Yale Neurosurgery

Dr. King is Associate Professor of Neurosurgery, Director of Neurosurgical Outcomes Research, and Chief of Neurosurgery at the VA Connecticut Healthcare System. During his neurosurgery residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. King earned a Masters in Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Dr. King is certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery, and has a general neurosurgical practice at the VA with a focus on spine disease. Dr. King’s research interests include the measurement of patient-oriented outcomes and quality of life (QOL) in patients with neurologic disease, incorporating patient preferences into neurosurgical decision making, cost-effectiveness analyses, and using large databases to examine health care systems issues. Dr. King has obtained grant support from the National Institute of Neurologic Disorders and Stroke (QOL in patients with cerebral aneurysms), the National Cancer Institute (QOL in patients undergoing surgery for metastatic brain tumors), the Veterans Health Administration (QOL in patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy, and prevalence of cervical stenosis), and the AANS/CNS Joint Section on Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral Nerves (QOL in patients undergoing kyphoplasty). Dr. King was awarded a Lusted Prize at the 1993 Society for Medical Decision Making annual meeting, Blue and Red ribbon poster prizes at the Congress of Neurological Surgeons 2001 annual meeting, and the 2003 Sonntag Award by the American Association of Neurological Surgeons/ Congress of Neurosurgeons Joint Section on Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral Nerves. Dr. King has authored or coauthored 37 peer-reviewed publications, 5 book chapters, and 60 published abstracts.

Dr. King can be reached at 203-932-5711 x3541
or email to joseph.king@yale.edu or joseph.kingjr@va.gov

Professional Experience

2006-present
Chief, Section of Neurosurgery, Acute Care Service Line, VA Connecticut Healthcare System
2003-present
Staff Physician, Section of Neurosurgery, Acute Care Service Line, VA Connecticut Healthcare System
2003-present
Director, Neurosurgical Outcomes Research, Department of Neurosurgery, Yale University
Yale University School of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery
2003-present
Associate Professor of Neurosurgery, Department of Neurosurgery, Yale University
1998-2003
Staff Physician, Section of Neurosurgery, Surgical Service Line, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System
1998-2003
Asst. Professor of Neurological Surgery & Medicine, Dept. of Neurological Surgery, Univ. of Pittsburgh
1995-1998
Chief of Neurosurgery, Section of Neurosurgery, Surgical Service Line, Cleveland VA Medical Center
1995-1998
Asst. Professor of Neurological Surgery, Dept. of Neurological Surgery, Case Western Reserve Univ.
1989-1995
Neurosurgical Resident, Dept. of Neurological Surgery, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
1988-1989
Surgical Intern, Dept. of Neurological Surgery, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
Jun-Aug 1987
Research Assistant, Division of Neurosurgery Department of Surgery, Yale Univ. School of Medicine
Jun-Aug 1984
Research Assistant, Dept. of Anatomy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Jun-Aug 1983
Research Assistant, Dept. of Physiology, New York University School of Medicine

Education

1992-1995 University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA (MSCE), Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatistics
1988-1995 University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA (MD), Neurological Surgery
1983-1988 Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT (MD), Medicine
1979-1983 Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA (BS), Psychology

Honors and Awards

2003 Sonntag Award - American Association of Neurological Surgeons/ Congress of Neurosurgeons Joint Section on Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral Nerves
2001 Blue & Red Ribbon poster presentation prizes - Congress of Neurological Surgeons
1993 Lee B. Lusted Prize, 3rd Place - Society for Medical Decision Making
1983 Alpha Sigma Nu (National Jesuit Honor Society) - Boston College
1983 Honors Program Graduate - Boston College
1983 Scholar of the College - Boston College
1983 Phi Beta Kappa - Boston College

Professional Societies

1996 - present National Association of VA Physicians and Dentists
1995 - present American Association of Neurological Surgeons
1993 - present Congress of Neurological Surgeons
1990 - present Society for Medical Decision Making
1988 - present Physicians for Social Responsibility

