Pediatric Neurosurgery Fellowship

Effective with the academic year starting in July 2022, our Pediatric Neurosurgery Fellowship is certified by the Accreditation Council for Pediatric Neurosurgery Fellowships (ACPNF) and fellows will be selected through the regular process managed by the Fellowship Match for Neurological Surgery (San Francisco Matching Programs). We are now accepting applications, which are due no later than August 31. Scroll down for application information.

Pediatric Neurosurgeons of the combined service of Weill Cornell Medicine and Columbia University

Drs. Mark Souweidane, Caitlin Hoffman, Jeffrey Greenfield, and Neil Feldstein

OVERVIEW
The newly accredited pediatric fellowship training program is based at the two main campuses of NewYork-Presbyterian (Weill Cornell Medicine on the upper east side of Manhattan and Columbia University on the upper west side). Fellows will train under the mentorship of Dr. Mark Souweidane and Dr. Neil Feldstein, directors of the combined pediatric neurosurgery service of these two Ivy League institutions.

The fellowship is designed to provide a comprehensive exposure to clinical pediatric neurosurgery. The primary goal is to educate postgraduate neurosurgeons or neurosurgeons in training on the detailed diagnostic and therapeutic options available for children with neurosurgical conditions.

ABOUT THE FELLOWSHIP
The pediatric neurosurgery fellow will be involved in patient care throughout a year of training. This includes participation in the outpatient clinic for consultations, pre- and post-operative evaluations, and follow-up care. Inpatient activities include consultations and active involvement in the pre-operative, operative, post-operative, and non-operative management of pediatric neurosurgical patients. Supported by a clinical team of four pediatric neurosurgeons, five APPs, and neurological surgery residents from both Weill Cornell Medicine and Columbia, the fellow will also have ample time for research.

Working together across the pediatric neurosurgical clinical service, our Weill Cornell and Columbia surgeons play a central role in accelerating innovative therapeutic strategies, affording a fellow experience in such areas as fetal surgery for myelomeningocele; precision medicine and enhanced drug delivery for brain tumors; laser therapy and stereo EEG for epilepsy; minimally invasive and endoscopic surgery for hydrocephalus, brain tumors and congenital cysts; gene therapy for congenital neurodevelopmental disorders; and virtual surgical planning (VSP) for complex craniosynostosis.

The pediatric neurosurgery fellowship offers a robust clinical experience in the context of a rich educational environment. Our fellow will have the opportunity to participate in a suite of multidisciplinary educational conferences on several aspects of pediatric neurosurgical care. In addition to the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital campuses, our pediatric neurosurgery team also serves patients at top-ranked specialty hospitals, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and the Hospital for Special Surgery, which further enhances the fellowship experience.

FACILITIES
NewYork-Presbyterian is the largest regional pediatric neurosurgery service provider in the tristate area. Ranked amongst the top 5 hospitals in the nation and boasting New York’s number one children’s hospital, NewYork-Presbyterian offers an incomparable training experience across a full range of conditions, including brain and spinal cord tumors, epilepsy, hydrocephalus, craniosynostosis, vascular disorders, Chiari malformation and syringomyelia, spina bifida, and spasticity.

ELIGIBILITY
Applicants for the pediatric neurosurgical fellowship match can be residents or graduates of neurosurgical residency programs in the United States that are approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), or of neurosurgical residency programs in Canada that are approved by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. In addition, applicants who are Osteopathic Physicians or from foreign neurosurgical residency programs may apply for a match number, with the understanding that their acceptance into, and completion of, an accredited pediatric neurosurgery fellowship will not confer eligibility for certification by the American Board of Pediatric Neurosurgery.

HOW TO APPLY
Each applicant is required to submit a completed application packet, which includes:

1. CV
2. personal statement
3. two letters of recommendation
4. proof of U.S. Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) Step 1 and Step 2; parts 1 and 2 (or ECFMG certification if MD completed overseas) 

Submit complete application packet to pedsneurosurgeryfellowship@nyp.org

Caitlin Hoffman, MD


Caitlin Hoffman, MD
Pediatric Neurosurgery Fellowship Director
Weill Cornell Medical College
520 East 70th Street, Box 99
New York, New York 10065

For additional information about the Pediatric Neurosurgery Fellowship at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell Medicine, and Columbia University, please contact us at pedsneurosurgeryfellowship@nyp.org

 

 

Our Fellows

Current Fellow:

Dr Rita Nguyen

2023-2024
Rita Ngyuen, MD
From: Canada
Dr. Nguyen studied medicine at University of Saskatchewan College of Medicine, then completed her training neurosurgery along with a PhD at the University of Calgary.

ALUMNI
Our fellowship alumni are now pursuing exciting careers in neurosurgery, and we wish them the very best.

Dr. Adnan Khan

2022-2023
Adnan Khan, MD
From: Pakistan
Dr. Khan studied medicine at Khyber Medical College, then completed his training in surgery and neurosurgery at Hamad General Hospital.
Publications 

Mauricio Medina MD

2021-2022
Mauricio Medina, MD

From: Mexico
Dr. Medina studied medicine at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), and completed his training in neurosurgery at the National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery in Mexico City.

Neelan J. Marianayagam, MD, PhD, and Mark Souweidane, MD

2020-2021
Neelan J. Marianayagam MD, PhD
From: United States
Dr. Marianayagam studied medicine at Tel Aviv University, then completed his training in surgery and neurosurgery at Duke University Medical Center, Rabin Medical Center, and Shaare Zedek Medical Center.
Publications

Claudia Kazun-Fischer, MD, and Mark M. Souweidane, MD, Weill Cornell Medicine, 2019

2018-2019
Claudia Kuzan-Fischer, MD
From: Zurich, Switzerland
Dr. Kuzan-Fischer is now a staff neurosurgeo at Kinderspital Zürich (Children's Hospital Zurich).
Publications

Rafael Uribe Cardenas with Dr. Mark Souweidane

2016-2018
Rafael Uribe Cardenas, MD
From: Bogota, Colombia
Dr. Cardenas returned to Weill Cornell Medicine after his fellowship year to begin his neurosurgery residency.

Publications

Muhammad Burhan Ud Din Janjua, MBBS
2015-2016
Muhammad Burhan Ud Din Janjua, MBBS
From: Pakistan
Publications

Assem Abdel Latif with Dr. Mark Souweidane

2014-2015
Assem Mounir Metwalli Abdel-Latif, MBBS
From: Ain Shams, Cairo, Egypt
Publications
Dr. Souweidane and Dr. Schwartz presented at an international meeting in Cairo, invited by Dr. Assem Abdel-Latif. Find out more about that meeting

Dr. Maria Santos with Dr. Roger Hartl
2013-2014
Maria M. Ferreira Neves dos Santos, MD
From: Lisbon, Portugal
Publications
Dr. Santos went on to a Global Health Fellowship in Tanzania. Read about her experiences there.

Konstantinos Margetis, Weill Cornell Medicine neurosurgical fellow
2012-2013
Konstantinos Margetis, M.D, MRCS
From: Athens, Greece
Publications

 

Neurological Surgery 525 E. 68th St., Starr 651, Box 99 New York, NY 10065