Neurosurgery Residents

• Residency: Rush University
• Medical school: University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
• Undergraduate: Miami University

Where you are from?
Naperville, IL

What subspeciality you want to choose?
Spine, Trauma, Tumor

What you like about the program/area?
Operative diversity and autonomy

Personal statement about your life/family
I enjoy staying active and spending time with friends and family. I have a sister that is an assistant DA in New York.

• Medical School: Fatima Jinnah Medical College for Women

Where you are from?
I was born and raised in Pakistan did MBBS and came to US on World Federation of Neurosurgery scholarship awarded by Professor Armando Basso

What subspeciality you want to choose?
Skull base, open vascular surgery, Spine 

What you like about the program/area?
Small town with good schools for kids. Program has excellent surgical case variety from complex Skull base tumors , decent number of open vascular cases , complex spine including deformity surgery and spine trauma. Opportunities to do clinical and lab research, outside rotations and opportunity to do an enfolded fellowships.  

 Personal statement about your life/family
I love spending time with family and I would love to travel around the world to teach and learn and go on medical missions to underdeveloped countries. 

• Residency: Vanderbilt University Medical Center
• Medical School: Aga Khan University Medical College of Pakistan

Where you are from?
Studied medicine in Pakistan at Aga Khan University Karachi.

What subspeciality you want to choose?
Still deciding, currently find spine and endovascular/ open vascular surgeries

What you like about the program/area?
Mizzou offers an opportunity to train excellent neurosurgeons. The variation of pathologies that the hospital treats as a tertiary referral center affirm training neurosurgeons capable of treating any neurosurgical disease. Columbia is a great town to live at during the training years and experience plenty of events around town with affordable cost of living.

Personal statement about your life/family
Completed his MBBS from The Aga Khan University Karachi, with 3-months of US clinical rotations in neurosurgery including a month in Jacobs Institute at Buffalo. Dr. Khan taught medical basic-sciences for a year after completing his medical school at the same institute. His interest in research brought him to Vanderbilt Spine Center where he completed various quality improvement projects published in renowned neurosurgical journals.

Activities: Hiking, Cooking, Soccer, FIFA

Academic Interests:
Quality improvement and patient satisfaction in Neurosurgery

• Medical school: Florida International University
• Undergraduate: Emory University

Where you are from?
Originally from India, now from West Palm Beach, Florida

What subspeciality you want to choose?
Neurosurgical Oncology

What you like about the program/area?
This is a perfect program for early independence and autonomy both in medical and surgical management. The current faculty care deeply about resident learning and the resident cohort is a cohesive one. Columbia is a great town where life is simple, particularly in the context of neurosurgical residency.

Personal statement about your life/family
I was originally born in India and moved to Florida at 10 years old. Majored in neuroscience at Emory University. Went back to Miami, FL for medical school at FIU. Play and watch sports when I'm free, mostly football, basketball, and tennis.

• Medical school: Al-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine
• Postdoctoral Fellowship: Department of Neurosurgery, Rutgers University

Where you are from?
Originally from the West Bank in Palestine, but grew up in the United Arab Emirates.

What subspeciality you want to choose?
I am interested in skull base and vascular neurosurgery.

What you like about the program/area?
Both the geographical location and the size of the program offer a unique opportunity for diverse exposure and early autonomy in residency. As someone who has gotten used to the suburban life, I think Columbia gives you a nice balance between an active city and a quiet town.

Personal statement about your life/family
I enjoy cooking, traveling and spending time with family and friends. I've made it my mission to hunt down the best restaurants in Columbia, and Breaking Bad is the best show of all time.

• Medical School: Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University
• Graduate School: Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics Track 

Where you are from?
Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China 

What subspeciality you want to choose?
Currently, I am leaning towards specializing in Neuro-Oncology, with a particular interest in brain tumors. I am also considering functional neurosurgery as a potential path. 

What you like about the program/area?
I love this small program especially due to the super supportive faculty and the collegial atmosphere among the residents.  As a small group of residents, we have a strong sense of camaraderie and support each other all the time. The faculty-to-resident ratio allows for significant autonomy in the OR, with opportunities to operate one-on-one with attendings daily. Columbia, despite its small size, offers a surprising variety of good restaurants and numerous activities to enjoy outside of work.

Personal statement about your life/family
Outside of work, I enjoy walking on the trails nearby, cooking, and hanging out with friends. I believe it is essential to maintain a balance between professional responsibilities and personal life. Spending time in nature, preparing meals, and socializing helps me stay grounded and rejuvenated, enabling me to perform at my best. I love watching "Family Guy", which always adds a touch of humor to my day, especially when I have it on as a background when I cook.  

