Current Neurosurgery Residents & Alumni | NYU Langone Health

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Neurosurgery Residency Current Neurosurgery Residents & Alumni

Current Neurosurgery Residents & Alumni

The Department of Neurosurgery at NYU Langone is dedicated to training today’s residents to be the next generation of leading surgeons and researchers. Our current residents and recent alumni are listed below.

Current Residents

Sean Neifert, MD

Dr. Neifert was born and raised in Southern California. He attended the University of Southern California for his undergraduate education, during which he worked as an ER technician and campus EMT. He then matriculated to the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. During medical school, he was awarded a year-long research fellowship with the Department of Neurosurgery, studying drivers of cost and outcomes in spine, vascular, and trauma neurosurgery. His other academic interests lie in health services, healthcare policy and pricing, and quality improvement research. In his free time, he enjoys all things fitness related, cooking, trying new restaurants, and spending time with friends and family.

Email: sean.neifert@nyulangone.org

Hammad Khan, MD

Dr. Khan was born in Philadelphia and spent part of his childhood in Karachi, Pakistan. He graduated from the University of Michigan with Highest Honors in Neuroscience in 2017, where he studied the pleasure and reward systems of the brain in the laboratory of Kent Berridge, PhD. He received his medical degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in 2021, where he conducted research in the areas of deep brain stimulation, health policy, and patient outcomes in spine surgery. In his spare time, Dr. Khan enjoys reading, exploring new restaurants, following Philadelphia sports, and spending time with friends and family.

Email: hammad.khan@nyulangone.org

Nataniel Mandelberg, MD, PhD

Dr. Mandelberg was raised in Baltimore and attended Princeton University, obtaining a BA in molecular biology with a minor in biophysics. He completed his MD and PhD training as part of NYU Grossman School of Medicine’s Medical Scientist Training Program. As part of his PhD work, Dr. Mandelberg studied the molecular basis of neuronal plasticity with Richard Tsien, PhD, the Druckenmiller Professor of Neuroscience in the Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, and is dedicated to bringing neuroscientific insights to bear in the service of neurosurgical patients. Outside of the lab and the hospital, Dr. Mandelberg enjoys playing the cello, going to sporting events and concerts of all kinds, and spending time with his friends and family.

Email: nataniel.mandelberg@nyulangone.org

Travis Hill, MD

Dr. Hill grew up in Longmeadow, Massachusetts. He majored in psychology and completed his BS at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and graduated cum laude after being awarded multiple institutional grants and fellowships for his research. He then completed his PhD in neuroscience at the University of California, Davis, where he studied synapse formation. During his doctoral research, Dr. Hill decided to pursue a clinical career. He was an inaugural member of NYU School of Medicine’s accelerated curriculum and completed his medical degree in three years. Dr. Hill enjoys snowboarding, jogging, cycling, surfing, and spending time with friends and family.

Email: travis.hill@nyulangone.org

Kimberly Ashayeri, MD

Dr. Ashayeri was born and raised in Danbury, Connecticut. She completed undergraduate studies at Yale University, where she received a BA with distinction in history in 2012. Dr. Ashayeri went on to complete her medical degree at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where she graduated with distinction in research in 2016. Dr. Ashayeri enjoys community service and spending time with family and friends.

Email: kimberly.ashayeri2@nyulangone.org

Roee Ber, MD

Dr. Ber was born and raised in Hertzelya, a small suburb of Tel Aviv in Israel. He obtained his BSC in physics cum laude from Tel Aviv University and his MD magna cum laude from Sackler School of Medicine at Tel Aviv University. Dr. Ber’s research focuses on volumetry of brain structures in fetal MRI and endoscopic third ventriculostomy in neurofibromatosis patients. He is married with two daughters and enjoys being with his family, traveling, and spending time with friends.

Email: roee.ber@nyulangone.org

Dennis London, MD

Dr. London grew up in New Jersey and graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University with a BA in molecular biology with certificates in quantitative computational neuroscience and in biophysics. At Princeton, Dr. London studied the neural basis of decision-making in animal models in the lab of Dr. Carlos Brody. He then completed the accelerated three-year MD program at NYU School of Medicine and is a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. At NYU School of Medicine, Dr. London worked with Dr. Alon Mogilner to study how deep brain stimulation affects decision making in Parkinson’s disease, and works with Dr. Werner K. Doyle to study the electrophysiologic predictors of seizure freedom in epilepsy surgery. In his free time, Dr. London enjoys skiing, hiking, and spending time with friends and family.

