Spine Surgery in the News

Spine Surgery in the News

Osama Kashlan, MD, MPH, Weill Cornell Medicine Neurosurgery

Neurosurgeon Osama Kashlan, MD, MPH, has joined the faculty of Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, and will see patients at NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist. Dr. Kashlan is an...

A Top Hospital Neurosurgery in the World, #1 in NY, Third Year in a Row!

Since Newsweek and Statista started ranking specialized hospitals in 2021, the neurosurgery service at NewYork-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medicine and Columbia University has been at the top...

Daniel Och cuts the ribbon opening the new Och Spine unit on 2N

A world-class new hospital unit dedicated to spine patients has opened on the second floor of NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, thanks to the generosity of the Jane and...

Galal Elsayed, M.D.

Neurosurgeon Galal Elsayed, M.D., has joined the faculty of Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery, and will see patients at Och Spine at NewYork-Presbyterian Queens....

New York Magazine top doctors 2023

The neurosurgeons of Weill Cornell Medicine are consistently named to annual lists of Top Doctors, Best Doctors, and Super Doctors. This year, we have a record 17 members of our team on the Castle...

Dr. Hussain Performs First 3D-Navigation-Guided Endoscopic Lumbar Fusion in New York City

Dr. Ibrahim Hussain achieved a spine surgery milestone when he performed the first 3D navigation-guided endoscopic lumbar fusion (transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion, or TLIF) ever performed in New York City...

Dr. Ibrahim Hussain and Dr. Paul Park

Dr. Philip E. Stieg, Margaret and Robert J. Hariri, MD ’87, PhD ’87 Professor of Neurological Surgery and Neurosurgeon-in-Chief of NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, announced the addition of...

2022 SuperDoctors
The 2022 list of New York SuperDoctors, published as a supplement to the New York Times Magazine on May 8, 2022, is based on peer nomination, credentials, and achievement.
Dr. Roger Härtl Named AANS Humanitarian of the Year
Dr. Härtl was lauded for his life-saving work in Tanzania and for his commitment to global neurosurgical education
Photographs at the Edge: Vittorio Sella and Wilfred Thesiger
"Photographs at the Edge: Vittorio Sella and Wilfred Thesiger" is a striking compendium of photographs taken by these two explorers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Dr. Judy Ch'ang and Jenny Mears
The awards, given each year to honor outstanding PAs on each campus of the health system, recognize excellence in the profession and a stellar commitment to patient care.
Best in Neurosurgery in the World

The neurosurgery service at Weill Cornell Medicine and Columbia University Irving Medical Center at NewYork-Presbyterian has been ranked #1 in the world by Newsweek magazine. In a survey conducted over the...

U.S. News Ranks Us #1 in New York, #2 in the Nation, for 2021
We now rank as the best neuro program east of the Rockies
Top Doctors in NY 2021
This year, we have a record 15 of our team on the list of 2021 Castle Connolly Top Doctors, showcased in this year’s New York magazine roster of Top Doctors in New York.
Dr. Lynn McGrath
Dr. McGrath is an award-winning neurosurgeon specializing in endoscopic and minimally invasive spine surgery and an innovator developing next-generation tools for the diagnosis of concussion and traumatic brain injury.
17 Faculty Members Named to 2021 SuperDoctors List

A record number were named to this prestigious annual list, honoring physicians who are the very best in their field.

Neurosurgery Team Member Jeannie Nguyen

The Neurosurgery Outstanding Service Award spotlights members of the department who go above and beyond their assigned duties. The quarterly award recognizes those who exemplify the core values of the department....

Kai-Ming Fu, MD, PhD
Kai-Ming Fu, MD, PhD, has been named chief of neurological surgery at the newly expanded Weill Cornell Medicine Lower Manhattan Spine Center.
Dr. K. Daniel Riew
“The addition of Dr. Riew to our team further underscores the immense talent that we have here at the Center for Comprehensive Spine Care,” says Dr. Roger Härtl.
Best Neurosurgeons in New York, 2020

The Weill Cornell Medicine Brain and Spine Center is filled with specialists who routinely appear on lists of Top Doctors, Best Doctors, and SuperDoctors, and 2020 is no exception. This year’s roster of Castle...

