The Department of Neurosurgery

The Department of Neurosurgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, established in 1914, is at the forefront of clinical care, education, and scientific research in neurosurgery.  Our neurosurgeons are internationally renowned for their expertise in skull base surgery, cerebrovascular disease, neurosurgical oncology, skull based tumors (including pituitary and acoustic tumors), neuromodulation by deep brain stimulation, complex spinal reconstruction, epilepsy, radiosurgery, as well as neuro-endoscopy (both intraventricular and endonasal approaches). Our research teams work closely with our clinical teams, allowing us to rapidly translate research findings into new therapies and better approaches to patient care.

Our Chair, Joshua B. Bederson, MD, describes the success and history of our department in his own words.

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The Department of Neurosurgery been providing exceptional clinical care and research services since our inception in 1914.

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The Department of Neurosurgery is home to research initiatives including neurosurgical simulation, novel endovascular therapies, spinal cord injury including axonal regeneration, cancer nanotechnology translational research, fluorescence-guided surgery, stem cell research, neuromodulation by deep brain stimulation, minimally invasive approaches to the skull base, and neurosurgery quality and outcomes. Close collaboration between our research and clinical teams allows us to turn our research findings into new therapies to better patient care.

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Our seven-year Neurosurgery Residency, led by Raj K. Shrivastava, MD, and Christopher P. Kellner, MD, is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and is one of the most competitive residency programs in the country.

Our Neuroendovascular Surgery Fellowship led by Johanna T. Fifi, MD, J Mocco, MD, MS, and Reade A. De Leacy, MD, is a two-year training program accredited by the Committee on Accreditation of Subspecialty Training (CAST) of the Society of Neurological Surgeons. Fellows are trained in all aspects of neurointervention and neurologic diagnostic catheter-based techniques.

Our department offers a Medical Student Sub-Internship in neurosurgery, led by Peter F. Morgenstern MD. This is a four-week elective rotation designed to enhance medical students’ exposure to neurosurgical disease and central nervous system pathology. “Sub-I”s encounter a hands-on experience in a wide range of adult and pediatric neurosurgical diseases, patient care, procedures in operating rooms.

Additionally, our neurosurgery faculty participate in the Institute for Critical Care Medicine's Neurocritical Care Fellowship, led by Alexandra Reynolds, MD and John Liang, MD. In this two-year training program accredited by the United Council of Neurological Subspecialties (UCNS), fellows receive excellent multidisciplinary training in all aspects of neurocritical care.

Our faculty is comprised of clinicians and researchers dedicated to the advancement of neurosurgery, devoted educators and mentors, who are committed to patient safety and quality research. In addition, we have outstanding voluntary physicians who practice at Mount Sinai and other New York City community hospitals.

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