Stroke and general neurology specialist Salman Azhar, MD is committed to providing superior, compassionate neurological care for his patients. Prior to joining Northwell Health’s Department of Neurology in 2016, Dr. Azhar established one of the busiest Joint Commission Certified Comprehensive Stroke Centers in New York State as well as a successful Department of Neurology. He has served as an investigator in multiple clinical trials in acute stroke and stroke recovery. Dr. Azhar uses Botox for the treatment of headaches, spasticity and dystonia. Dr. Azhar is devoted to expert diagnosis and treatment for improved patient outcomes and is sensitive to the needs of his patients and their families.

Board certifications
Neurology – American Board of Psychiatry / Neurology-Neurology
Vascular Neurology – American Board of Psychiatry / Neurology-Vasc. Neuro

Academic titles
Professor, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell

Education
Virginia Commonwealth University Medical School

Residencies
Mount Sinai Hospital and Medical Center
Virginia Commonwealth University

Internships
Virginia Commonwealth University

Fellowships
National Inst of Neurological Disorders & Stroke

Affiliations
Glen Cove Hospital
Huntington Hospital
Lenox Hill Hospital
Long Island Jewish Forest Hills
Long Island Jewish Medical Center
Long Island Jewish Valley Stream
North Shore University Hospital
Northern Westchester Hospital
Peconic Bay Medical Center
Phelps Memorial Hospital Center
Plainview Hospital
Southside Hospital
Staten Island University Hospital
Syosset Hospital

Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell

A board-certified neurologist with fellowship training in cerebrovascular neurology, Catherine Arnold, MD is highly committed to providing expert and compassionate patient-centered care. Dr. Arnold earned her medical degree at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences. From there, she completed her neurology residency and fellowship in vascular neurology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Before joining Northwell Health, Dr. Arnold served as a stroke specialist and neuro-hospitalist.

Education
MD – University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences

Residency
Neurology – Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN

Fellowship
Vascular Neurology – Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN

Board Certification
Neurology – American Board of Psychiatry/Neurology

Research Interests
Cerebrovascular neurology with special interest in acute stroke care; Embolic stroke of undetermined source (ESUS); Secondary stroke prevention; Hospital practice quality improvement

Professional Recognition
A. B. Baker Teacher Recognition Award, American Academy of Neurology, 2021; Teacher of the Year, Mayo Clinic, 2020; Henry Woltman Award for Clinical Excellence, Mayo Clinic, 2019

Professional Membership
American Academy of Neurology
American Heart/Stroke Association

Publications
Arnold C, Vemuri P, Rabinstein AA, Mielke MM, Przybelski SA, Kantarci K, Jones DT, Brown RD Jr, Knopman DS, Petersen RC, Jack CR Jr, Graff-Radford J. Frequency of Acute and Subacute Infarcts in a Population-Based Study. Mayo Clin Proc. 2018 March., Rinaldo L, Arnold CE, Chen JJ, Lanzino G. Clinical Reasoning: Headaches and double vision in a 68-year-old woman. Neurology. 2018 August., Arnold C, Lanzino G, Chen JJ, Brinjikji W, Eckel LJ, Boes CJ. Carotid Cavernous Fistula Mimicking Hemicrania Continua: A Case Report. Headache. 2019 Sept., Yost M, Arnold CA, Rabinstein AA, Klaas J, Aakre JA, Brown RD Jr, Mielke MM, Knopman DS, Lowe V, Petersen RC, Jack CR Jr, Vemuri P, Graff-Radford J. Incidence of Convexal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage in the Elderly: The Mayo Clinic Study of Aging. J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis. 2019 Dec., Larson AS, Rinaldo L, Arnold CE, Young NP, Lanzino G. Spontaneous Vertebral Arteriovenous Fistula Mimicking Brachial Radiculoplexopathy. World Neurosurg. 2020 June.

Specialty
Neurology

Clinical Focus
Cerebrovascular Disease
Hospital Neurologist

Hospital Affiliation
Lenox Hill Hospital

Worked as an RN in the Surgical ICU/Surgical stepdown at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn while working on Master’s degree in Nursing. After completing the FNP program at Pace University worked in the Surgical ICU as a Nurse Practitioner. During the time there the hospital became an approved comprehensive stroke center with the Neuro ICU being part of the SICU. During this time I worked with a large variety of neuro patients and gained a wealth of knowledge in neuro critical care.

During my time in the SICU/Neuro ICU obtained a Post-Master Certificate with a concentration in Adult-Geriatric Acute Care at Pace University.

Currently working as a Nurse Practitioner in the Intensive Care Unit at Northern Westchester Hospital.

