Injury in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: Trauma Causes, Injury Types, and Clinical Presentation; Tsegazeab Laeke, Abenezer Tirsit, Azarias Kassahun, Abat Sahlu, Tequam Debebe, Betelehem Yesehak, Samuel Masresha, Negussie Deyassa, Bente E.Moen, Morten Lund-Johansen, Terje Sundstrøm, World Neurosurgery (2021) 149: e460-e468. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wneu.2021.02.003
- Patient satisfaction three months after elective spine surgery for degenerative spine disease, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: A one-year prospective study; Fisiha Gebeyehu Shiferaw *, Mersha Abebe Woldemariam, Azarias Kassahun Admasu; Interdisciplinary Neurosurgery: Advanced Techniques and Case Management 31 (2023) 101698. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.inat.2022.101698
- A four year experience treating incomplete thoracolumbar spine injuries in an East African country; Azarias K. Admasu, Sisay Kebede; World Neurosurgery: X, Volume 19, 2023, 100175, ISSN 2590-1397. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wnsx.2023.100175.
- Differences in Perioperative Management of Patients Undergoing Complex Spine Surgery: A Global Perspective; Blacker, Samuel N. MD, FASA; Woody, Nathan CSSBB; Abate Shiferaw, Ananya MD; Burbridge, Mark MD; Bustillo, Maria A. MD; Hazard, Sprague W. MD; Heller, Benjamin J. MD; Lamperti, Massimo MD, MBA; Mejia-Mantilla, Jorge MD; Nadler, Jacob W. MD; Rath, Girija Prasad MD, DM; Robba, Chiara MD; Vincent, Anita MD, FASA; Admasu, Azarias K. MD; Awraris, Meron MD; Lele, Abhijit V. MBBS, MD, MSCR, FNCS; Journal of Neurosurgical Anesthesiology 36(3):p 218-227, July 2024. | DOI: 10.1097/ANA.0000000000000919
- Clinical predictors and surgical outcomes following surgical treatment in patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: A prospective study; Sura Daniel Elias, Azarias Kassahun Admasu; Interdisciplinary Neurosurgery: Advanced Techniques and Case Management Vol 36 (2024) 101934. ISSN 2214-7519, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.inat.2023.101934
Notable Publications Journal:
Notable Publications Year:
Ongoing Research Projects:
Functional outcome in Spine inury patients Quality of life after spine surgery
Additional Information
Languages Spoken:
Fluent in Amharic and English, both spoken and written