Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery

Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery World-class treatment for conditions of the brain and spine The Brain and Spine Center is headed by Philip E.

The Weill Cornell Medicine Brain and Spine Center is a world-class provider of minimally invasive surgical techniques for the treatment of the full spectrum of neurological disease. Stieg, Ph.D., M.D., Professor & Chairman of Weill Cornell Medicine Neurological Surgery and Neurosurgeon-in-Chief of NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. The Weill Cornell Medicine Brain and Spine Cente

r provides state-of-the-art care for both adults and children with diseases of the brain and spine. The department leads in the utilization of high-tech computerized diagnostic and treatment tools, from the Gamma Knife and stereotactic radiosurgery to the use of three-dimensional visualization in the operating room. What was once a world of highly intrusive surgery has evolved into a high-tech environment of small incisions, tiny catheters, and minimally invasive endoscopes. The department also serves as a premier training center for neurosurgeons of the future and has achieved remarkable breakthroughs in research.

As one chapter closes, another begins for Dr. Roger Hartl's spine fellowship program. We say goodbye to Dr. Lawrance Chu...
08/13/2026

As one chapter closes, another begins for Dr. Roger Hartl's spine fellowship program. We say goodbye to Dr. Lawrance Chung, who joined us from Keck Medicine of USC and now returns to California. Dr. Chung leaves with our gratitude and our very best wishes for the career ahead. At the same time, we're delighted to welcome Dr. Shaan Sadhwani, who arrives from UPMC as our new spine fellow.

Captured here: the handoff in action — Dr. Sadhwani, Dr. Chung and Dr. Hartl in the OR together. To Dr. Chung, thank you. To Dr. Sadhwani, welcome. 👏

What brings a rising fourth-year medical student from Albert Einstein College of Medicine to Weill Cornell Medicine? 🧠Fo...
08/12/2026

What brings a rising fourth-year medical student from Albert Einstein College of Medicine to Weill Cornell Medicine? 🧠

For Hailey Reisert, it was the Rudin Fellowship — a dedicated research year with the Children's Brain Tumor Project, where she's developing liquid biopsy tools for medulloblastoma alongside mentors like Dr. Mark Souweidane, Dr. Nadia Dahmane and Dr. Jeffrey Greenfield.

Hailey's story is one example of the many pathways into WCM Neurological Surgery. From medical student research programs and neuropsychology externships to our residency and advanced fellowships, we're committed to training the next generation of neurosurgeons and neuroscientists at every stage.

📖 Read Hailey's story: https://neurosurgery.weill.cornell.edu/about-us/news-updates/student-spotlight-hailey-reisert-rudin-fellow-pediatric-neuro-oncology
🎓 Explore education opportunities at WCM Neurosurgery: https://neurosurgery.weill.cornell.edu/education

At WCM Neurosurgery, mentoring future physicians isn't just a value — it's a daily practice. Dr. Phil Stieg has spent hi...
08/11/2026

At WCM Neurosurgery, mentoring future physicians isn't just a value — it's a daily practice. Dr. Phil Stieg has spent his career opening doors for students pursuing medicine, including welcoming them into the OR to observe and learn firsthand.

This summer, that commitment came full circle: Alison Taylor, a graduate of Dr. Stieg's own high school in Milwaukee, finished a clinical observership with him at Weill Cornell, 53 years after he graduated from the same halls. Best of luck to Alison as she returns to Marquette University this fall!

Learn more about our department's commitment to the next generation of neurosurgeons: https://neurosurgery.weill.cornell.edu/education

Congratulations to Dr. Mohammed Fouda on being named to the inaugural class of CNS Innovation Institute Fellows! 🎉This n...
08/07/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Mohammed Fouda on being named to the inaugural class of CNS Innovation Institute Fellows! 🎉

This new two-year fellowship helps physician-scientists carry their innovations from the lab to the bedside, and Dr. Fouda's work is a perfect fit. Since 2018, he's been developing a fully internalized cranial distraction device for craniosynostosis, a condition where an infant's skull bones fuse too early.

Unlike current devices, which rely on external hardware protruding through the scalp for months, Dr. Fouda's design moves the entire system beneath the skin. It reduces infection risk, improves precision and spares young patients the emotional toll of visible hardware.

"We have a clinical problem, a mechanical problem and a psychological problem with the current system," he says. His solution could be the first real change to cranial distraction in three decades.

Read more about his innovation: https://neurosurgery.weill.cornell.edu/about-us/news-updates/dr-mohammed-fouda-named-inaugural-class-cns-innovation-institute-fellows

We're excited to announce that NYP-Cornell and Columbia has been ranked #4 in the US News & World Report's 2026 Best Ho...
08/06/2026

We're excited to announce that NYP-Cornell and Columbia has been ranked #4 in the US News & World Report's 2026 Best Hospitals for Neurology and Neurosurgery. This is a testament to the hard work, dedication and compassion shown daily by our faculty, staff and trainees. We're so proud of our department's commitment to exceptional patient care, innovation in research and thoughtful mentorship of the next generation of neurosurgeons.