Dr. Ellis is a board certified, fellowship-trained neurosurgeon. He is a subspecialist in treating patients with complex brain, spinal cord, and skull base lesions at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan. He is an Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery at the Zucker School of Medicine. Dr. Ellis completed both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees with honors at Harvard University prior to enrolling in the M.D. program at Columbia University. He completed cerebrovascular fellowship training at Emory University Hospital. Dr. Ellis conducted his post-doctoral research in the areas of brain tumor biology and cerebrovascular physiology. His current academic work focuses on translational research in the areas of brain hemorrhage, intra-arterial drug delivery to the brain, and micro-neurosurgical technique optimization. He has contributed approximately 100 manuscripts to the neurosurgical literature. Dr. Ellis has a clinical focus in the areas of microsurgical treatments for brain aneurysms, vascular malformations of the brain and spine, carotid artery disease, and skull base tumors.

Dr. Eugenia Gianos is the director of Women s Heart Health at Lenox Hill Hospital and director of Cardiovascular Prevention for Northwell Health. As a clinical cardiologist with expertise in preventive cardiology, lipidology, imaging and women s heart disease, she sees patients with various cardiovascular diseases and has a specific interest in those with a genetic predisposition or heart disease, at a young age, lipid disorders, complex coronary disease, and uncontrolled risk factors for heart disease. Her main goal through education, research and clinical care is to recognize those patients at risk for cardiovascular disease and use lifestyle programs and optimal individualized medical therapy to improve patient outcomes and quality of life.

After earning an undergraduate degree in psychiatry from Barnard College at Columbia, Dr. Gianos earned her medical degree from New York Medical College. She completed her internship and residency in internal medicine, as well as her fellowship in cardiology at Northwell s Long Island Jewish Medical Center. Dr. Gianos holds board certification in internal medicine, cardiovascular disease, echocardiography and nuclear cardiology and she is certified in lipidology through the National Lipid Association. Dr. Gianos comes to Lenox Hill from NYU Langone Health (Bellevue and Tisch Hospitals), where she held various clinical and administrative roles of progressive responsibility for the past 11 years. In her first years at NYU, she won a cardiology faculty teaching award and most recently, served as co-clinical director of the NYU Langone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, associate professor of medicine at the NYU School of Medicine, and director of the NYU Preventive Cardiology fellowship program. In addition, she was an active member of the hospital s women s heart group. Dr. Gianos s experiences at NYU over the past 11 years have prepared her well to return to the health system she considered home with a clear vision for advancing patient-centered care.

Dr. Brandon Godbout is Vice Chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Lenox Hill Hospital. He completed both his residency in emergency medicine and fellowship in simulation medicine at the Columbia University affiliated St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center. As Vice Chairman, he oversees emergency department staffing, operations, quality, education and patient experience. Dr. Godbout is also the Medical Director of the Pace University – Lenox Hill Hospital Physician Assistant Program. In his role as Medical Director, he serves as a liaison between university and hospital leadership, advises on current trends in medical education, and supports the mission of the program through regular teaching commitments, research and curricular advancement.

Dr. Godbout is a recognized regional speaker on various topics such as sepsis, cardiac dysrhythmias, the U.S. opioid epidemic and disaster preparedness. Dr. Godbout has also served as PI on projects related to simulated airway training and technological improvements for ED patient experience. Dr. Godbout has co-authored numerous emergency medicine textbook chapters as well as original contributions on CT utilization and radiation exposure.

Undergraduate & Graduate
Brown University, Providence RI: 1992

Medical Education
Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville TN: 1997

Internship
University of Washington, Seattle WA: 1998

Residency
University of Washington, Seattle WA: 2002
Neurosurgery

Fellowship
Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia PA: 2012
Endovascular Neurosurgery and Neurocritical Care

Board Certifications
American Board of Neurological Surgeons

Professional Affiliations
American Association of Neurological Surgeons
Congress of Neurological Surgeons

David Langer, MD, is the chair of neurosurgery at Lenox Hill Hospital and Vice President of neurosurgery for Northwell Health’s Western Region. He is Professor of Neurosurgery and Radiology at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. Nationally and Internationally recognized as a leading neurosurgeon and expert in cerebral revascularization and cerebral aneurysms, Dr. Langer brings over 22 years of experience to his highly personalized direct patient care practice and specialty in diseases of the brain vessels. One of the few cerebral bypass surgeons in the country, Dr. Langer’s award-winning work has been featured in numerous peer-reviewed publications and he has spoken nationally and internationally on vascular disorders such as aneurysms and arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) of the brain.

A third-generation physician, Dr. Langer attended the University of Pennsylvania to receive both his undergraduate and medical school degrees. Additionally, Dr. Langer stayed at Penn to complete his neurosurgical residency under the direction of Eugene Flamm, MD. He later joined Dr. Flamm at a new neurosurgical institute in New York City in 1998. Dr. Langer also completed a mid-career fellowship at the University at Buffalo in cerebrovascular disease treatment including aneurysms, AVMs, and carotid disease.

