Research Summary

Steven Hetts, MD, is an Associate Professor of Radiology in Residence at the University of California, San Francisco, and he is Chief of Neuroradiology at the San Francisco General Hospital where he has established a new clinical Interventional Neuroradiology service, providing cutting edge minimally invasive endovascular therapy. Dr. Hetts received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts in 2000, and completed a residency in Diagnostic Radiology at UCSF, followed by a fellowship in Diagnostic Neuroradiology and Interventional Neuroradiology from UCSF.

Dr. Hetts is involved in translational research as Co-Director of the Interventional Radiology Laboratory at China Basin, including the conception, performance, and management of research projects translating basic science and engineering research into clinical applicability. One of his projects is Magnetic Catheter Navigation and Microinfarction Evaluation in the Brain and Heart. Dr. Hetts also implements many clinical research projects involving retrospective and prospective patient data. The main focus of his clinical research is endovascular therapy for cerebrovascular disease, spinal vascular disease, and neurooncology.

Research Funding

  • September 23, 2021 - June 30, 2022 - Endovascular ChemoFilter to Reduce Doxorubicin Toxicity during Intra-Arterial Chemotherapy , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R42CA265316
  • August 1, 2011 - March 31, 2022 - Endovascular Interventional MRI: Optimizing Tools and Techniques at 3T , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01EB012031
  • June 1, 2015 - May 31, 2021 - Endovascular Chemofiltration: Optimizing Removal of Chemotherapeutics and Nanoparticles from the Blood to Reduce Toxicity , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01CA194533
  • February 1, 2016 - January 31, 2019 - Improved sensitivity and safety for endovascular MR imaging at 3T , Co-Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R21EB020283

Education

Harvard College, Boston, MA, AB summa cum laude, 06/1996, Biology
Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, MD, 06/2000, Medicine
Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, CA, Internship, 06/2001, Internal Medicine
UCSF Medical Center, San Francisco, CA, Residency, 06/2005, Diagnostic Radiology
UCSF Medical Center, San Francisco, CA, Fellowship, 06/2006, Diagnostic Neuroradiology
UCSF Medical Center, San Francisco, CA, Fellowship, 02/2008, Interventional Neuroradiology

Honors & Awards

  • 1992
    United States Presidential Scholar, highest academic honor for US high school students
  • 1993-1996
    John Harvard Scholarship and Dean’s List, Harvard College
  • 1995
    Phi Beta Kappa, elected in Senior 45, Harvard College
  • 1996
    Biology Undergraduate Honors Thesis, summa cum laude
  • 1997
    Finalist, Rhodes Scholarship, California Nominee to Region VIII Competition
  • 1999
    Aesculapian Club, Harvard Medical School
  • 2001
    Nominee, Resident Teaching Award, Department of Internal Medicine, Stanford Hospital
  • 2002, 2003
    Margulis Society Radiology Resident Research Award
  • 2003
    American Roentgen Ray Society Introduction to Research Program
  • 2004
    International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine Amersham Fellowship
  • 2004
    American Society of Pediatric Neuroradiology Annual Research Award
  • 2005
    Executive Council Award, Residents in Radiology Competition, American Roentgen Ray Society
  • 2010, 2011
    American Society of Neuroradiology, Neuroradiology Research and Education Foundation Scholar Award in Neuroradiology Research
  • 2012
    Visiting Professor, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
  • 2015
    Nominee, QB3 Award for Startup of the Year, ChemoFilter
  • 2015
    Fellow, Rosenman Institute, UCSF

