Walavan Sivakumar, MD

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About Dr. Sivakumar

Walavan Sivakumar, MD, FAANS, is a fellowship-trained and board-certified neurosurgeon specializing in complex cranial surgery, with particular expertise in minimally invasive and endoscopic techniques. He provides comprehensive care for tumors of the brain, skull base, and pituitary gland, as well as cerebrovascular conditions including cerebral aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations, and carotid artery disease. Dr. Sivakumar employs advanced microsurgical and endoscopic “keyhole” approaches designed to minimize disruption to healthy brain tissue and optimize patient recovery.

Dr. Sivakumar has authored over 60 peer-reviewed scientific publications, including work published in high-impact journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine and Clinical Cancer Research. He is a frequent local and national invited speaker and has received multiple awards for excellence in cranial surgery research and tumor biology from the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS), and the Rocky Mountain and Western Neurosurgical Societies. His current research focuses on enhanced recovery after cranial surgery, opioid-sparing perioperative pathways, and outcomes in skull base surgery. He has served on the Editorial Boards of the Journal of Neurosurgery and Frontiers in Surgery (Neurosurgery section).

Dr. Sivakumar has been recognized as a Castle Connolly Top Doctor, Los Angeles Top Doctor and Southern California Super Doctor, named one of Medscape’s 25 Rising Stars in Medicine, and selected for Becker’s Spine Review’s Top 10 Neurosurgeons Under 45 to Know (2023). In 2024, he received the Providence South Division Philanthropy Physician Champion Award in recognition of his leadership and commitment to advancing patient care and institutional growth.

Career Highlights

A Los Angeles native, Dr. Sivakumar completed his undergraduate education in Neuroscience at UCLA. He earned his medical degree with distinction from the University of Southern California, where he was elected to the Skull and Dagger All-University Honor Society and the Order of Arete, the highest honor bestowed upon a USC graduate student. During medical school, he served as student body president and was awarded the National Leadership Award by the American Medical Association.

Dr. Sivakumar completed his neurosurgical residency training at the University of Utah before returning to Southern California for fellowship training in Endoscopic Skull Base and Pituitary Surgery and Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery at the Saint John’s Cancer Institute in 2016 under the mentorship of Dr. Daniel Kelly.

At the national level, Dr. Sivakumar serves on the Executive Committees of the AANS/CNS Section on Tumors and immediate past chair of the Early Career Neurosurgeons Committee of the AANS. He is deeply committed to neurosurgical education and mentorship, having served on the national Liaison Committee on Medical Education and remaining actively involved in the Clinical and Neurosurgical Fellowship at the Saint John’s Cancer Institute.

For a consultation or second opinion, Dr. Sivakumar’s office staff may be reached at 424-212-5361.