Joseph Maroon (born May 26, 1940) is an American
neurosurgeon
Neurosurgery or neurological surgery, known in common parlance as brain surgery, is the medical specialty concerned with the surgical treatment of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, spinal cord and peri ...
, author, and
triathlon
A triathlon is an endurance multisport race consisting of Swimming (sport), swimming, Cycle sport, cycling, and running over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall completion time, racing each segment sequentially with the t ...
athlete. He is the professor and vice chairman of the Department of Neurological Surgery at the
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) is a $23billion integrated global nonprofit health enterprise that has 92,000 employees, 40 hospitals with more than 8,000 licensed beds, 800 clinical locations including outpatient sites and do ...
, and is the current medical director of
WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...
.
[UPMC website](_blank)
/ref> He is particularly known for his work studying concussion
A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include loss of consciousness (LOC); memory loss; headaches; difficulty with thinking, concentration, ...
s and concussion prevention as well as his hypothesis (after the discovery of the CTE by Dr. Bennet Omalu
Bennet Ifeakandu Omalu (born September 30, 1968["About Bennet Omalu"](_blank)
, B ...
) on the development of chronic traumatic encephalopathy
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disease linked to repeated trauma to the head. The encephalopathy symptoms can include behavioral problems, mood problems, and problems with thinking. The disease often gets worse o ...
(CTE).
Education
Maroon earned his B.S. degree in anatomy and physiology from Indiana University
Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana.
Campuses
Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI.
*Indiana Universit ...
in 1961, and his M.D. from the Indiana University School of Medicine
The Indiana University School of Medicine (IUSM) is a major multi-campus medical school in the state of Indiana. There are nine campuses throughout the state; the principal research and medical center is located on the Indiana University–Purdu ...
(IUSOM) in 1965. He received post-graduate education at IUSOM (1966), Georgetown University Hospital
MedStar Georgetown University Hospital is one of the Washington, D.C. area's oldest academic teaching hospitals. It is a not-for-profit, acute care teaching and research facility located in the Georgetown neighborhood of the Northwest Quadrant ...
(1967), John Radcliffe Hospital
The John Radcliffe Hospital (informally known as the JR) is a large tertiary teaching hospital in Oxford, England. It forms part of the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and is named after John Radcliffe, an 18th-century physici ...
(1969), IUSOM (1971) and the University of Vermont College of Medicine
The Robert Larner College of Medicine is the medical school of the University of Vermont, a public research university in Burlington, Vermont. Established in 1822, it is the nation's seventh oldest medical school. The primary teaching hospital for ...
(1972).
Career
Neurosurgical research and innovations
Maroon has conducted extensive research into neurotrauma
Neurotrauma, brain damage or brain injury (BI) is the destruction or degeneration of brain cells. Brain injuries occur due to a wide range of internal and external factors. In general, brain damage refers to significant, undiscriminating t ...
, brain tumor
A brain tumor occurs when abnormal cells form within the brain. There are two main types of tumors: malignant tumors and benign (non-cancerous) tumors. These can be further classified as primary tumors, which start within the brain, and seconda ...
s and diseases of the spine, which led to many innovative techniques for diagnosing and treating these disorders. Maroon was the first to publish on the use of ultrasound to detect venous air emboli (1968). Maroon et al. were the first to publish on the use of ultrasound to detect air in patients during neurosurgical procedures (1969) and to assess ophthalmic artery reversal of flow indicating a thrombosis of the carotid artery (1969). Maroon et al. published the simplified instrumentation for performing microvascular surgery in 1973 and in 1975, they pioneered the microsurgical approach to intra-orbital tumors. In 1977, they pioneered the use of CT scanning as a guidance system for performing intracranial biopsy. In the same year, Maroon published the first paper on “burning hands” syndrome related to sports related spinal cord injuries in JAMA
''The Journal of the American Medical Association'' (''JAMA'') is a peer-reviewed medical journal published 48 times a year by the American Medical Association. It publishes original research, reviews, and editorials covering all aspects of biom ...
.
In 1982, Maroon et al. pioneered the radical orbital decompression procedure for severe dysthyroid exophthalmos. In 1985, they were the first to compare microsurgical disc removal with chemonucleolysis, and in 1986, they were the first to use a carbon dioxide laser in the management of lymphangiomas of the orbit. That year, Maroon et al. were among the first to describe their surgery outcomes with microlumbar discectomy. In 1987, Maroon and Onik introduced percutaneous automated discectomy as a new minimally invasive way to remove lumbar discs, and subsequently published extensively on this technique. In 1990, Maroon et al. published the first microsurgical approach to far lateral disc herniations in the lumbar spine and in 2007, they published the case of Golfer's Stroke from Vertebral Artery Dissection.
Further groundbreaking publications include the use of fish oil as an anti-inflammatory and alternative to nonsteroidal drugs for discogenic pain (2006); a unifying, immunoexcitotoxicity hypothesis for chronic traumatic encephalopathy (2011); and the possible use of a restricted calorie ketogenic diet for the treatment of glioblastoma
Glioblastoma, previously known as glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), is one of the most aggressive types of cancer that begin within the brain. Initially, signs and symptoms of glioblastoma are nonspecific. They may include headaches, personality ch ...
multiforme (2013).
Sports medicine, concussion and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)
Maroon is the team neurosurgeon for the Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
and the medical director of WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...
. He is past-President of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons
The Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) is a professional association representing neurosurgeons, neurosurgical residents, medical students, and allied health professionals.
History
World War II produced a dramatic change in the world of ne ...
.