Where are you from?
I am originally from Sudan. In the United States, I have lived in both Kansas City, Missouri, and Colorado.

What subspecialty do you want to choose?
I am interested in specializing in Neuro-oncology.

What do you like about the program/area?
The breadth of neurosurgical pathologies encountered in this program is quite impressive. By the end of seven years, I believe I will be well-equipped to handle most, if not all, neurosurgical conditions. Columbia itself is a pleasant place to live, with minimal morning traffic and generally kind and welcoming people.

Personal statement about your life/family
I enjoy eating and cooking, and to balance my love of food, I am an avid runner. In my downtime, you will most likely find me watching anime.

• Medical School: Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara Facultad de Medicina Guadalajara 

Where are you from?
I was born and raised in Mexico.
What subspeciality you want to choose?
I am interested in Neuro-Oncology (adults and kids). 

What you like about the program/area?
The program offers an impressive number and variety of neurosurgical cases ensuring great surgical exposure for trainees. It features a culturally and academically diverse team, offering opportunities to learn different approaches and perspectives for treating the same condition. Columbia is known for its numerous outdoor activities, stunning sunsets, and welcoming community.

Personal statement about your life/family
I am originally from Mexico. My journey to the United States was driven by a desire to deepen my expertise in translational research, particularly in brain tumors, to improve neurosurgical care and patient outcomes in low- and middle-income countries and underserved communities. This invaluable experience ultimately inspired me to pursue a neurosurgical career in the U.S., with the goal of making a lasting, positive impact on patient care and outcomes. 

 Activities: 
I love to spend time with my cats (Benita and Martina), watching and when possible, practice MMA, and my guilty pleasure is physics.
 
Academic Interests:
Neuro/Oncology, Pediatric Neurosurgery.

• Medical school: University of Puerto Rico
• Undergraduate: University of Puerto Rico

Where you are from?
Bayamon, Puerto Rico

What subspeciality you want to choose?
Skull Base and Cerebrovascular Surgery

What you like about the program/area?
Residents are exposed to a hands-on surgical experience since very early in our residency, including a fair amount of time 1 on 1 with the attending or chief resident. We see a wide array of pathologies and complexity of cases, including a rising number in open vascular cases. The resident group is very close and supportive. Great relationship with the attendings, who are examples to follow. Columbia is a small, quiet and welcoming city. Boasting a low cost of living, multiple restaurants, outdoor activities and, being a college city, a fair amount of night activities. Two hours away from Kansas City and St. Louis if looking for a big city feel for the weekend.

Personal statement about your life/family
Born and raised in Puerto Rico until I moved over to Columbia for residency. Enjoy guitar playing, music gear collection/trading, music recording/production, competitive videogames, weight-lifting and operative neuroanatomy reading.

• Medical school: University of Texas Medical School at Houston
• Undergraduate: Texas Tech University

Where you are from?
Houston, TX

What subspeciality you want to choose?
Complex and endoscopic spine surgery

What you like about the program/area?
Columbia is a fantastic family town and has a low cost of living, almost non-existent traffic, but with a lot of interesting things to do thanks to the huge university here.

Personal statement about your life/family
I grew up in Houston and ventured to west Texas for undergrad before returning home for medical school at UT Houston. My wife and I have two children—both born during residency—and a dog. We enjoy walks, going to the farmer’s market, and taking road trips. When we can get away, my wife and I enjoy going to Ragtag Cinema, an independent movie theater of which we’re members, eating out, and discovering new wines and champagnes.

Read more about Dr. Herbert (Medical Residents)

• Medical school: SUNY Upstate University
• Undergraduate: Columbia University

Where you are from?
I am originally from the western suburbs of Chicago, Illinois.

What subspeciality you want to choose?
I will going into Neurotrauma & Neuro Critical Care as my subspecialty. I have a research and clinical interest in traumatic brain and spine injury and care protocols for TBI and spine trauma.

What you like about the program/area?
I like that Missouri is a small program where all of the attendings know each of the residents well and can cultivate and guide each resident according to their individual skill level.  Columbia is very affordable but also a surprisingly cosmopolitan area. For example, we regularly go to the Burmese market and the Burmese restaurant in town. We also have a forest in the back yard of our house; deer and foxes regularly pass through. There are extensive opportunities for nature activities in the area without having to drive far.

Personal statement about your life/family
I grew up in the Chicago area but moved to New York City to go to college. I lived there for college and to work in the banking, finance and hedge fund industry after. Medicine is a second career for me. I am married, and we have a toddler. Neurosurgery residency is tough work wherever you go, but we have found that Mizzou and Columbia have been reasonable for both of us.