Chad Gordon, DO ’02, is redefining how neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, dementia, and brain cancer are treated. A neuroplastic surgeon, inventor, and entrepreneur, Dr. Gordon is the founder and executive chair of CraniUS Therapeutics, LLC, a Baltimore-based medical device company developing NeuroPASS™—the first skull-implantable drug delivery system designed to bypass the blood-brain barrier and deliver medicine directly to the brain.
Dr. Gordon’s journey in medicine has been far from conventional. As an undergraduate, he pursued a double major in art and pre-med sciences, a path discouraged by advisors. “I was told I’d never get into medical school,” he recalls. “But PCOM gave me a chance, and that changed the course of my life and is something for which I will be forever grateful.”
While he initially failed to match into plastic surgery, Dr. Gordon began his residency training in general surgery until several plastic surgery programs took notice. “Following a successful match, I proudly became the first DO plastic surgeon to train at the prestigious Cleveland Clinic,” says Dr. Gordon. There, he helped lead the first US facial transplant involving craniofacial bone—a global first.
He was soon recruited as a craniofacial fellow at Harvard MedicalSchool/Massachusetts General Hospital for a ninth year of training, where he worked closely with a group of neurosurgeons and gained deep experience in complex skull reconstruction. “I always dreamed of going to Harvard,” he recalled. “So, when they called and offered me the opportunity as their next craniofacial fellow, it was a no-brainer.” That experience inspired the creation of a new subspecialty, neuroplastic surgery, which focuses on helping patients return to society with confidence after brain surgery.
From there, he soon found himself at the hub of one of the top medical schools in the country – Johns Hopkins. ”I found myself going from assistant professor to full professor in a few short years,” he shared. While there, Dr. Gordon performs around 100 skull reconstructions annually. Through this work, he began working with implant developers to explore the question: “What if a skull implant could also deliver medication directly to the brain and bypass the blood-brain barrier?”
That question led to his founding of CraniUS Therapeutics, LLC, in 2021. Its flagship device, NeuroPASS™, is a fully-internal, implantable port that allows for precise, repeated drug delivery without external hardware. “When you swallow a pill or get an intravenous injection, only about 2-5% of that medicine reaches the brain,” Dr. Gordon explains. “NeuroPASS™ doesn’t change the medicine—it changes how we get it and where it needs to go.”
In a 2023 preclinical trial in Boston, Dr. Gordon implanted this device into a pig’s skull, then activated it remotely from Baltimore. “A week later, I returned and confirmed that the drug had spread across the brain like never before,” he says. “That’s when I knew it was real.”
Now in its final design phase, NeuroPASS™ is preparing for commercial launch. “We’re on the edge of something that could reshape the treatment landscape for decades and be platform technology aiding millions in need,” says Dr. Gordon.
In addition to founding CraniUS Therapeutics, LLC, he has launched several other FDA-approved skull implants focused on neuro-innovation and continues to push the boundaries at the intersection of surgery, technology, and patient care.
“It’s both surreal and humbling,” he says. “A DO, an art major, a plastic surgeon—not a brain surgeon—helping to change the way we treat brain diseases. But that’s the power of thinking differently.”