Selected Publications

  1. Narsinh KH, Young C, Chen SR, Ansari SA, Kan P, Hetts SW. Neurointerventional oncology: the new frontier. J Neurointerv Surg. 2025 Jan 29.  View on PubMed
  2. Isikbay M, Caton MT, Mattay R, Han W, Cooke DL, Raper D, Winkler EA, Savastano L, Narsinh KH, Hetts SW, Amans MR. Arteriovenous shunts of the cervical spine: patient demographics, presentation, patterns of high-risk venous drainage, and updated classification. J Neurointerv Surg. 2025 Jan 25.  View on PubMed
  3. Shah BR, Tanabe J, Jordan JE, Kern D, Harward SC, Feltrin FS, O'Suilliebhain P, Sharma VD, Maldjian JA, Boutet A, Mattay R, Sugrue LP, Narsinh K, Hetts S, Shah LM, Druzgal J, Lehman VT, Lee K, Khanpara S, Lad S, Kaufmann TJ. State of Practice on Transcranial MR-Guided Focused Ultrasound: A Report from the ASNR Standards and Guidelines Committee and ACR Commission on Neuroradiology Workgroup. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2025 Jan 08; 46(1):2-10.  View on PubMed
  4. Beslow LA, Kim H, Hetts SW, Ratjen F, Clancy MS, Gossage JR, Faughnan ME. Brain and lung arteriovenous malformation rescreening practices for children and adults with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia. Orphanet J Rare Dis. 2024 Nov 09; 19(1):421.  View on PubMed
  5. Hanel RA, Cortez GM, Jankowitz BT, Sauvageau E, Aghaebrahim A, Lin E, Jadhav AP, Gross B, Khaldi A, Gupta R, Frei D, Loy D, Price LL, Hetts SW, Zaidat OO, ATLAS Investigators. Anterior circulation location-specific results for stent-assisted coiling - carotid versus distal aneurysms: 1-year outcomes from the Neuroform Atlas Stent Pivotal Trial. J Neurointerv Surg. 2024 Oct 14; 16(11):1125-1130.  View on PubMed
  6. Beslow LA, White AJ, Krings T, Hammill AM, Lang SS, Baba A, Clancy MS, Olitsky SE, Hetts SW. Current Practice: Rationale for Screening Children with Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia for Brain Vascular Malformations. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2024 Sep 09; 45(9):1177-1184.  View on PubMed
  7. Chen JS, Caldwell DJ, Falcone JA, Dalle Ore C, Sankaranarayanan V, Liu F, Hetts SW, Ho WS, Gupta N. Timing of diffusion tensor imaging in the management of a ruptured pediatric arteriovenous malformation: illustrative case. J Neurosurg Case Lessons. 2024 Aug 19; 8(8).  View on PubMed
  8. Alyafaie A, Han W, Li Y, Vydro SA, Vella M, Truong TL, Park L, Langston D, Kim H, Conrad MB, Hetts SW. Arterial Spin-Labeling MR Imaging in the Detection of Intracranial Arteriovenous Malformations in Patients with Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2024 Aug 09; 45(8):1019-1024.  View on PubMed
  9. Heit JJ, Chaudhary N, Mascitelli JR, Al-Kawaz M, Baker A, Bulsara KR, Burkhardt JK, Marden FA, Raper D, Tjoumakaris SI, Schirmer CM, Hetts SW, SNIS Standards and Guidelines Committee, SNIS Board of Directors. Focused update to guidelines for endovascular therapy for emergent large vessel occlusion: basilar artery occlusion patients. J Neurointerv Surg. 2024 Jul 16; 16(8):752-755.  View on PubMed
  10. Beslow LA, Vossough A, Kim H, Nelson J, Lawton MT, Pollak J, Lin DDM, Ratjen F, Hammill AM, Hetts SW, Gossage JR, Whitehead KJ, Faughnan ME, Krings T, Brain Vascular Malformation Consortium HHT Investigator Group. Brain AVM compactness score in children with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia. Childs Nerv Syst. 2024 Jul; 40(7):2101-2108.  View on PubMed