8 Faculty Members Named Best Doctors in New York for 2020
The annual list names the top primary doctors and specialists in the New York metropolitan area.
16 Weill Cornell Brain and Spine Center Faculty Members Named to 2020 New York SuperDoctors List

A record 16 faculty members from the Weill Cornell Medicine Brain and Spine Center were named to the 2020 list of New York SuperDoctors, published as a supplement to the New York Times Magazine on May 10,...

Herniated Disc
Dr. Virk contributes to the breadth of information on Spine-health.com with information on herniated disc in the upper back.
Dr. Roger Hartl bids farewell to Dr. Autumn Zuckerman and Dr. Scott Zuckerman as they head to Tanzania
Dr. Scott Zuckerman will be based in the Muhimbili Orthopaedic Institute, where he will evaluate patients, perform surgery, conduct research, and train Tanzanian surgeons.
Dr. Kai-Ming Fu
Dr. Fu will lead the efforts of the committee to improve patient care through the development and evaluation of outcomes data.
Dr. Roger Härtl

The Weill Cornell Medicine Daedalus Fund for Innovation has awarded a two-year, $300,000 grant to Dr. Roger Härtl and his team for their proposal, “Total Disc Replacement Using Tissue Engineered Intervertebral Discs...

8 Faculty Members Named Best Doctors in New York for 2019
The annual list names the top primary doctors and specialists in the New York metropolitan area.
Dr. Roger Härtl

Becker’s Spine Review featured spine surgeon Dr. Roger Härtl twice in its May 2019 quarterly issue. In the first article, Dr. Härtl joined three other spine surgeons to discuss spine innovation in an article titled...

14 Faculty Members Named to List of New York SuperDoctors
These elite physicians are selected by their peers each year as being the best in their field
Dr. Stieg Launches New Podcast: This Is Your Brain
Weekly episodes will delve into the mysteries and new discoveries about how the brain works, what can go wrong with it, and the most effective ways to keep it healthy.
Alexandra Giantini Larsen and Andrew Garton, who matched as neurosurgery residents at Match Day 2019
The Department of Neurological Surgery is pleased to welcome Alexandra Giantini Larsen and Andrew Garton to our residency program
Global Spine Journal Award
The paper is titled “Degenerative Lumbar Spine Disease: Estimating Global Incidence and Worldwide Volume.”
Dr. Roger Härtl Speaks at AOSpine Advanced Live Surgery Course in Lahore, Pakistan
Dr. Härtl leads talks and provides demonstrations on minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS) in Lahore, Pakistan.
Dr. Michael Virk demonstrates a MIS technique to attendees of NYCMISS 2018.
A recap of the 12th Annual NYC Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery Symposium.
Dr. Roger Hartl and Dr. Claudius Thome

In late 2017, Dr. Roger Hartl and Dr. Claudius Thome were awarded the American Austrian Foundation’s 2017 Humes Visiting Professorships. The professorships are a bilateral exchange in which two distinguished course...

Dr. Eric Elowitz - Weill Cornell Medicine
In his new role, Dr. Elowitz will oversee the quality of all neurological surgery faculty and their compliance with regulatory requirements as well as manage related administrative needs, policies, and procedures.
New York Magazine Best Doctors 2018 - Weill Cornell Medicine Neurosurgeons
The annual list of “Best Doctors in New York,” published this week by New York magazine, includes eight of our faculty members
Dr. Stieg Awarded 2018 Ellis Island Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor, which is an award recognized by Congress, is given annually to exceptional individuals for outstanding contributions to their field.
11 Weill Cornell Medicine Neurosurgery Faculty Members Selected to 2018 List of New York SuperDoctors
The annual list, published each May in the New York Times Magazine, is assembled based on peer nomination, credentials, and achievement.
Drs. Rohan Ramakrishna and Ibrahim Hussain of the Weill Cornell Medicine Brain and Spine Center
Dr. Ramakrishna & Dr. Hussain were honored for their work in gliomas and bioengineered disc tissue.
Weill Cornell Medicine chief neurosurgical resident Ibrahim Hussain, M.D.

The world-class spine surgeons of the Weill Cornell Medicine Brain and Spine Center contributed significantly to “Restoring Alignment in an Era of Global Change,” this year’s meeting of the AANS/CNS Joint Section on...

Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery Residents Selected at Match Day 2018
We welcome Maricruz Rivera and Gary Kocharian, who will be joining our program in June.
Elle Aviv billboard for Weill Cornell Medicine
Elle Aviv, whose successful surgery at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian left her free of pain and back to her active life, is appearing on a billboard promoting Weill Cornell Medicine spine specialists.
Ibrahim Hussain, M.D., was Chief Neurosurgical Resident in 2018 when the paper was published
Improved tools and techniques continue to make spine surgery a much less daunting prospect than it once was, with faster recovery times and less pain, narcotic dependency, and scarring
Weill Cornell Medicine Neurosurgical Chief Resident Dr. Brenton Pennicooke
The new award recognizes original work by a Weill Cornell Medicine resident in neurological surgery in laboratory or clinical research.
Michael L. J. Apuzzo, M.D., Adjunct Professor and Senior Consultant at Weill Cornell Medicine’s Department of Neurological Surgery

Established 2017
Weill Cornell Medical College

Chairman Philip E. Stieg and the Department of Neurological Surgery at the Weill Cornell Medical College...

Dr. Härtl Introduces Explorers Club to Tanzania Project

Dr. Roger Härtl was honored to present the Neurosurgical Mission in Tanzania at a special event: Safari Night at the Explorers Club in New York on November 29. Dr. Härtl showed the assembled audience members the new...

Daniel Jacobs acknowledged Dr. Hartl from the ring after his win
Pointing out Dr. Härtl from the ring, the boxer called his neurosurgeon "the man who saved my life."
Srikanth Boddu, MD, Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian/Queens
Dr. Boddu joined the neurosurgery faculty of Weill Cornell Medicine in August after three years as a fellow in radiology at the Upper East Side main campus.
NewYork-Presbyterian named #1 Hospital in New York – Again

The annual hospital ratings issue of U.S. News & World Report, released today, once again names NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital the #1 hospital in New York. This makes 17 years in a row for this...

Weill Cornell Medicine
We are proud to announce the appointments of three new faculty members, who expand our already considerable offerings in the treatment of brain and spine disorders.
Biological Approaches to Spinal Disc Repair and Regeneration for Clinicians
The text is the first book to cover innovative tissue engineering and biological interventions as treatment options for degenerative disc disease.
Minimally invasive laminectomy using “over the top” decompression with tubular retractor system (left) vs traditional open laminectomy technique.
The minimally invasive option resulted in lower reoperation and fusion rates, less slip progression, and greater patient satisfaction than open surgery.
New York Magazine, Top Doctors 2017
This year's list includes 8 of our faculty members
Dr. Jose Piquer of NED, Dr. Andreas Leidinger, and Dr. Roger Hartl of Weill Cornell Medicine

Dr. Andreas Leidinger has been selected as the second Global Health Neurosurgery Fellow and will assume his one-year assignment at Bugando Medical Center and Muhimbili Orthopedic Institute (MOI) in Dar Es Salaam on...

AANS/CNS Joint Section 2017

The experts of the Weill Cornell Medicine Brain and Spine Center made a significant contribution to this year’s meeting of the AANS/CNS Joint Section on Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral Nerves, held last month...

Dr Hartl uses advanced 3D intraoperative scanning and navigation to ensure precise placement of screws
The system allows a surgeon to navigate to and around a surgical site with an amazing level of precision
Michael Grevitt presents the AOSpine Regional Educator of the Year Award to Dr. Roger Härtl in Davos, Switzerland.
Dr. Härtl was honored by the global spine society for his international leadership role in educating neurosurgeons in minimally invasive spinal surgery (MIS) techniques.
Magnum photographer Elliott Erwitt
The first-ever exhibit of Erwitt’s color prints benefits Dr. Härtl's spine research
Ibrahim Hussain, M.D.

Fourth-year resident Ibrahim Hussain, M.D., has been named one of 2017’s Charlie Kuntz Scholar Award winners.  This prestigious award is given each year to the top 30 neurosurgical residents or fellows for...

Dr. Nelson Moussazadeh

Dr. Nelson Moussazadeh, chief resident in neurological surgery, was honored with a 2016 Distinguished Housestaff Award by the NewYork Weill Cornell...

