Dr. Louis is Empower360 Endowed Chair for Skull Base and Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery and Director of the Skull Base and Pituitary Tumor Program at the Pickup Family Neurosciences Institute at Hoag Memorial Hospital. His expertise includes endoscopic and minimally invasive treatment of benign and malignant brain tumors and skull base tumors.
Since 2015, Dr. Louis has been involved with the development and implementation of Virtual and Augmented Reality technologies for pre-operative simulation and rehearsal and intraoperative navigation. The 3-D VR/AR platform is provided by Surgical Theater and was developed based on flight simulator technology from F-16 fighter jets. This technology allows the surgeons to literally rehearse complicated operations in virtual reality; affording them the opportunity to visualize critical anatomy and navigate potential pitfalls. The results are making the operations safer and more effective for patients. Under his guidance, the Pickup Family Neuroscience Institute has become the highest volume center for Augmented Reality in Neurosurgery in the United States and is now nationally ranked in the top 1% of all hospitals for Neurology and Neurosurgery.
Dr. Louis heads several projects to expand the applications of Extended Reality Technology in Neurosciences. These include: virtual reality based meditation to help nurses with workplace related stress and compassion fatigue, virtual reality applications for neuro rehab and VR based therapies for decreasing opiate consumption and addiction. Dr. Louis has authored more than 75 publications and 10 book chapters. His specialty is in coordinating uses of advanced technologies in neurosciences across the patient care continuum. Currently, as Director of XR Development, he is overseeing the widespread implementation of VR and AR across several institutes at Hoag including Neurosciences, Heart and Vascular, Cancer and Women’s Health.
Current role