Brain and Spine Institute

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Welcome to the Brain and Spine Institute

Director's Message

It is my privilege to welcome you to the Department of Neurosurgery at Westchester Medical Center/New York Medical College. It is our mission to deliver uncompromised, best possible care for each patient, to train the next generation of compassionate and technical competent neurosurgeons, and to advance neurosurgery through cutting edge research. The faculty, residents and staff of our department apply these mission principles every day within the Westchester Health Network to serve all patients within the Hudson Valley region.

The patient is at the center of our mission. Patient Care, Education and Research are delivered in all neurosurgical subspecialties including: Spine Surgery, Neuro-oncology (brain, spine & spinal cord tumors), Skull Base Surgery, Cerebrovascular Services (Stroke, Aneurysms) including Endovascular Surgery, Functional Neurosurgery (Pain, Parkinson’s, Epilepsy), Peripheral Nerve Surgery, Pediatric Neurosurgery, Neurotrauma and Neurosurgical Critical Care. In each area, we collaborate with world class clinical and research experts from other closely related specialties like Orthopedics, Otolaryngology, Anesthesia, Radiology, Neurology and Rehabilitation.

Westchester Medical Center is a Level 1 Trauma Center and a Comprehensive Certified Stroke Center, which are staffed by Neurosurgical Traumatologists, dedicated Neurocritical Care Specialists and Endovascular Neurosurgeons. The operating rooms, interventional suites and intensive care units feature the latest and most innovative technologies helping us to take care of the most complex patients. Our youngest patients receive care by fellowship trained, experienced Pediatric Neurosurgeons at the Maria Fareri Children's Hospital. Thus, there is no case or problem too small, too young or too complicated for our team.

On behalf of our faculty, residents and staff, I invite you to take a “glimpse” at our department. You will see why our program is a recognized leader among the academic neurosurgery community.

Chirag D. Gandhi, MD
Director, Neurosurgery
Westchester Medical Center Health Network
Chair and Professor, Neurosurgery
New York Medical College

Chairman, Residency and Fellowship Program Director

Chirag D. Gandhi, MD

Cerebrovascular and Endovascular Neurosurgery

Fawaz Al-Mufti, MD

Chirag D. Gandhi, MD

Justin G. Santarelli, MD

Neurosurgical Oncology (Brain and Spine Tumors)

Simon Hanft, MD

Allied Health Practitioners

Rachel Lehrer, PA
Lisha Melathe, PA
Luis Munoz, PA
Brigitte Percival, NP
Angela Mercedes, NP
Elizabeth Frederick, NP
Luis Lopez, NP
Lawren Diaz, NP
Christopher McGovern, NP
Michelle Raimo, NP

Research Faculty

Meena Jhanwar-Uniyal, PhD

As an academic hospital, Westchester Medical Center is home to many Graduate Medical Education Programs, including:

Neurosurgery Residency Program

Neuro-Interventional Surgery Fellowship

Vascular Neurology Fellowship

Neurologists, neurosurgeons, and other physicians at Westchester Medical Center are actively involved in numerous research studies, frequently publishing in many leading journals in the U.S. and around the world. Explore the links below to read some of our published contributions to the fields of neurology and neurosurgery.

Neurology research by Fawaz Al-Mufti, MD and Stephan Mayer, MD: View Publications

Neurosurgery and neuro-oncology research by Simon Hanft, MD: View Publications

Success Stories

No Time to Lose