Dr. Andrew Fanous, MD, FAANS

Media Releases

Get to know Neurosurgeon Dr. Andrew Fanous, who serves patients in Virginia.

Dr. Fanous is a board-certified neurosurgeon who specializes in minimally invasive brain and spine surgery, complex/deformity spine surgery, and stereotactic radiosurgery. He is a part of the team of professionals at Inova Neurosurgery, seeing patients at the offices in Alexandria and Fairfax, Virginia.

Inova Neurology provides patients with the highest level of care relating to diagnostic, treatment, and research services for neurological and related disorders. Included within the practice are not only general neurologists but also specialists in clinical neurophysiology, concussion, electrodiagnostic medicine, electroencephalography, epilepsy, headache, memory disorders, muscular sclerosis (MS) and neuroimmunology, neuro-muscular, neuro-ophthalmology, neurophysiology, Parkinson’s and movement disorders, seizure disorders, sleep medicine, stroke, and vascular neurology.

With a special interest in the surgical treatment of brain and spine tumors, Dr. Fanous is currently the Section Chief of Neurological Surgery at Inova Alexandria Hospital. He is also affiliated with Inova Fairfax Hospital and Inova Mount Vernon Hospital.

Alongside his clinical role, he serves as an Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. 

A native of Alexandria, Egypt, Dr. Fanous graduated magna cum laude from Middlebury College, where he completed his undergraduate studies in molecular biology, biochemistry, and German literature with highest departmental honors. At that time, he investigated gene expression changes during neural progenitor cell differentiation at the Max-Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Germany. He received a fellowship grant at the Freie Universität for his work on the purification of a novel protein involved in pain transmission within the spinal cord. 

In 2011, Dr. Fanous completed his medical degree with a major in surgery from the University of Vermont College of Medicine. During medical school, he was the recipient of the 2008 College of Medicine Research Fellowship Grant for his work on reactive gliosis in mice following subarachnoid hemorrhage.

In 2017, he completed his residency in neurological surgery at the State University of New York at Buffalo. Furthering his training, he completed his fellowship in minimally invasive and complex spine surgery at Jackson Memorial Hospital in 2018.

With over a decade of experience, the doctor is board-certified through the American Board of Neurological Surgery (ABNS). The broad aim of the ABNS is to encourage the study, improve the practice, elevate the standards and advance the science of neurological surgery and thereby serve the cause of public health.

A Fellow of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (FAANS), Dr. Fanous is a member of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, the Neurosurgical Society of the Virginias, the Gold Humanism Honor Society, the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, the American Heart Association, the American Medical Association, the Christian Medical and Dental Associations, and the New York Society for Neurosurgery.

Neurosurgery is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, surgical treatment, and rehabilitation of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, and extra-cranial cerebrovascular system. Neurosurgeons are doctors who diagnose and treat problems with the nervous system, often by performing surgery on the brain or spine. They treat strokes, tumors, cervical and lumbar disc disease, infections, and head or spinal cord injuries.

Throughout his line of work, Dr. Fanous has authored multiple peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters on a variety of neurosurgical topics. 

Among his various awards and honors include: High Five Patient Recognition Award – INOVA Alexandria Hospital; World of Difference Award – INOVA Alexandria Hospital; Premedex Physician Recognition Award – INOVA Alexandria Hospital; Culture Leader of the Month Award – INOVA Alexandria Hospital; Award for Best Research Project – New York State Neurosurgical Society; Community Service Award – Association of American Medical Colleges; Louis A. & Ruth Siegel Award for Excellence in Teaching – SUNY at Buffalo; Resident of the Month – Women and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo; and Graduate Medical Education Quality Improvement Grant Award – SUNY at Buffalo.

In addition to English, Dr. Fanous is fluent in Spanish, Arabic, French, German, and Italian.

Recommended Articles

• What Is a Prefrontal Lobotomy?

  Lobotomy is a neurosurgical procedure invented in 1935 by a Portuguese neurologist named Moniz. Moniz won the Nobel Prize in 1949 for his achievement. It was believed that lobotomy was successful in the treatment of various psychological diseases like depression, bipolar disorders, mania,...

• What is a Transient Ischemic Attack?

  Also considered as a mini stroke, a transient ischemic attack (TIA) has symptoms similar to that of a stroke, but lasting only for a short period of time, without causing any permanent damage. TIA is often caused by the interruption of blood flow to the brain by a blood clot. Once the blood flow is...

• Recovery After a Laminectomy

  Laminectomy is a surgical procedure done for the removal of the lamina, bone spurs, and ligaments that may be putting pressure on your spinal nerves and causing lower back pain. The procedure is said to be one of the most commonly performed back surgeries. Below is a detailed information on what...

• What to Expect in Laminectomy and Spinal Fusion

  Decompressive laminectomy is done to release pressure exerted on the roots of the nerves found on the lower back. The condition is mostly brought by old age. There are, however, other reasons your surgeon may suggest surgery. These include herniated discs, traumas, and tumors. In case you are going...

• Scoliosis Pain: Treatment, Management, and Exercises

  Scoliosis is a serious condition that often occurs more in females than in males. The condition itself can be hard to diagnose at the start, which is why the healthcare professional will subject the patient to several tests, including asking them to touch their toes as well as to find out if their...

• Reasons Why You Need a Laminectomy

  What is laminectomy?If you have back pain that is severe enough to interfere with your day-to-day activities and other medications fail to work, you might eventually need surgery to get it fixed. Laminectomy is the surgical procedure that will be performed on your back in this case. It involves the...