Published Papers

1. King JT Jr, Lamotte CC. VIP-, SS-, and GABA-like immunoreactivity in the mid-hippocampal region of El (epileptic) and C57BL/6 mice. Brain Res 1988;475:192-197.
2. King JT Jr, Lamotte CC. El mouse as a model of focal epilepsy: a review. Epilepsia 1989;30(3)257-265.
3. Raps EC, Galetta SL, King JT Jr, Yachnis AT, Flamm ES. Isolated one and a half syndrome with pontine cavernous angioma: successful surgical removal. J Clin Neuro-Ophth 1990;10(4) 287-90.
4. King JT Jr, Galetta SL, Flamm ES. Relative afferent pupillary defect with normal vision in a glial brainstem tumor. Neurology 1991;41(6) 945-946.
5. King JT Jr, Berlin JA, Flamm ES. Morbidity and mortality from elective surgery for asymptomatic, unruptured, intracranial aneurysms: a meta-analysis. J Neurosurg 1994; 81(6): 837-842.
6. King JT Jr, Glick HA, Mason TJ, Flamm ES. Elective surgery for asymptomatic, unruptured, intracranial aneurysms: a cost-effectiveness analysis. J Neurosurg 1995; 83(3): 403-412.
7. Covinsky KE, King JT Jr, Quinn L, Siddique R, Palmer R, Kresevic D, Fortinsky RH, Lowal J, Landenfeld CS. Do acute care for elders units increase hospital costs?: a cost analysis using the hospital perspective. J Am Geriatr Soc 1997;45:729-734.
8. King JT Jr, Sperling MR, Justice AC, O'Connor MJ. A cost-effectiveness analysis of anterior temporal lobectomy for intractable temporal lobe epilepsy. J Neurosurg 1997; 87:20-28.
9. King JT Jr., Justice AC, Aron DC. Management of incidental pituitary microadenomas: a cost-effectiveness analysis. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1997; 82:3625-3632.
10. Lasner TM, Weil RJ, Riina HA, King JT Jr, Zager EL, Flamm ES. Cigarette smoking-induced increase in the risk of symptomatic vasospasm after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. J Neurosurg 1997;87:381-384.
11. Langer TM, Weil RJ, Riina HA, Zager EL, Flamm ES, King JT Jr. Cerebral arteriovenous malformations: risk of hemorrhage based on angiographic and clinical criteria. Neurosurg 1998;42:481-489.
12. Bellavia R, King JT Jr, Naheedy MH, Lewin JS. Percutaneous aspiration of an intradural/extradural thoracic arachnoid cyst: use of interventional MRI guidance. J Vasc Interv Radiol. 2000;11(3):369-72.
13. King JT Jr. How many neurosurgeons does it take to write a research article? Authorship proliferation in neurosurgical research. Neurosurg 2000; 47:435-440.
14. Weiner JI, King JT Jr, Moore JR, Lewin JS. The value of diffusion-weighted imaging for prediction of lasting deficit in acute stroke evaluation: an analysis of 134 patients with acute neurologic symptoms. Neuroradiology 2001; 43:435-441.
15. King JT Jr, Roberts MS. Validity and reliability of the SF-36 in cervical spondylotic myelopathy. J Neurosurg (2 Suppl) 2002; 97:180-185.
16. King JT Jr, Justice AC, Roberts MS, Chang CH, and Fusco JS for the CHORUS Program Team. Long-term HIV/AIDS survival estimation in the highly active antiretroviral therapy era. Med Decis Making 2003; 23:9-20.
17. King JT Jr, McGinnis KA, Roberts MS. Quality of life assessment with the SF-36 in patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy. Neurosurgery 2003; 52:113-121.
18. King JT Jr, Styn MA, Tsevat J, Roberts MS. "Perfect health" versus "disease-free": the impact of anchor point choice on the measurement of preferences and the calculation of disease-specific disutilities. Med Decis Making 2003; 23:212-225.
19. King JT Jr, Tsevat J, Moossy JJ, Roberts MS. Preference-based quality of life measurement in patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy. Spine 2004; 29:1271-1280.
20. King JT Jr, Tsevat J, Roberts MS. Positive association between current health and health values for hypothetical disease states. Med Decis Making 2004; 24:367-378.
21. Lee JY, Finkelstein S, Hamilton RL, Rekha R, King JT Jr,. Omalu B. Loss of heterozygosity analysis of benign, atypical, and anaplastic meningiomas. Neurosurgery. 2004; 55:1163-1173.
22. King JT Jr, Yonas H, Horowitz MB, Kassam AB, Roberts MS. A failure to communicate: vascular neurosurgeons and patients with aneurysms. J Neurol Neurosurg Psych 2005; 76:550-554.
23. King JT Jr, Horowitz MB, Kassam AB, Yonas H, Roberts MS. The SF-12 and the measurement of health status in patients with cerebral aneurysms: performance, validity, and reliability. J Neurosurg 2005; 102:489-494.
24. King JT Jr, Tsevat J, Roberts MS. Preference-based quality of life in patients with cerebral aneurysms. Stroke 2005; 36:303-309.
25. King JT Jr, Moossy JJ, Tsevat J, Roberts MS. Multi-modal assessment after surgery for cervical spondylotic myelopathy. J Neurosurg:Spine 2005; 2:526-534.
26. King JT Jr, Tsevat J, Lave JR, Roberts MS. Willingness to pay for a quality-adjusted life year: implications for societal health care resource allocation. Med Decis Making 2005; 25:667-677.
27. King JT Jr, Kassam AB, Yonas H, Horowitz MB, Roberts MS. Mental health, anxiety, and depression in patients with intracranial aneurysms. J Neurosurg 2005; 103:636-641.
28. King JT Jr, Carlier P, Marion DW. Early Glasgow outcome scores predict long-term functional outcomes in patients with severe traumatic brain injury. J Neurotrauma 2005; 22:947-954.
29. Stoffman MJ, Roberts MS, King JT Jr. Cervical spondylotic myelopathy, depression, and anxiety: a cohort analysis of 89 patients. Neurosurgery 2005;57:307-313.
30. Gerszten PC, Welch WC, King JT Jr. Quality of life assessment in patients undergoing nucleoplasty-based percutaneous discectomy. J Neurosurg Spine. 2006;4:36-42.
31. King JT Jr, Horowitz MB, Bissonette DB, Tsevat J, Roberts MS. What do patients with cerebral aneurysms know about their condition? Neurosurg 2006; 58:824-830.
32. King JT Jr, DiLuna ML, Cicchetti DV, Tsevat J, Roberts MS. Cognitive functioning in patients with cerebral aneurysms measured with the Mini Mental State Exam and the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status. Neurosurg 2006:59:803-810.
33. DiLuna M, King JT Jr, Knisely JPS, Chiang VL. Prognostic factors for survival after stereotaxic radiosurgery vary with the number of cerebral metastases. Cancer 2007:109:135-145.

