• At A Glance
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    Bio

    Dr. James K. Liu is the Director of Cerebrovascular, Skull Base and Pituitary Surgery at the Rutgers Neurological Institute of New Jersey, and Professor of Neurological Surgery at Rutgers University, New Jersey Medical School. He is board certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery, and has a robust clinical practice in skull base surgery at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center.

    Dr. Liu graduated summa cum laude from UCLA with Phi Beta Kappa honors, and obtained his MD from New York Medical College with AOA honors. After completing a neurosurgery residency at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, he was awarded the Dandy Clinical Fellowship by the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, and obtained advanced fellowship training in Skull Base, Cerebrovascular Surgery & Neuro-oncology at the Oregon Health & Science University in Portland.

    Dr. Liu is renowned for his comprehensive treatment of complex brain tumors and skull base lesions, including pituitary tumors, acoustic neuromas, meningiomas, craniopharyngiomas, chordomas, and jugular foramen tumors. His robust clinical practice encompasses both traditional open and minimally invasive endoscopic endonasal skull base approaches (EEA). He also specializes in microsurgery of cerebrovascular diseases including brain aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), cavernous malformations, and carotid artery stenosis. He also has expertise in cerebrovascular bypass procedures for moya moya disease, carotid artery occlusion, vertebral artery occlusion, and complex aneurysms, as well as endoscopic-assisted microvascular decompression for trigeminal neuralgia and hemifacial spasm.

    As one of the most active researchers in his field, Dr. Liu has published extensively with over 280 peer-reviewed publications and 30 textbook chapters. He has taught many hands-on cadaver dissection courses in skull base surgery and has lectured extensively nationally and internationally throughout North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia. Dr. Liu's research is focused on the development of innovative and novel skull base and endoscopic techniques, quantitative surgical neuroanatomy, microsurgical and microvascular anastomosis skills training, virtual surgical simulation, pituitary tumor biology, and clinical outcomes after skull base and cerebrovascular surgery.

    Dr. Liu is an active member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, Congress of Neurological Surgeons, North American Skull Base Society, Pituitary Network Association, The Facial Pain (Trigeminal Neuralgia) Association, AANS/CNS Cerebrovascular Section, Tumor Section. He serves on the medical advisory board of the Acoustic Neuroma Association of New Jersey, and is the current Secretary-Treasurer of the International Meningioma Society.

    Philosophy:

    I treat every patient as if they were a family member. I take the time to make sure that the patient and family understands the nature of the medical condition, all the treatment options, and strategize a tailored, personalized plan of care. I take pride in technical surgical excellence in order to achieve the best outcome to eliminate disease and optimize quality of life.

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    Clinical Interests

    Pituitary Tumors, Acoustic Neuromas, Meningiomas, Craniopharyngiomas, Chordomas, Chondrosarcomas, Gliomas, Brain Tumors, Skull Base Tumors, Cerebral Aneurysms, Arteriovenous Malformations, Cavernous Malformations, Carotid Stenosis, Vertebral Artery Stenosis, Spine Tumors, Minimally Invasive Endoscopic Endonasal Surgery, Trigeminal Neuralgia, Glossopharyngeal Neuralgia, Hemifacial Spasm, Chiari Malformation, Basilar Invagination, Cerebrovascular Bypass Surgery

    Procedures:

    Endoscopic endonasal pituitary surgery Endoscopic endonasal skull base surgery' Minimally invasive brain tumor surgery Complex skull base surgery Acoustic neuroma surgery with facial nerve preservation Paraganglioma surgery Endoscopic-assisted microvascular decompression (MVD) Craniotomy for brain tumor removal Awake craniotomy, speech and motor mapping Cerebrovascular surgery Aneurysm clipping AVM removal Superficial tempral artery-to-Middle cerebral artery (STA-MCA bypass) Carotid endarterectomy Spinal cord tumor removal Endoscopic odontoidectomy Chiari decompression

    Conditions:

    Pituitary tumors Cushing's disease Acromegaly Prolactinomas Acoustic Neuromas (Vestibular Schwannomas) Meningiomas Paragangliomas Skull Base Tumors Chordomas/Chondrosarcomas Hemangioblastomas Neurofibromatosis Type I and II (NF 1 and NF2) Von Hippel Lindau Disease (VHL) Brain Aneurysms Brain Arteriovenous Malformations (AVMs) Cavernous Malformations Moyamoya Disease Dural Arteriovenous Fistulas (DAVFs) Carotid Stenosis/Occlusion Stroke Trigeminal Neuralgia Hemifacial Spasm Glossopharyngeal Neuralgia Facial Pain Chiari Malformation Craniovertebral Junction Abnormalities Spinal Cord Tumors Spinal Cord Compression Basilar Invagination

  • Medical School

    New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York, NY 2000

    Internship

    New York Medical College, Westchester Medical Center, Valhalla, New York, NY 2001

    Residency

    Neurosurgery, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT 2006

    Fellowship

    Skull Base and Cerebrovascular Surgery, Neuro-Oncology, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR 2007

  • Insurance

    Accepted Health Plan information is only as accurate as the most current information submitted. Prior to your appointment, it is advisable to verify with a physician office that they are still a participating provider.

    • AARP Healthcare
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    • America's Health Plan
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    • Blue Cross/Blue Shield NJ
    • Cigna
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    • Consumer Health Plan
    • Devon Health Services
    • Federal Blue Cross PPO
    • GHI
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    • Health Net
    • HMO Blue - Medicare Blue
    • Horizon BCBS
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    • Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield Indemnity
    • Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare Blue
    • Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield Omnia
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    • Horizon Casualty Services (Worker's Comp & No Fault)
    • Horizon Managed Care
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    • Horizon NJ Health (managed Medicaid plan)
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    • Magnacare/Magnet
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    • Multiplan
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    • New Jersey Carpenters Health Fund
    • Oxford Health
    • Private Healthcare Systems (PHCS)
    • Qualcare
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    • United Healthcare
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    • WellCare
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