Dr. Roger Härtl and Dr. Philip Stieg
Weill Cornell neurosurgeons present the latest in neuroscientific advances at a boldface-name event
Weill Cornell Medicine Center for Comprehensive Spine Care
New facility is the only one in New York to offer fully integrated spine care
Ten-Step MIS Lumbar Decompression and Dural Repair through Tubular Retractors
“Ten-Step MIS Lumbar Decompression and Dural Repair through Tubular Retractors” documents the detailed steps of four MIS procedures with a review of clinical outcomes in 331 patients.
U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals issue 2016
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is the #1 hospital in New York for the 16th year in a row; Neurology/Neurosurgery is ranked #1 in New York and #3 in the nation
Philip O'Donnell, Weill Cornell Medical College Class of 2019
Philip O'Donnell, who is between his first and second years of study, will work with Dr. Maria Santos collecting data on all patients admitted to Bugando Medical Center with a diagnosis of traumatic brain injury.
Weill Cornell neurosurgeons Best Doctors 2016

This week’s issue of New York magazine features the annual listing of “Best Doctors in New York,” and the Weill Cornell Medicine Brain and Spine Center is once again proud to have eight members of our team...

Brenton Pennicooke, MD
The fourth-year resident won Best Oral Presentation for “Annular Repair Using High-density Collagen Gel with Riboflavin Crosslinkage: Preliminary results in an in vivo ovine model”
Dr. Rodrigo Navarro-Ramirez (left) receives the award for Best Basic Research Oral Presentation from Dr. Michael Fehlings, president of AO Spine North America
The fellow won for his abstract on biological disc replacement in a canine model
Dr. Rodrigo Navarro-Ramirez, Weill Cornell Brain and Spine Center

Dr. Rodrigo Navarro-Ramirez, a research fellow on Dr. Roger Härtl’s team, has been invited to present his abstract, “Total disc replacement using tissue-engineered intervertebral discs: In vivo outcome in a canine...

Dr. Rodrigo Navarro-Ramirez, Weill Cornell Brain and Spine Center

Dr. Rodrigo Navarro-Ramirez, a research fellow under the mentorship of Dr. Roger Härtl, has been awarded a 2016 Young Investigator Award by the Society of Lateral Access Surgery (SOLAS). The award is given to the...

Dr. Nelson Moussazadeh
Our sixth-year resident won for his paper "Epigenetic Profiling Reveals a Unique Histone Code in Chordoma.”
Dr. Brenton Pennicooke
This prestigious award is given each year to neurosurgical residents or fellows for outstanding research on spinal disorders.
Dr. Roger Härtl

Dr. Roger Härtl, Dr. Lawrence Bonassar, and their inter-campus spine research team were awarded the Third Place Basic Science Research Paper Award at the annual meeting of the Cervical Spine Research Society (CSRS)....

Dr. Roger Härtl, Dr. Lawrence Bonassar, and their inter-campus spine research team were awarded the Third Place Basic Science Research Paper Award at the annual meeting of the Cervical Spine Research Society (CSRS)....

spinal cord stimulation
Drs. Kaplitt and Mehta implanted innovative new high-frequency spinal cord stimulators (SCSs) in two patients — the first in the tri-state area to receive them — for the relief of pain.
New York Magazine's Best Doctors in New York 2015
We are proud to have 8 members of our team on this year's list in New York magazine
Dr. Hartl talks about his patient, boxer Danny Jacobs, on a Spike TV special
A video feature about Dr. Hartl's life-saving (and career-restoring) surgery on boxer Danny Jacobs
Donated intra-operative microscope is ready for use in Tanzania
Thanks to the efforts of Dr. Roger Härtl and the generosity of Leica and Zeiss, two surgical microscopes are now available for use by surgeons in Tanzania.
Dr. Hartl’s Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery Book Published in China
Publication of the translated text was announced at the 2014 International Forum of Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery, held in Shanghai in October.
Dr. Roger Hartl
Chief of spinal surgery will chair Centers of Excellence
Dr. Philip E. Stieg, chairman of the Weill Cornell Department of Neurosurgery
We are now ranked as the best neurology/neurosurgery practice in New York, the best in the northeast, and the best east of the Mississippi River.
Dr. Roger Härtl and research fellow Yu Moriguchi
Dr. Yu Moriguchi has been awarded a $67,000 start-up grant from the AO Foundation for a research project that holds promise for the repair of herniated discs.
The Best Neurosurgeons in New York

The Weill Cornell Brain and Spine Center is proud to count six of our neurosurgeons among the Best Doctors listed in New York magazine’s annual Best Doctors issue. This year’s list includes four of our full-...

