A medical imaging room with a large modern CT scan machine and a computer monitor displaying scan images.

About CNS

Led by Experience.
Guided by Purpose.

Commonwealth Neurovascular Specialists was founded on a straightforward conviction: Patients in community and regional hospital settings deserve the same standard of neurointerventional care available at the country's leading academic medical centers. CNS exists to make that possible.

A smiling man in a suit and light blue tie standing in front of a modern glass building.

founder

John R. Gaughen, Jr., MD

Dr. John Gaughen is a board-certified neuroradiologist with subspecialty certification in diagnostic neuroradiology and fellowship-level training in neurointerventional surgery. His clinical career has been defined by a commitment to the highest standards of technical and ethical practice, and by the belief that exceptional cerebrovascular care should not be a privilege of geography.

Trained entirely at the University of Virginia, Dr. Gaughen brings the rigor, depth, and standards of an academic medical program to every partnership he undertakes. He founded Commonwealth Neurovascular Specialists to create a vehicle through which that level of expertise could be reliably delivered to communities that need it most.

ABR Board Certified

ASNR Senior Member

CAQ Neuroradiology

SNIS Senior Member

Education & Training

Every aspect of Dr. Gaughen's training took place at the University of Virginia, one of the nation's premier academic medical institutions. This depth of immersion in a single, rigorous academic environment produced a clinician whose standards are shaped by the best practices of academic medicine and whose commitment to those standards is unwavering.

  • Undergraduate Education

    University of Virginia
    Charlottesville, VA

  • Medical Degree

    University of Virginia School of Medicine
    Charlottesville, VA

  • Residency

    Diagnostic Radiology
    University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA

  • Fellowship

    Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology
    University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA

Certification

Dr. Gaughen holds board certification in Diagnostic Radiology from the American Board of Radiology, as well as a Certificate of Advanced Qualification in Diagnostic Neuroradiology, reflecting subspecialty-level expertise that meets the highest standards of the field.

  • Board Certified

    Diagnostic Radiology
    American Board of Radiology (ABR)

  • Certificate of Advanced Qualification

    Diagnostic Neuroradiology
    American Board of Radiology (ABR)

Professional Memberships

Dr. Gaughen maintains active senior membership in the leading professional societies in neuroradiology and neurointerventional surgery, reflecting an ongoing commitment to the highest standards of the field and to the communities of practice that advance it.

  • ASNR, Senior Member

  • SNIS, Senior Member

  • American Heart Association

  • American College of Radiology

mission & vision

Why CNS Was Founded

The decision to found Commonwealth Neurovascular Specialists grew directly from Dr. Gaughen's experience witnessing the gap between the neurointerventional care available in academic settings and what patients in community hospitals could access. That gap has real consequences: delayed treatment, worse outcomes, and a lower standard of care for patients whose only disadvantage is where they live.

CNS was built to close that gap, one partnership at a time. Every hospital system that a CNS works with shares a commitment to the highest quality of patient care. Every provider who operates under the CNS model is held to the same technical and ethical standards that defined Dr. Gaughen's training at UVA.

  • Patient First

    Every decision, from partnership selection to provider standards, is filtered through a single question: is this best for the patient?

  • Technical Excellence

    CNS providers are held to fellowship-trained, academic-level standards of technical performance, without exception.

  • Ethical Integrity

    Partnerships, hiring, and clinical decisions are guided by the highest ethical standards in medicine.

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“Everything centers around patient care. We are looking for hospitals focused on the highest quality of management for their patients, and for providers who share that commitment without reservation.”
— Dr. John Gaughen, Founder

Partner With CNS

If your system is committed to delivering the highest standard of neurointerventional care to your patients, we would welcome the opportunity to discuss what a partnership could look like.

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