# Gail Rosseau

Gail Linskey Rosseau (born c. 1956) is Clinical Professor of Neurosurgery at George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, D.C. Prior to this position, she was Associate Chairman of Inova Fairfax Hospital Department of Neurosciences. She previously served as director of skull base surgery of NorthShore University HealthSystem. She is board-certified and has been an examiner for the American Board of Neurological Surgery. She has been elected to the leadership of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies, and the Société de Neurochirurgie de Langue Française.

## Biography

Rosseau completed her neurosurgical residency training at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., after graduating from its medical school. She completed a fellowship in cranial base and microvascular surgery at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania and a cranial base surgery fellowship at Val-de-Grâce in Paris, France.

## Professional work

Dr. Rosseau has become a leading advocate for Global Surgery, serving on the Board of Directors of G4 Alliance and frequently publishing and speaking at international medical meetings on this topic. Her practice includes a wide range of neurosurgery, with expertise in caring for patients with cranial base disorders. This includes extensive experience with pituitary tumors, meningiomas, acoustic neuromas, and head and neck malignancies. She is the author of dozens of papers, invited lectures and courses in these topics, including a co-authored white paper with Women in Neurosurgery titled "The Future of Neurosurgery."
Rosseau is one of 300 female neurosurgeons in the United States, out of a total of more than 3,000 practicing neurosurgeons. She writes and speaks often in the U.S. and abroad on neurosurgical topics. Her most frequent subjects include innovative treatments for patients with pituitary tumors, trigeminal neuralgia, meningiomas and normal pressure hydrocephalus. She pioneered the use of minimally invasive endoscopic surgery for treatment of pituitary tumors. Her current research funding is for clinical trials in breast cancer metastasis and idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus.

## Candidate for Surgeon General

In December 2009, Rosseau was on a short list for then-President-elect Barack Obama's nomination for Surgeon General of the United States. On March 5, 2009, another candidate for Surgeon General, CNN medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta, announced he was withdrawing himself from consideration, thus strengthening speculation that Rosseau remained a primary candidate.
Rosseau’s association with President Obama dates to 2003. She served on the finance committees and women’s committees for both his senatorial and presidential campaigns. She also acted as his surrogate speaker on healthcare issues during the primary and general presidential election campaigns.
Her candidacy for Surgeon General has been supported by the American Medical Association, American College of Neurosurgeons, American Association of Neurological Surgeons, the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, and the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons in addition to a number of patient groups.

## Honors

She has served on the FDA Advisory Council for Neurological Devices in addition to a number of national and international leadership positions in organized neurosurgery.
Public broadcasting network medical programs "Second Opinion" and "60 Minutes II" have featured Rosseau, in addition to national and local network television and radio programs. She has been cited in articles from printed periodicals such as the Chicago Tribune, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Chicago Sun Times, and The Desert Sun. A March 2007 article in More magazine profiled her research into the connection between breast cancer and brain metastases. A profile on Rosseau appeared in the September 2009 issue of Ladies Home Journal.
Professional affiliations and memberships
* Member at Large, Board of Directors, Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS)
* Conseil Directeur Scientifique, Société de Neurochirurgie de Langue Française (SNCLF)
* Vice President, North America, World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies (WFNS)
* Past President, Women in Neurosurgery (WINS)
* Executive Committee, Foundation for International Education in Neurological Surgery (FIENS)