Email: dennis.london@nyulangone.org

Yosef Dastagirzada, MD

Dr. Dastagirzada was born and raised in Queens. He received his BS from the CUNY School of Medicine/Sophie Davis Biomedical Education Program’s accelerated seven-year medical program, graduating summa cum laude. Dr. Dastagirzada completed his final two years of medical school at NYU School of Medicine, where he was introduced to neurosurgery. His interest was sparked by observing Dr. Jeffrey H. Wisoff in the operating room and has continued research projects on Chiari malformation, optic pathway glioma, and spinal cord glioma. His interests include pediatric neurosurgery, skull base tumors, and global neurosurgery. He enjoys traveling, running, spending time with family and friends, volleyball, and tennis.

Email: yosef.dastagirzada@nyulangone.org

Rogelio Esparza, MD

Dr. Esparza is from Los Angeles. He attended Princeton University, where he majored in molecular biology and received a certificate in neuroscience. He attended Stanford University for medical school where he helped develop immunotherapeutics for the treatment of primary central nervous system tumors. In his spare time, Dr. Esparza enjoys hiking, traveling, and spending time with friends and family.

Email: rogelio.esparza@nyulangone.org

Austin Feng, MD

Dr. Feng was born and raised in Maryland. He graduated summa cum laude from the University of Maryland, College Park in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in physiology and neurobiology and completed a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Undergraduate Research Fellowship with Dr. Silvia Muro to investigate molecular transport mechanisms. During college, Dr. Feng also worked with Dr. Thomas Reese at the National Institute of Neurological Disease and Stroke on neuronal scaffold proteins. He graduated from Stanford University School of Medicine in 2022. For his research, Dr. Feng worked on both wet lab and clinical projects with Dr. Casey Halpern to investigate neuromodulation for neuropsychiatric conditions and was funded by an NIH T32 training grant. In his free time, he enjoys cooking, going to new restaurants, watching Broadway, and spending me with friends and family.

Email: austin.feng@nyulangone.org

Nora Kim, MD

Dr. Kim was born in Atlanta and raised in Seoul, South Korea, and Vancouver, Canada. She graduated from Dartmouth College in 2012 with a BA in neuroscience with honors, and sociology, where she also completed a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Fellowship focusing on bioinformatics in ALS. She spent two years studying Parkinson’s disease in the lab of Dr. Dennis Selkoe at Brigham and Women’s Hospital before attending and graduating from Rush Medical College in Chicago in 2018. In medical school, she worked with Dr. Richard Byrne to study intraoperative brain mapping and was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society. In her spare time, Dr. Kim enjoys playing piano and violin, running, trying new restaurants, collecting passport stamps, and spending time with family and friends.

Email: nora.kim@nyulangone.org

David Kurland, MD

Dr. Kurland was born and raised in Baltimore, and is the first member of his family to become a physician. He attended Washington University in St. Louis and graduated with a BA in biochemistry. Before medical school, Dr. Kurland worked at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under Dr. William Gahl, the clinical director of the National Human Genome Research Institute. While at the NIH, Dr. Kurland was present for the inception of the Undiagnosed Diseases Program, which further spurred his interest in bench-to-bedside discoveries. In his free time, Dr. Kurland enjoys spending time with family and friends, running, cooking, reading, and traveling.

Email: david.kurland@nyulangone.org

Zane Schnurman, MD

Dr. Schnurman was born and raised in Dallas. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a BA in biology and concentration in molecular biology. He received his medical degree from NYU School of Medicine and is a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society. He also received his MBA from NYU Stern School of Business. In additional to clinical research, he previously worked on projects focused on improving patient outcomes through organizational systems, exploring intervention costs, and better characterizing neurosurgical innovation. Dr. Schnurman enjoys traveling, reading, and spending time with friends and family.

Email: zane.schnurman@nyulangone.org

Albert Liu, MD

Dr. Liu was born and raised in Miami, FL. He graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor of science degree from the University of Miami, where he studied neuroscience, philosophy, and piano performance. There, he worked under Derek M. Dykxhoorn, PhD, using induced pluripotent stem cells to model neurodegenerative diseases. He went on to attend NYU School of Medicine, where he graduated from the accelerated three-year MD program. At NYU Langone, he completed a Rudin Fellowship while working with Alon Mogilner, MD, PhD, Michael H. Pourfar, MD, and Ariane K. Lewis, MD, on the ethics of neuromodulation. The patient population, outstanding academics, and phenomenal faculty attracted Dr. Liu to NYU Langone’s neurosurgery residency program. He enjoys spending time with family and friends, playing piano, blind tasting, movies, and traveling.

