# James I. Ausman

James Ivan Ausman (born December 10, 1937) is an American neurosurgeon, science editor, television broadcaster, medical entrepreneur, and public advocate for healthcare reform. He is a professor of neurosurgery at the University of California, Los Angeles, and emeritus editor-in-chief of Surgical Neurology International.
Ausman espouses right-wing political opinions and misinformation on medicine, often collaborating with right-wing political commentators Miguel Faria and Russell Blaylock. Ausman is an opponent of socialized medicine and the Affordable Care Act and was a supporter of the Tea Party. He is a proponent of the conspiracy theory that the COVID-19 pandemic was an orchestrated attack by the Chinese government in his self-published book The China Virus: What is the Truth.

## Biography

Ausman was born in Milwaukee on December 10, 1937. He attended Milwaukee County Day School, obtained a BSc degree from Tufts University in 1959, and graduated as an M.D. from Johns Hopkins Medical School three years later. In 1964, he received a master's degree in physiology at the State University of New York at Buffalo, after which he pursued surgery and neurosurgery training in Chicago and Minnesota. He then moved to the National Institutes of Health, receiving a PhD in pharmacology from the George Washington University School of Medicine in 1969. He became a staff member at the University of Minnesota in 1972, becoming an assistant neurosurgery and pharmacology professor.
In 1978, he was named Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. At this time, Ausman became secretary of The Society of Neurological Surgeons. In 1991, Ausman became a professor and head of the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Illinois at Chicago. There, he expanded his work in microsurgery and cerebrovascular surgery, particularly aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations, and bypassing cerebral ischemia. He has written and developed procedures for neuro-vascular surgery and novel approaches to the pineal region and midline tumors. He has over 200 publications and is credited with over 80 chapters in neurosurgical books. He is now a clinical professor of neurosurgery at the University of California at Los Angeles.
He is married and has two daughters.

## Research

Frequent topics of his research articles have been:
* surgical aneurysm management
* brain circulation microanatomy, anastomosis, and revascularization
* non-invasive monitoring of cerebral hemodynamics, blood gases, and pH in surgical patients
* cerebral arteriovenous malformations
Ausman is a pioneer in the field of revascularization techniques to improve cerebral blood flow, relieve cerebral ischemia, and treat cerebral infarction and has contributed articles and chapter books on the subject.
Other research reports have referred to drug therapy of brain tumors, surgical anatomy of the optic nerve region, surgical approaches to the pineal region, management of midline tumors, nerve tissue ultrastructure, the blood–brain barrier, and pericyte-endothelial gap-junctions.

## Editorships and humanitarian ethics

Ausman was editor-in-chief of Surgical Neurology (later renamed World Neurology) from 1994 until 2009. In 2010, he became the founding editor-in-chief of Surgical Neurology International. He travels frequently to developed and Third World countries to advise, lecture on neurosurgical trends and techniques, and teach ethics in humanitarian missions. Dr. Ausman taught him humanitarian principles central to medical ethics, according to Ramsis F. Ghaly, M.D., a Christian author and fellow surgeon: "Patients come first... treat the patient as yourself... do not let yourself fall asleep until you are certain you have done everything for your patient." Ausman is an honorary member of the Brazilian, Argentinean, Chilean, and Peruvian Societies of Neurosurgery and a corresponding member of the German Society of Neurosurgery. Through his James I and Carolyn R. Ausman Educational Foundation and his vehicle, Surgical Neurology International, Rancho Mirage, California, Ausman has recently expanded his humanitarian and educational mission, in particular highlighting the Venezuelan crisis.

## Views on COVID-19

Ausman co-authored the self-published book The China Virus – What is the Truth? with Russell Blaylock, a fellow neurosurgeon and conspiracy theorist. The book promoted the conspiracy theory that the virus was a part of an orchestrated attack by the Chinese government.