Today is Match Day 2024, and the entire department is delighted to welcome the two outstanding candidates who matched into our program. Dr. Philip Stieg, Dr. Michael Kaplitt, and Dr. Jeffrey Greenfield announced today that Lily McLaughlin of Georgetown University School of Medicine and David Sykes of Duke University School of Medicine will begin the seven-year residency program with us this summer.
“As we do every year, we interviewed dozens of extraordinary candidates from over three hundred applicants for our two residency positions,” said Dr. Kaplitt, director of the residency program and executive vice chairman of the department of neurological surgery. “As we begin this seven-year journey together, we look forward to watching them grow into the outstanding neurosurgeons we know they will be.”
“We meet with some of the most talented medical students in the country each year,” said Dr. Philip E. Stieg, department chairman and neurosurgeon-in-chief of NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. “We know these are the neurosurgeons of tomorrow, and we are committed to the rigorous training that will serve them well as they progress in their careers.”
Dr. Jeffrey Greenfield, vice chairman for academic affairs and associate director of the residency program, and who directs the nearly year-long interview process, said that “the match process is such a challenge, and so stressful, because we all know that a successful match is about so much more than academics. We want to create the right mix of talent, dedication, and enthusiasm as we build our team and train these amazing young doctors. We also know how difficult it is for candidates to choose the programs they think will suit them the best. We are honored that Lily and David chose us, and we could not be happier about today’s match.”
Lily McLaughlin
It is worth noting that both of these incoming residents began their medical school careers in the fall of 2020, during the early months of the Covid pandemic. They have proven themselves to be resourceful, resilient, and flexible as well as dedicated to their medical education.
Lily McLaughlin will receive her MD this year from Georgetown University School of Medicine, where she was a member of the Gold Humanism Honor Society. We met Lily last summer, when she completed a sub-internship month that showed her to be extremely talented, responsible, and committed to patient care. Prior to medical school, Lily earned a master’s degree in biomedical studies at Drexel University after completing her bachelor’s degree in biology at Villanova. She has co-authored numerous academic research papers, many of them with colleagues from Memorial Sloan Kettering, where she spent three years as a clinical research associate. She has researched and presented on healthcare disparities and participated in mentoring programs and community health initiatives.
David Sykes
David Sykes will receive his MD this year from Duke University School of Medicine, where he was a Medical Student Member of both the AANS and CNS and was awarded an AO Spine Young Investigator Research Grant Award. Before medical school, David earned his bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and music from Washington University in St. Louis. He has conducted clinical research in the spine division at Duke and has worked in the Brain Tool Lab, where medicine and engineering come together in the development of novel technologies. He has co-authored many peer-reviewed articles, primarily on spinal tumors, injuries, and degeneration, and has studied the use of advanced technologies such as augmented reality in neurosurgery. David completed a sub-internship with us last year and proved himself to be both talented and collaborative.