Yu Moriguchi, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Moriguchi was honored for his research on high-density collagen gels
Dr. Nelson Moussazadeh
Project will use genomic sequencing to identify cancer patients at risk for spinal metastasis
Dr. Grunert Wins 2014 NIRA
The spine research fellow was honored for his abstract on high-density collagen gel mixed with riboflavin, which is used to close defects in intervertebral discs.
The in-patient staff of 2SW has been awarded a 90th Percentile Achievement Award by NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital for Q42013. This award is given to units whose overall mean score placed them in the 90th percentile for...
Dr. Peter Grunert, Dr. Roger Hartl, Dr. Yu Moriguchi
Innovative research by Dr. Roger Härtl has been named the 2014 winner of the Ronald Apfelbaum Research Award.
Dr. Jared Knopman, Weill Cornell Brain and Spine Center
Dr. Jared Knopman of the Weill Cornell Brain and Spine Center has been named to the SuperDoctors list as 2013 “Rising Stars.”
Dr. Matthew Fink and Dr. Philip Stieg

Thanks to a generous gift from the Mortimer Sackler Foundation, the NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center has created the Sackler Brain and Spine Institute at its East 68th Street facility. The new...

Dr. Peter Grunert
Dr. Peter Grunert, spine fellow, was recently awarded the first-place award for best basic science abstract and presentation at the annual meeting of the Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery Society (MINS).
Weill Cornell Brain and Spine Center Opens in Lower Manhattan
Dr. Philip Stieg, director of the Weill Cornell Brain and Spine Center and neurosurgeon-in-chief of NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, has announced the opening of new clinical location in lower...
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital Ranked Number 1 in New York – Again
The hospital was once again included on U.S. News' prestigious Honor Roll, a designation given to only 18 hospitals nationwide.
Weill Cornell Mission in Tanzania 2013
Dr. Philip Stieg and Dr. Roger Härtl joined forces in June to head up this summer’s neurosurgical mission to Tanzania, where they provided treatment, consultation, and – most importantly – hands-on training to the local...
Department chairman Dr. Philip E. Stieg ,(left to right, in lab coats) Dr. Christoph Hofstetter, Dr. Lewis Leng, and Dr. William Cobb.
The post-graduate year 1 residents (PGY-1’s) arrive this month to embark on an intensive seven-year training program to become neurological surgeons and neuroscience researchers, studying under some of the top brain and...
Neurosurgeon-in-Chief Philip E. Stieg, M.D., Ph.D.
This year’s list includes Neurosurgeon-in-Chief Philip Stieg, M.D., Ph.D.; Vice Chairman and Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery Mark Souweidane, M.D.; Vice Chairman for Research and Director of Movement Disorders...

Offering new hope for back pain sufferers, Dr. Roger Härtl and the multidisciplinary spine team at the Weill Cornell Brain and Spine Center are now recruiting patients for a new clinical trial. The trial will test an...

The Mayfield Award is presented each year to a neurosurgical resident or fellow who authors an outstanding manuscript on laboratory or clinical research in spinal or peripheral nerve disorders.
"Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery: Techniques, Evidence, and Controversies" book cover
"Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery: Techniques, Evidence, and Controversies," an AOSpine text co-authored by Dr. Roger Härtl and Dr. Andreas Korge, is now available in print and as an e-book.
Athos Patsalides

Dr. Athos Patsalides is now enrolling patients in a Phase I research study on spinal metastatic disease (SMD). This new trial will test the safety of a new minimally invasive treatment called spinal intra-arterial...

Dr. Philip E. Stieg, second from right, helps open the new Regenerative Medicine Laboratories at Burke Medical Research Institute.
The mission of the new Regenerative Medicine Laboratories is to advance the science of neurological disorders and trauma and reduce disability from stroke, brain and spine injury, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's and...
Six neurosurgeons from the Weill Cornell Brain and Spine Center have been named to the Castle Connolly list of Top Doctors for the New York metro area.
We're proud to have six of our neurosurgeons on this first edition of the magazine's list of top doctors.
New York Magazine Feature: A Firefighter's Leap From a Building Fire

In 2005, Eugene Stolowski was one of four firefighters who jumped from a burning building in the Bronx on what became known as Black Sunday. Two of the four died at the scene, and Stolowski suffered a life-...

The latest from the experts of the Weill Cornell Medicine Center for Comprehensive Spine Care:

Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery 525 East 68 Street, Box 99 New York, NY 10065 Phone: 866-426-7787