Email: albert.liu@nyulangone.org

Christopher Livia, MD, PhD

Dr. Livia was born and raised in Miami, Florida. He graduated summa cum laude from Florida International University with a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences with honors. While an undergraduate, he was an MBRS-RISE research fellow and worked within the International Forensic Research Institute studying biodiversity and genetic fingerprinting of soil microbes for forensic applications. Prior to medical school, he spent two years as an NIH PREP Scholar in the lab of Dr. Eric Poeschla working on HIV based lentiviral vectors for gene therapy. He graduated from the MD/PhD program at Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine and completed his thesis with Dr. Atta Behfar focused on exosome-based regenerative therapeutics for cardiac ischemia. In his free time, Dr. Livia enjoys catching up with friends and family, soccer, volleyball, hockey, camping, and cycling.

Email: christopher.livia@nyulangone.org

Cordelia Orillac, MD

Dr. Orillac is a Panamanian American born in Connecticut and raised in Paris and Abu Dhabi, UAE. She graduated from Princeton University in 2015 with an bachelor’s degree in chemistry with honors. Dr. Orillac attended NYU School of Medicine and was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha honor society. During medical school, she conducted clinical research in the Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery and served as student body president. In her free time, Dr. Orillac enjoys watching the Mets, traveling, baking, and spending time with her friends and family.

Email: cordelia.orillac@nyulangone.org

James Ryoo, MD

Dr. Ryoo was raised in New Jersey and Daejeon, South Korea. He graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in molecular and cellular biology. After graduation, he spent two years working as a CNA at Carle Hospital in Urbana, Illinois. Dr. Ryoo then attended the University of Illinois at Chicago for medical school and was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society. During medical school, Dr. Ryoo developed a ventricular shunt design with a retractable mesh aimed to prevent shunt obstruction and led a provisional patent for his idea. In his spare me, Dr. Ryoo enjoys boxing, building Lego sets, playing video games, and spending time with his wife.

Email: james.ryoo@nyulangone.org

Akshay Save, MD

Dr. Save was born in India and grew up in central Florida. He was an undergraduate at Duke University, where he graduated magna cum laude with degrees in mathematics and chemistry. He then attended Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and conducted research on applied machine learning in radiogenomic modeling of recurrent high-grade gliomas. In his spare time, Dr. Save likes to play squash, spend time with friends, and try new restaurants around the city.

Email: akshay.save@nyulangone.org

Carter Suryadevara, MD

Dr. Suryadevara was raised in Queens, NY. He attended the Bronx High School of Science and completed his undergraduate studies in biology and neuroscience at Duke University. While at Duke, he pursued his doctoral degree in the Brain Tumor Immunotherapy Program under John H. Sampson, MD, PhD, the former chairman of Duke’s Department of Neurosurgery. Dr. Suryadevara spearheaded the bench-to-bedside translation of a novel tumor-specific adoptive cell therapy for glioblastoma, currently under investigation in two National Institutes of Health–funded clinical trials. After earning his PhD, he completed the accelerated three-year MD program at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. In his spare time, Dr. Suryadevara enjoys spending time with family and friends, watching Duke basketball, and trying to root for the Knicks.

Email: carter.suryadevara@nyulangone.org

Hannah Weiss, MD

Dr. Weiss spent her childhood in the woods in a small town in northern Wisconsin. She attended Northwestern University for college. After graduating she took a year off to learn more about the world, traveling and trekking in India and Nepal and volunteering in a national park in Patagonia. She returned to Northwestern University for medical school. She discovered her interest in neurosurgery and took an additional year to dedicate to research and exploring the field. She worked on quality improvement and patient outcomes projects in addition to applications of innovative technology to improve understanding of neurosurgical diseases, anatomy, and access to care. She has strong interest in global surgery and expanding access to neurosurgical care in low-income countries. She enjoys the outdoors, running, reading, playing cello, comedy, and having fun with family and friends.

Email: hannah.weiss@nyulangone.org

Notable Resident Alumni

Following is a list of past NYU Grossman School of Medicine neurosurgical trainees who currently hold academic appointments.

