Doctors Who Treat Spinal Cord Injuries

A team of specialists will often work together to treat a patient with a spinal cord injury. The spine team at the Weill Cornell Brain and Spine Center — expert spine surgeons along with their team of physicians, nurses, physical therapists, and pain management specialists — provide comprehensive, integrated care for patients with spinal cord injuries and many other conditions of the spine. Patients receive a complete continuum of care, from diagnosis to treatment and recovery.

Our surgical faculty includes some of the very best world-renowned specialists:

Roger Härtl, M.D., named as one of the top 50 spine surgeons in the United States, is Co-director of the Weill Cornell Spine Center and Director of Spinal Surgery at the Weill Cornell Brain and Spine Center. He’s the official neurosurgeon for the New York Giants, and he made the news a few years back when he performed life-saving surgery on a firefighter who leapt from a burning building (see that story). Dr. Härtl's clinical and research expertise is in simple and complex spine surgery and neurotrauma. Dr. Härtl works very closely with other specialists in a team effort to achieve the best outcome for his patients. (Read more about Dr. Härtl.)

Eric Elowitz, M.D., is a board-certified neurosurgeon specializing in minimally invasive spinal surgery. Routinely named to national lists of top doctors, Dr. Elowitz is dedicated to providing state-of-the-art care with individual attention to each patient’s unique needs. Dr. Elowitz has developed a special expertise in new XLIF (lateral-access) procedures. (Read more about Dr. Elowitz.)

Kai-Ming Fu, M.D., Ph.D., obtained his undergraduate degrees from Stanford University and his medical and graduate training in the MD/PhD program at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Dr. Fu specializes in minimal access surgery as well as having advanced training in reconstructive, deformity, and oncological spine surgery. (Read more about Dr. Fu.)

Dr. Michael Virk is a widely published neurosurgeon with specialty training in minimally invasive and complex surgery for a wide variety of spine conditions. In addition to spinal cord injuries, his specialties include scoliosis, spinal tumors, trauma, degenerative disease, radiculopathy, herniated discs, and spinal stenosis. Dr. Virk uses state-of-the-art minimally invasive techniques with intraoperative, computer-assisted navigation as well as spinal endoscopy. He also uses fundamental, open surgical strategies in patients who will benefit most from these. (Read more about Dr. Virk)

Dr. Amanda Sacks-Zimmerman is a clinical neuropsychologist specializing in cognitive remediation after trauma, including spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injuries. Dr. Sacks-Zimmerman has extensive experience in treating patients who suffer from cognitive and emotional difficulties that may be the result of a wide range of neurological conditions, including traumatic injury; epilepsy; radiation or chemotherapy; cardiopulmonary bypass procedures; cerebrovascular disease; and others.  (Read more about Dr. Sacks-Zimmerman.)

The spine surgeons at the Weill Cornell Brain and Spine Center are fortunate to be part of the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital team. The 2016-17 "America's Best Hospitals" ranking in US News and World Report placed NewYork-Presbyterian as the #1 hospital in New York, and our Neurology and Neurosurgery program ranks as the #1 program in New York. Together, the NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine team is the best choice for your back. The Weill Cornell Brain and Spine Center is neurosurgery center for the New York Giants football team.

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