Brian Vala Nahed, MD, MSC
Not currently accepting new patients
4.815385 average rating from 78 patient reviews
Specialties
Affiliation
Mass General Brigham
Provider Locations
- Boston, MA
Dr. Brian Nahed is Professor and Vice-Chair of Neurosurgery at the Massachusetts General Hospital / Mass General Brigham. Dr. Nahed is a brain tumor specialist and expert using intra-operative technology to ensure the best patient outcomes. He is an internationally recognized expert in brain mapping, awake surgery, language and motor mapping, subcortical stimulation, and minimally invasive procedures to treat brain tumors aggressively and safely. He has pioneered the use of intraoperative ultrasound to maximize patient outcomes and co- founded the international intraoperative ultrasound society which leads educational efforts in intraoperative imaging.
He completed his neurosurgery residency at the Massachusetts General Hospital, and a postdoctoral fellowship with Drs. Daniel Haber and Shyamala Maheswaran in the MGH Cancer Center. Dr. Brian Nahed was recruited to the MGH Department of Neurosurgery, MGH Brain Tumor Center, and Harvard Medical School in 2011. Dr. Nahed research was the first to develop a blood test to identify and capture circulating tumor cells in the blood of patients with glioblastoma. Together with Dr. Shannon Stott, Nahed runs an NIH funded laboratory developing the first blood test for patients with brain tumors. He has published over 250 peer-reviewed articles
Dr. Nahed serves as the Director of the Mass General Brigham Neurosurgery Residency Program which is the largest training program in the world spanning both the Mass General Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Boston Children’s Hospital. Nationally, he serves as the President-elect of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons and President of the CNS/AANS National Tumor Section. He co-founded and developed the CNS Leadership Institute designing leadership courses for junior, mid, and senior neurosurgeons training over 250 neurosurgeons internationally. He developed the CNS+ app, launched a chatbot, and is a leader in digital biomarkers for brain health. Dr. Nahed also serves as a lead neurotrauma consultant for the National Football League (NFL). Dr. Nahed offers same day virtual visits for patients.
Education & Training
- Fellowship: New England Baptist Hospital, Spine Surgery, 2012
- Residency: Massachusetts General Hospital, Neurosurgery, 2011
- Fellowship: Massachusetts General Hospital, Post Doctorate Fellowship - Cancer Center/Haber Lab, 2010
- Residency: Massachusetts General Hospital, General Surgery, 2006
- Medical Education: Yale University School of Medicine, 2005
Board Certifications
- Neurological Surgery, American Board of Neurological Surgery
Languages Spoken
- English
Age Group Treated
- Adults
Patient Feedback
4.815385 average rating from 78 reviews
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I am so grateful to Dr. Nahed! He is an amazing doctor and I get the feeling that he cares for me. He listens and is not rushed when talking to me. He explains what I don't understand. Thank God for him!
2026-09-02
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The Doctor provided the answers to my questions before I even asked. Very impressive.
2026-09-02
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Dr. Brian Nahed has ALWAYS been friendly, caring, understanding and professional. He is the most amazing and wonderful doctor/ surgeon that I have ever had. I have referred many people to Dr. Nahed since 2012. I greatly appreciate him as a person as well as a surgeon. He is the absolute BEST!!!
2026-09-02
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I was pleased with the results of my MRI testing and my provider explained everything to me.
2026-08-19
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I've been a patient of Dr. Nahed's for 10 years and I have always felt very safe and confident in everything that he has told me and he has a very good personality which makes speaking to a doctor a really good experience. I couldn't be happier.
2026-07-31
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I actually spoke with this doctor in a phone call as he was in surgery all day and called me at 8 o'clock at night and I was very appreciative of the phone call and the time that he spent with me
2026-07-22
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Thorough and easy to understand.
2026-07-18
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Dr. Nahed provided us positive feedback for my case and gave us much more confidence and emotional support. My wife was crying for two days after learned my diagnosis but felt much relieved after the initial visit with him. Looking forward to working with him and his team for the next step
2026-06-02
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Excellently explains things and answers questions very well.
2026-05-18
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Dr Nahed is an exceptional provider and I am very pleased with the operation that he performed on me [redacted]
2026-05-02
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I found him very honest and knowledgeable.
2026-04-29
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I really enjoyed the conversation, and I'm happy the Dr. Nahed will be taking care of me from now on.
2026-04-16
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Very professional. Clear explanation. Nurse practitioner was excellent.
2026-04-16
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Dr. Nahed is exceptional. Not only as a doctor where he is amazing but also as a human being with an passion for what he does and a care for his patients that goes beyond the norm. I can't tell you how BLESSED I am to have Doctor Brian Nahed as my Neurosurgeon.
2026-04-09
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Is very interested in patient's best care
2026-03-19
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Had a great appointment. He is truly relatable. Even got my bad joke.
2026-03-18
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Excellent caring and professionalism.
2026-02-18
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I appreciate how quickly Dr. Nahed reacted after seeing my scans and expressed a concern for me to have this surgery as quickly as possible. He explained things very thoroughly, even though this is a very scary situation. He kept me very well informed and answered any of my questions very well.
2026-02-09
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Hi, Dr. Brian was very easy to talk to. He fully understood my questions, answered all of them, and I look forward to seeing him tomorrow, not tomorrow, next week. Thank you.
2026-01-23
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Could not be happier, the were professional and have done an excellent job with everything
2025-12-26
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Dr. Brian Nahed was respectful and through throughout the duration of my appointment.
2025-12-24
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Dr. Nahed was very thoughtful, very caring, very sensitive to the experience I was going through, and I felt very heard, seen, and taken care of by him. And I'm extremely, extremely grateful for the work that he does. Thank you so much, Brian. I appreciate it.
2025-12-24
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Dr Nahed is an amazing Dr as well a person . He is exceptional in his field and has an amazing bedside manner. He is very compassionate, listens and easy to talk to. This world needs more drs like him!
2025-12-16
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Dr. Nyev was very professional and caring and I think he did a very good job. I felt very confident with his talk with me about my condition.
2025-12-12
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I had a second opinion with the dr. Nahed. He answered all my questions and getting the appointment was pretty quick.
2025-11-28
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Great experience, great doctor.
2025-11-28
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Dr. Nahed was excellent. He answered all my questions and made me feel less anxious out MRI results.
2025-11-25
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My experience with Dr. Nahed was 10 out of 10. He is educated, caring, timely, and very patient, and very knowledgeable. I would rate him 10 out of 10.
2025-11-28
Accepted Insurance
- Tufts Medicare Preferred
- Medicaid CT
- Wellpoint
- Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare
- Medicaid NH
- Coventry
- United Health Care
- Senior Whole Health
- Beech Street
- Mass General Brigham Health Plan
- Cigna
- Medicaid RI
- Medicaid VT
- TriCare
- Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
- Tufts Health Plan
- WellSense NH
- Blue Cross Blue Shield - Indemnity
- Fallon Health
- Medicare
- MassHealth
- Multiplan
- Blue Cross Blue Shield
- Humana
- Maine Community Health Options
- WellSense
- Railroad Medicare
- Medicaid ME
- Aetna
- Commonwealth Care Alliance