Tomoko Tanaka, MD

Tomoko Tanaka, M.D. is a diplomate of the American Board of Neurosurgery and the American Board of Pediatric Neurosurgery, currently practicing at Arkansas Children's Hospital. She has a keen interest in neuro-immunology, particularly the role of the vagus nerve, one of the cranial nerves, in this field. Early in her career, Dr.Tanaka observed varying recovery outcomes among patients with similar spinal cord injuries. At the Arkansas Children's Research Institute, she developed a rat model protocol for spinal cord injury and compared recovery progress with and without vagus nerve stimulation. Her work was published in the Cureus Journal of Medical Science. Looking ahead, Dr. Tanaka plans to analyze flow cytometry and histopathology at varying frequencies and durations of stimulation.

Dr. Tanaka joined the Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery of the UAMS Department of Neurosurgery from the University of Missouri's School of Medicine. She was the Director of the Pediatric Neurosurgery Program. She earned her medical degree (with honors) and was valedictorian of her class at the Kitasato University School of Medicine. Dr. Tanaka completed residencies in neurosurgery at Kitasato University Hospital and Emory University Hospital and a fellowship in pediatric neurosurgery at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

Publications:

• My Bibliography
• Cureus

Medical Degree

• Kitasato University School of Medicine - 1993

Residency

• Emory University School of Medicine - 2011

Fellowship

• Cincinnati Children's - 2004