Dr Francisca Ferreira
Francisca Ferreira is an NIHR Academic Clinical Lecturer and Neurosurgeon at the University of Cambridge. She completed her PhD in Functional Neurosurgery and MSc in Medical Physics at University College London, focusing on advanced neuroimaging, neuromodulation and AI-powered surgical solutions. Her clinical and academic interests centre on precision functional neurosurgery, with a particular focus on deep brain stimulation for psychiatric and neurological disorders. She is also a Zinc-NIHR Fellow in Innovation in Healthcare.
Alongside her clinical and research commitments, Francisca is an elected Royal College of Surgeons of England Council Member, promoting the safe and evidence-based adoption of new technologies in surgery and advocating for more equitable training and research opportunities for women and minorities. She is committed to combating discrimination in surgical training, modernising surgical training to fit the reality of modern surgeons, and she is a passionate enthusiast of surgical innovation. When not at work, she enjoys reading, playing the piano, art and travelling.
Select publications
- Ferreira F, Akram H, Ashburner J, Zrinzo L, Zhang H, Lambert C. Ventralis intermedius nucleus anatomical variability assessment by MRI structural connectivity. Neuroimage. 2021 Sep;238:118231. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118231. Epub 2021 Jun 2.
- Goedemans T, Ferreira F, Wirth Thomas, Weerd Lonneke van der, Massey Flavia, Kruger Marie, Pakzad Ashkan, Foltynie Thomas, Limousin Patricia, Bot Maarten, Munckhof Pepijn van den, Schuurman P Rick, Zrinzo Ludvic, Akram Harith. FAT1 weighted MRI: diffusion meets anatomical imaging and application in thalamic surgery for tremor. Imaging Neuroscience.
- Cheema S, Ferreira F, Parras O, Lagrata S, Kamourieh, S, Pakzad A, Zrinzo L, Matharu M, Akram H. Association of clinical and neuroanatomical factors with response to ventral tegmental area DBS in chronic cluster headache. Neurology Oct 2023 doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000207750
- Wirth T, Ferreira F, Vijaratnam N, Girges Christine, Zrinzo L, Akram H, Limousin P, Foltynie T, Les caractéristiques du tremblement répondent différemment à la lévodopa et la stimulation cérébrale profonde du noyau sous-thalamique dans la maladie de Parkinson, Revue Neurologique, April 2023, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neurol.2023.01.063
- Cheema S, Parras O, Ferreira F, et al Long term outcomes of deep brain stimulation for treatment refractory chronic cluster headache and SUNHA Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry 2022;93:e2.
- Mathiopoulou V, Rijks N, Caan MWA, Liebrand LC, Ferreira F, de Bie RMA, van den Munckhof P, Schuurman PR, Bot M. Utilizing 7-Tesla Subthalamic Nucleus Connectivity in Deep Brain Stimulation for Parkinson Disease. Neuromodulation. 2023 Feb;26(2):333-339. doi: 10.1016/j.neurom.2022.01.003. Epub 2022 Feb 23.
- Wu C, Ferreira F, Fox M, Harel N, Hattangadi-Gluth J, Horn A, Jbabdi S, Kahan J, Oswal A, Sheth SA, Tie Y, Vakharia V, Zrinzo L, Akram H. Clinical applications of magnetic resonance imaging based functional and structural connectivity. Neuroimage. 2021 Dec 1;244:118649. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118649. Epub 2021 Oct 11.
- Ferreira F, Akram H, Connectomic DBS in Parkinson’s Disease, Essential Tremor and Dystonia. Connectomic Deep Brain Stimulation, Horn A editor, 1st ed., September 2021, Academic Press, ISBN: 9780128218617
Select awards
- 2026 – Academy of Medical Sciences Starter Grant for Clinical Lecturers
- 2024 – Best presentation at BSSFN 2024- British Society of Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery Annual Meeting
- 2020 – Brain Travel Award- Guarantors of Brain
- 2019 – Royal College of Surgeons of England Research Fellowship
Further links
College Council — Royal College of Surgeons