1975

Eugene S. Flamm, MD
Chair, Department of Neurological Surgery, Montefiore Medical Center

1976

Paul R. Cooper, MD
Professor Emeritus of Neurosurgery, NYU Grossman School of Medicine

Kalmon D. Post, MD
Professor of Neurosurgery, Mount Sinai School of Medicine

1979

Maxim Koslow, MD
Emeritus Professor, Chief of Bellevue Neurosurgery

1986

Jeffrey H. Wisoff, MD
Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery
Professor of Neurosurgery and Pediatrics, NYU Grossman School of Medicine

Michael H. Handler, MD
Associate Professor of Pediatric Neurosurgery, University of Colorado School of Medicine

1988

Alan R. Cohen, MD
Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University

1990

Ronald E. Warnick, MD
Director of the Brain Tumor Center and Associate Professor of Neurosurgery, University of Cincinnati School of Medicine

1991

Noel I. Perin, MD
Director of Minimally Invasive Spinal Surgery
Associate Professor of Neurosurgery, NYU Grossman School of Medicine

1992

Werner K. Doyle, MD
Associate Professor of Neurosurgery, NYU Grossman School of Medicine

1995

Mark M. Souweidane, MD
Director of Pediatric Neurological Surgery, Vice Chair of the Department of Neurological Surgery, and Professor of Neurosurgery, Weill Cornell Medical College

1996

Frederick Lang Jr., MD
Director of Clinical Research and Professor, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

1997

Howard L. Weiner, MD
Chief of Neurosurgery, Texas Children’s Hospital
Vice Chair, Baylor College Department of Neurosurgery

Paul P. Huang, MD
Director of Neurosurgery, NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue
Associate Professor of Neurosurgery, NYU Grossman School of Medicine

1998

Ali Rezai, MD
Director, Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute
Professor of Neurosurgery, West Virginia University

1999

George Jallo, MD
Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, St. Petersburg, Florida

Bennie W. Chiles, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery, NYU Grossman School of Medicine

2000

Anthony K. Frempong-Boadu, MD
Director of Spinal Surgery
Associate Professor of Neurosurgery, NYU Grossman School of Medicine

2001

Jeffrey Weinberg, MD
Associate Professor of Neurosurgery, Baylor University College of Medicine and MD Anderson Cancer Center

2002

Alon Mogilner, MD, PhD
Director of Neuromodulation
Associate Professor of Neurosurgery, NYU Grossman School of Medicine

2007

Stephen Russell, MD
Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery, NYU Grossman School of Medicine

2011

Robert Bollo, MD
Assistant Professor of Pediatric Neurosurgery, University of Utah

2013

Stephen Kalhorn, MD
Assistant Professor, The Medical University of South Carolina

Donato R. Pacione, MD
Director of Quality Assurance
Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery, NYU Grossman School of Medicine

2014

John A. Engler, MD
Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery, UNC Health, Raleigh, NC

Shaun D. Rodgers, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell

2015

Kwasi O. Boah, MD
Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery, Texas Back Institute

Benjamin Rubin, MD
Kaiser Permanente, Colorado

Russell Strom, MD
Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery, Geisinger Medical Center, Wilkes-Barre, PA

2016

Irene Kim, MD
Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Wisconsin

Yevgenia Shekhtman, MD
Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery, Neuro-Oncology, and Spinal Disorder, Hackensack Meridian Health JFK Neuroscience Institute, Edison, NJ

2017

Bartosz T. Grobelny, MD
Assistant Professor, St. Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City

Omar Tanweer, MD
Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery and Director of Cerebrovascular and Endovascular Neurosurgery, Baylor College of Medicine

2018

Carolina Benjamin, MD
Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery, University of Miami Hospital and Clinics

Nikhil Sahasrabudhe, MD
Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery, Loma Lima University School of Medicine

2019

Andrew Brunswick, MD
Kaiser Permanente, Los Angeles, CA

2020

Osamah J. Choudhry, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery, NYU Grossman School of Medicine

Fabio Frisoli, MD
Overlook Medical Center Atlantic Neuroscience Institute, Summit, New Jersey

Gillian Harrison, MD
Post-fellowship academic position, Medical College of Wisconsin

2021

Conor Grady, MD
David Grant USAF Medical Center at Travis Air Force Base, Fairfield, CA

Jugal Shah, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery, Georgetown University, MedStar Hospital Baltimore

2022

Nader Delavari, MD
Fellowship in cerebrovascular and skull base surgerywith Peter Nakaji, MD, in Phoenix, AZ

Peter Rozman, MD
Fellowship in epilepsy and functional neurosurgery at Emory University in Atlanta, GA

Other Distinguished Faculty

Patrick J. Kelly, MD
Clinical Professor Neurosurgery, NYU Grossman School of Medicine
Former Chair of NYU Langone Health

Alumni Events and News

The Department of Neurosurgery hosts receptions at many of the national neurosurgical meetings. For more information on alumni events or to submit information or pictures for the alumni website, please contact Ivonne Monterrey, program manager, at 212-263-6415 or ivonne.monterrey@nyulangone.org.