Helen Shi, MD
Neurosurgeon
Sutter Medical Center
About
Dr. Helen Shi is a functional and epilepsy neurosurgeon at Sutter Medical Center in Sacramento, California, specializing in neuromodulation, deep brain stimulation (DBS), epilepsy surgery, and advanced stereotactic techniques. She completed seven years of neurosurgical residency training at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, followed by a fellowship in stereotactic and functional neurosurgery at Oregon Health & Science University, completed in July 2026. Her training has provided extensive experience in the surgical treatment of movement disorders, epilepsy, and other neurologic conditions amenable to neuromodulation.
Dr. Shi’s academic interests include DBS, stereotactic targeting and surgical accuracy, image-guided neurosurgery, and emerging technologies in functional and epilepsy surgery. Her research has included investigations of stereotactic accuracy, focused ultrasound thalamotomy, robotic stereoelectroencephalography (sEEG), and strategies to prevent sudden cessation of implantable pulse generators in patients undergoing DBS. Her prior work has also examined advanced MRI techniques for DBS targeting.
Her broader interests center on advancing safe, precise, and durable neuromodulation therapies and translating innovations in neurotechnology, imaging, and stereotactic surgery into improved patient outcomes. She remains actively involved in neurosurgical research, education, mentorship, and professional service.