  11. Beslow LA, Krings T, Kim H, Hetts SW, Lawton MT, Ratjen F, Whitehead KJ, Gossage JR, McCulloch CE, Clancy M, Bagheri N, Faughnan ME, Brain Vascular Malformation Consortium HHT Investigator Group. De Novo Brain Vascular Malformations in Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia. Pediatr Neurol. 2024 Jun; 155:120-125.  View on PubMed
  12. Al-Mufti F, Marden FA, Burkhardt JK, Raper D, Schirmer CM, Baker A, Chen PR, Bulsara KR, Narsinh KH, Amans MR, Cooper J, Yaghi S, Al-Kawaz M, Hetts SW, SNIS Standards and Guidelines Committee, SNIS Board of Directors. Endovascular therapy for anterior circulation emergent large vessel occlusion stroke in patients with large ischemic cores: a report of the SNIS Standards and Guidelines Committee. J Neurointerv Surg. 2024 Feb 23.  View on PubMed
  13. Hetts SW, Al-Mufti F, Dabus G, Fifi JT, Mocco J, Jayaraman MV. Focused update to guidelines for endovascular therapy for emergent large vessel occlusion: large core and basilar artery occlusion patients. J Neurointerv Surg. 2024 Jan 12; 16(2):113-114.  View on PubMed
  14. Reynolds CD, Caton MT, Baker A, Smith ER, Amans MR, Cooke DL, Dowd CF, Higashida RT, Gupta N, Abla AA, Auguste K, Fox CH, Fullerton H, Hetts SW. Clarifying the clinical landscape of pediatric spinal arteriovenous shunts: an institutional experience and individual patient-data meta-analysis. J Neurointerv Surg. 2023 Dec 19; 16(1):94-100.  View on PubMed
  15. Baker A, Hemphill K, Smith ER, Cooke DL, Hetts SW, Amans MR, Higashida RT, Narsinh KH. Transvenous coil embolization of a Cognard V transverse-sigmoid sinus dural arteriovenous fistula. Interv Neuroradiol. 2023 Aug 08; 15910199231188257.  View on PubMed
  16. Cooke DL, Shen H, Duvvuri M, Thompson D, Neylan T, Wolfe W, Hetts S, Ovbiagele B, Whooley M, Cohen B. Association of select psychiatric disorders with incident brain aneurysm and subarachnoid hemorrhage among veterans. Front Integr Neurosci. 2023; 17:1207610.  View on PubMed
  17. Garcia JH, Carrete L, Rutledge WC, Raygor KP, Winkler EA, Pereira MP, Nelson J, Kim H, Cooke DL, Hetts SW, Lawton MT, Abla AA. Factors Associated with Unfavorable Clinical Presentations in Patients with Ruptured BrainArteriovenous Malformations. World Neurosurg. 2023 Oct; 178:e72-e78.  View on PubMed
  18. Yusuf HM, Rasheed A, Hetts S, Kim H, Loftus P, Conrad M. Exploring effects of atmospheric conditions in hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia. Int Forum Allergy Rhinol. 2023 Dec; 13(12):2172-2179.  View on PubMed
  19. Hoh BL, Ko NU, Amin-Hanjani S, Chou SH-Y, Cruz-Flores S, Dangayach NS, Derdeyn CP, Du R, Hänggi D, Hetts SW, Ifejika NL, Johnson R, Keigher KM, Leslie-Mazwi TM, Lucke-Wold B, Rabinstein AA, Robicsek SA, Stapleton CJ, Suarez JI, Tjoumakaris SI, Welch BG. 2023 Guideline for the Management of Patients With Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: A Guideline From the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. Stroke. 2023 07; 54(7):e314-e370.  View on PubMed
  20. Schirmer CM, Bulsara KR, Al-Mufti F, Haranhalli N, Thibault L, Hetts SW, SNIS Standards and Guidelines Committee. Antiplatelets and antithrombotics in neurointerventional procedures: Guideline update. J Neurointerv Surg. 2023 Nov; 15(11):1155-1162.  View on PubMed

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