To learn more or book an appointment, visit: weillcornell.org/services/neurosurgery

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Dominique Higgins to Weill Cornell Medicine Neurosurgery! 👋Dr. Higgins is an Assistant P...
08/05/2026

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Dominique Higgins to Weill Cornell Medicine Neurosurgery! 👋

Dr. Higgins is an Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery, Co-Director of Surgical Neuro-Oncology, and Director of Brain Tumor Therapies. His clinical expertise spans awake craniotomies, functional mapping, laser ablations, Gamma Knife radiosurgery, brachytherapy, and AR/VR-guided surgery for brain tumors.

A physician-scientist through and through, Dr. Higgins holds a dual MD/PhD from Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, where his doctoral research focused on glioblastoma stem cells. He completed his neurosurgery residency at Columbia's Neurological Institute of New York and a brain tumor fellowship at the University of Miami.

He leads the Brain Tumor Translational Science Research Lab, with NIH-funded work targeting malignant brain tumors — including novel approaches to brain tumor metabolism through diet and therapy. His honors include the Robert A. Winn Excellence in Clinical Trials Career Development Award, the American Cancer Society Clinician Scientist Development Award, and NIH/NINDS and Neurosurgery Research Career Development K-awards.

Welcome to the team! Learn more about Dr. Higgins here: https://weillcornell.org/dominique-higgins-md-phd

New research from Dr. Roger Härtl challenges a long-standing rule in spine surgery.For patients with an unstable vertebr...
08/03/2026

New research from Dr. Roger Härtl challenges a long-standing rule in spine surgery.

For patients with an unstable vertebra at one spinal level and nerve compression at the next, textbook teaching has said: fuse them both. But Dr. Härtl's new study in the Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine shows that a minimally invasive "one-and-a-half level" technique — fusing only the unstable level while decompressing the adjacent one — achieved a 96% fusion rate with no neurological complications.

The result? Roughly 9 in 10 patients avoided a larger multilevel fusion, meaning faster recovery and better mobility.

"It's not a rare problem — it's one of the most common surgeries we do," says Dr. Härtl. "Nobody seems to really try to figure out how new technology can be used to minimize the need for fusion."

Read more about the study and what questions to ask your surgeon 🔗: https://neurosurgery.weill.cornell.edu/about-us/news-updates/do-patients-need-less-spine-surgery-we-thought-new-weill-cornell-medicine

Dr. Heidi Bender, Director of Neuropsychology at Weill Cornell Medicine, joined ABC7NY to talk about a growing trend: pe...
08/03/2026

Dr. Heidi Bender, Director of Neuropsychology at Weill Cornell Medicine, joined ABC7NY to talk about a growing trend: people trading smartphones for simpler devices to reclaim their time and attention.

Dr. Bender shared her perspective on screen time's impact on families and connection—and why going back to basics might be exactly what we need.

🎥 Watch the full segment: https://abc7ny.com/post/light-phone-founders-say-simpler-devices-help-users-reclaim-time-reduce-distractions/19591262/

Spotted: Dr. Kurt Yaeger outside WCM 📍We're so glad to welcome Dr. Yaeger to the team! He's an endovascular neurosurgeon...
07/31/2026

Spotted: Dr. Kurt Yaeger outside WCM 📍

We're so glad to welcome Dr. Yaeger to the team! He's an endovascular neurosurgeon treating brain and spine vascular conditions with minimally invasive techniques. Outside the OR, he's a medical device innovator who has patented new devices for treating brain aneurysms.

Learn more about Dr. Yaeger here: https://weillcornell.org/kurt-yaeger-md

Weill Cornell Medicine and Och Spine at NewYork-Presbyterian surgeons have performed the East Coast's first robotic spin...
07/30/2026

Weill Cornell Medicine and Och Spine at NewYork-Presbyterian surgeons have performed the East Coast's first robotic spine tumor surgeries — including the world's first use of a soft-tissue surgical robot on a cervical spine tumor and a metastatic spinal tumor.

Dr. Roger Härtl, Dr. Ibrahim Hussain and Dr. Justiss Kallos completed three cases (cervical, thoracic and lumbar) using the Symani Surgical System, a new category of "soft-tissue" robot that brings da Vinci-style precision to spine surgery for the first time.

"It gives you a glimpse of what's going to come in the future," says Dr. Härtl.

Read more about this milestone in spine care: https://neurosurgery.weill.cornell.edu/about-us/news-updates/weill-cornell-medicine-surgeons-perform-east-coasts-first-soft-tissue-robotic

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