Ongoing Research Support:

1R03 CA110927 King (PI) 2004 - 2007
NIH/NCI
Quality of Life in Patients with Brain Metastases
This study examines quality of life of patients with single brain metastases before and after surgical resection or stereotactic radiosurgery.
Role: Principal Investigator

2006 CERC Patient-Oriented Research Grant Rosenthal (PI) 2006 - 2007
West Haven VA Clinical Epidemiology Research Center (CERC)
Preoperative Glycemic Control and Infectious Postoperative Complications
This study uses National VA Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) data augmented with data from local electronic medical records to assess the association between long-term pre-operative glycemic control in diabetic patients and post-operative infections.
Role: Co-Investigator

1K23 NS02169 King (PI) 2000 - 2007
NIH/NINDS
The Optimal Management of Cerebral Aneurysms
This project is constructing a decision analytic and cost-effectiveness computer simulation model to evaluate the outcomes of neurosurgical decisions in patients with cerebral aneurysmal disease.
Role: Principal Investigator

2003 Sonntag Award
AANS/CNS Joint Section on Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral Nerves
Thoracic and Lumbar COMpression fracture treatment with kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty (TALCOM)
This study examines the outcomes of treating patients with symptomatic vertebral body compression fractures (VCFs) using percutaneous techniques to augment fractures with bone cement.
Role: Principal Investigator

2005 CERC Patient-Oriented Research Grant
West Haven VA Clinical Epidemiology Research Center (CERC)
Prevalence of Cervical Spondylosis and Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy in Veterans Under Care
The goal of this study is to measure the prevalence of cervical spondylosis and cervical spondylotic myelopathy in veterans under care and to quantify under-diagnosis in this patient population.
Role: Principal Investigator

0014 King (PI) 2000 - 2004
Veterans Administration VISN 4 Competitive Pilot Project Fund
Utility in Cervical Spinal Stenosis
This pilot research project measured veteran utilities and quality of life for cervical spondylotic myelopathy, a common consequence of cervical spinal stenosis.
Role: Principal Investigator