Together with neuropsychologist
Neuropsychology is a branch of psychology concerned with how a person's cognition and behavior are related to the brain and the rest of the nervous system. Professionals in this branch of psychology often focus on how injuries or illnesses of t ...
Mark Lovell, Maroon developed ImPACT (Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing), a test to assess presence and severity of concussion symptoms. This has become the standard tool to assess sports-related concussions.
Maroon is interested in the prevention and treatment of concussion
A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include loss of consciousness (LOC); memory loss; headaches; difficulty with thinking, concentration, ...
s, specifically in football. In 2006, he joined the National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
’s mild Traumatic Brain Injury Committee, which, in 2007, was renamed the Head, Neck and Spine Committee. He has been consulted as expert by American media on this subject.
Based on his research into the predictors and scope of chronic traumatic encephalopathy
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disease linked to repeated trauma to the head. The encephalopathy symptoms can include behavioral problems, mood problems, and problems with thinking. The disease often gets worse o ...
(CTE), he claims there is reason to be skeptical of the reported widespread incidence of CTE. His position has mostly been met with negative comment across the media and sports press due to the NFL having as many as 4500 former players reporting symptoms of CTE.
Maroon was asked to testify to the New York City Council on a proposed rule on sideline medical coverage for organized youth football in the city. Together with Russell Blaylock, he developed an inflammation hypothesis for the biochemical mechanisms involved in the development of CTE following head trauma. In the 2015 movie ''Concussion'', which "examines how American football players suffer from major head injuries and life-long debilitating problems as a result of repeated concussions, and efforts by the National Football League to deny it", Maroon was played by actor Arliss Howard
Leslie Richard "Arliss" Howard (born October 18, 1954) is an American actor, screenwriter, and film director. He is known for his roles in the films ''Full Metal Jacket'' (1987), '' Tequila Sunrise'' (1988), '' The Lost World: Jurassic Park'' (19 ...
. In the movie, Maroon is being portrayed as an NFL-biased doctor who tries to deny any relationship between football concussions and the brain pathology which Dr. Bennet Omalu
Bennet Ifeakandu Omalu (born September 30, 1968["About Bennet Omalu"](_blank)
, B ...
found and attributed to CTE. Since the release of the movie, several people came forward in defense of Maroon, stating that his portrayal in the movie is sensationalized and incorrect.
Burnout prevention and balancing life
After his personal experience with burnout at the peak of his medical career, Maroon developed a strong interest in burnout prevention and living a more balanced life. He conducted extensive research into burnout, burnout prevention, and what constitutes a healthy, balanced and successful life, outside of a professional career. Maroon has given keynote presentations on this subject matter at national and international conferences. In 2017, he published the book ''Square One: A Simple Guide to a Balanced Life.''[https://www.maroonsquareone.com/]
Publications
Maroon has published over 270 peer-reviewed scientific articles, some of which may be found in the United States National Library of Medicine
The United States National Library of Medicine (NLM), operated by the United States federal government, is the world's largest medical library.
Located in Bethesda, Maryland, the NLM is an institute within the National Institutes of Health. Its ...
's publication database; his H-index
The ''h''-index is an author-level metric that measures both the productivity and citation impact of the publications, initially used for an individual scientist or scholar. The ''h''-index correlates with obvious success indicators such as winn ...
, a measure of scientific research impact, is 43.
Books
''Square One: A Simple Guide to a Balanced Life'' Maroon J, Kennedy C. (2017)
''The Longevity Factor: How Resveratrol and Red Wine Activate Genes for a longer and Healthier Life'' Maroon JC. (2008) (made into a PBS Special)
''Fish Oil: The Natural Anti-Inflammatory'' Maroon JC, Bost J. (2006)
''Practice Diagnosis and Management of Orbital Disease'' Kennerdell JS, Cockerham KP, Maroon JC, Rothfus WE. (2001)
''What You Can Do About Cancer''. Maroon JC. (1969) Doubleday& Co., New York, 185 pp. (English, Italian, German and French translations).
Athletic career
Maroon has competed in 8 Ironman Triathlon
An Ironman Triathlon is one of a series of long-distance triathlon races organized by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC), consisting of a swim, a bicycle ride and a marathon run completed in that order, a total of . It is widely consider ...
s (Hawaii – 1993, 2003, 2008, 2010, 2013; Canada – 1995; New Zealand – 1997; Germany – 2000) and is to this day an active triathlon athlete. Dr. Maroon was inducted into the Lou Holtz Upper Ohio Valley Hall of Fame in 1999, the Western Chapter of the in 2009 and in 2010 also to the National Fitness Hall of Fame
National Fitness Hall of Fame is an American hall of fame for notable fitness professionals. It includes notable figures involved in fitness instruction, training, education, fitness management and product development. The mission is to recognize ...
in Chicago.[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article Joseph Maroon Hall of Fame April 21, 2010 Retrieved October 27, 2014](_blank)
/ref> For 2016, in the global ranking of Ironman athletes, Maroon ranks in 4th place in his age group.
References
External links
Articles authored/co-authored by Marron
in the United States National Library of Medicine
The United States National Library of Medicine (NLM), operated by the United States federal government, is the world's largest medical library.
Located in Bethesda, Maryland, the NLM is an institute within the National Institutes of Health. Its ...
database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maroon, Joseph
1940 births
Living people
American neurosurgeons
American male triathletes
Indiana University School of Medicine alumni
Pittsburgh Steelers personnel
Physicians from West Virginia
University of Pittsburgh faculty
Writers from Wheeling, West Virginia