David A. Larson, MD, PhD. Medical Director

Board certified in therapeutic radiology and recognized nationally and internationally for his work in stereotactic radiosurgery for the treatment of brain tumors, Dr. Larson serves as co-medical director of the Taylor McAdam Bell Neuroscience Institute’s Gamma Knife® Program.

Prior to opening his Fremont-based private practice and joining the medical community at Washington Hospital Healthcare System in 2007, Dr. Larson was Professor in Residence at the Departments of Radiation Oncology and Neurological Surgery at the University of California, San Francisco. He was also co-director of the university’s Gamma Knife Program, a position he held for 16 years. In addition, Dr. Larson was clinical chief of Long Hospital Radiation Oncology, co-director of the Cyberknife Spine Radiosurgery Program, director of the Cyberknife Body Radiosurgery Program and principal investigator of the Brain Tumor Research Center, all at UCSF.

In addition to his many years as a professor and mentor, Dr. Larson has led and or participated in numerous research protocols focusing on management of central nervous system and body tumors using the most advanced radiation therapy treatments. Dr. Larson has performed thousands of formal radiation oncology consultations.

Dr. Larson is active in numerous professional organizations and associations, speaking, moderating panels and participating on many task groups. He has been a consultant to U.S. agencies and corporations. He has published hundreds of medical journal and peer-reviewed articles and abstracts and has served as editor or peer reviewer for numerous publications in the fields of radiation oncology and neurosurgery.

Dr. Larson received his medical degree from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and performed his internship at the University of California, San Francisco and his residency training in radiation oncology at Harvard Medical School’s Joint Center for Radiation Therapy. He also holds a Ph.D in Experimental High Energy Physics from the University of Chicago.

About Washington hospital

Washington Hospital, located in Fremont, California, was the first hospital in the United States to treat patients using the new Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion™, a revolutionary alternative to traditional open-brain surgery and/or daily radiation treatments, which are administered from four to six weeks. The Gamma Knife Perfexion instead uses focused doses of radiation without making a single incision to treat malignant and benign brain tumors in a matter of hours.

Washington Hospital's Gamma Knife® Program is led by one of the most accomplished teams of specialized physicians, physicists and nurses. Medical Directors neurosurgeon Sandeep Kunwar, MD, and radiation oncologist David Larson, MD, PhD, are both nationally and internationally recognized for their expertise, innovation and leadership in the field of Gamma Knife radiosurgery. Both board certified physicians, together they have more than 23 years of experience performing thousands of successful procedures.