Dr. Amin B. Kassam

One of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's most prominent and well-paid physicians has stepped down from his role as chairman of the department of neurological surgery.

Dr. Amin B. Kassam yesterday notified the University of Pittsburgh's School of Medicine of his decision. He will continue seeing patients at UPMC.

Dr. Kassam, 41, of Fox Chapel, had been on an unexplained leave of absence since last month.

UPMC spokesman Paul Wood said he could not provide any details about the leave but gave several reasons for Dr. Kassam's decision to step down from his academic role.

"He's doing so in order to devote more time to his entrepreneurial efforts to bring a state-of-the-art operating suite utilizing artificial intelligence in surgery to UPMC, teaching seminars for neurosurgeons around the world on his pioneering minimally invasive endoscopic surgical techniques, and serving patients through his highly successful international and national clinical practice," Mr. Wood said.

Dr. Kassam has become well-known for performing minimally invasive brain surgery by removing tumors through a patient's nose. He also operated on the late Pittsburgh Mayor Bob O'Connor, who died in office from a brain tumor in 2006.

Dr. Kassam joined Pitt's faculty in 1998 and became chairman in May 2007.

The department's interim chairman is Dr. Jonas Johnson, an otolaryngologist.