Dr. Langer worked at the Continuum Health System at Mount Sinai in New York until 2010, when he joined the neurosurgery department at Northwell Health. Since joining Northwell Health, Dr. Langer established the Moyamoya Center of the Northwell Neuroscience Institute, dedicated to the diagnosis, treatment and support of patients and their families with Moyamoya disease and developed Playback Health, a smartphone app employing clinical multimedia creation and communication to enhance patient experience and improve access to personalized medical information.. Playback Health (hyperlink) has grown into the health system and continues to creatively disrupt the status quo in patient communication and the current electronic medical record.

In 2013 Dr. Langer was recruited as director of neurosurgery at Lenox Hill Hospital. His mission was to develop a world class department built upon talent, empathy and culture. Since then, the department has evolved and is now in US News top 50 in Neurology and Neurosurgery in large part due to the people, process and culture of the Lenox Hill team. He also maintains an active practice in spinal disease and benign brain tumors including acoustic neuromas and meningiomas. Dr. Langer is committed to innovation and bringing the highest quality technology to the operating room. In fact, Dr. Langer spent a week in Japan helping to develop the 3-dimensional exoscope device, which he named “the future of operative neurosurgery”

Dr. Langer has been recognized as a Top Doctor and Best Doctor by numerous publications and has a global reputation in neurosurgical excellence. He is currently an investigator for several research studies and peer-reviewer for the journals: Neurosurgery and Operative Neurosurgery. Dr. Langer is a member of the
Society of Neurological Surgeons (SNS) as well as the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS), and the cerebrovascular subsection of these organizations. In addition, Dr. Langer serves on the editorial board for Operative Neurosurgery’s digital platforms in the journal’s Surgical Video section. In 2015, Dr. Langer received Northwell Health System’s President’s Award. In 2018, Dr. Langer received The Sally Harrington Goldwater Memorial Visiting Professor Award from the Barrow Neurological Foundation. He has been involved in a number of medical advisory boards including Cisco Systems, Box Inc., Olympus, Sony and the Brain Aneurysm Foundation (BAF). He is also a founding member of the board of the Brain Technology Institute.

In June of 2020, Netflix launched “Lenox Hill,” an original docu-series starring Dr. Langer which provides an honest and empathetic look into his role as a neurosurgeon in New York City. Dr. Langer has appeared on CNN, FOX, ABC, and CBS as well as the Dr. Oz Show to offer his neurosurgical expertise to the public. He has also been frequently quoted in The New York Times and numerous other print news sources. In November 2015, Dr. Langer was featured in The Wall Street Journal article “What Patients Need to Remember After Leaving the Hospital” for his innovative technology to record crucial steps of patient’s experience in the hospital. Most recently, Dr. Langer spearheaded a global summer internship program, BRAINterns, offering free virtual education to high school through medical students due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Adapting to a new way of teaching, Dr. Langer and his team offered over 15,000 students the physician shadowing experience through virtual webinars, academic seminars and virtually bringing them into the operating room to see live, neurosurgical procedures.

Stephanie is a graduate of Columbia University, and has been an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner with the Lenox Hill Hospital Stroke Program for several years. Her previous Neurology and Neurosurgery background allows Stephanie to support the team in several areas including clinical, education, administration, and research. She is involved with stroke education in the Northwell system at Lenox Hill, Lenox Hill Greenwich Village, and Staten Island Hospital and co-led the “Stroke Education for the Emergency Provider” conference in March 2021. Stephanie is a Hofstra University Adjunct Clinical Instructor, precepts Neurology ACPs, participates in continuing nursing education, teaches at new grad nurse orientation, and helps mentor Neurology Residents. She is also a part of the Lenox Hill ACP Council Team and the Northwell Health ACP Education Committee. Stephanie is also a sub-investigator for several exciting IRB research trials including stroke and multiple sclerosis.

Rafael A. Ortiz, MD is the Chief of Neuro-Endovascular Surgery and Interventional Neuro-Radiology at Lenox Hill Hospital and for Northwell Health’s Western Region. Dr. Ortiz is Associate Professor of Neurosurgery, Neurology and Radiology at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and serves as the Chair of the Communications and Marketing Committee at Northwell Health Physician Partners.

Dr. Ortiz completed his residency in neurology and fellowship in stroke/neuro-critical care at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. In 2006, he moved to New York City to complete fellowship training in interventional neuro-radiology and endovascular surgery at the Hyman-Newman Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery at Roosevelt Hospital, where he served as attending physician and director of the fellowship program until June of 2012.

Among his numerous accolades, Dr. Ortiz was honored with a Proclamation by the New York State Senate in 2012 for his dedication to community education and outstanding patient care. More recently in the fall of 2020, Dr. Ortiz gained a new title of Incoming President of the NYC Board of Directors of the American Heart Association. From 2016 to 2021, Dr. Ortiz has been selected to the New York Super Doctors list for all 6 consecutive years. In 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020 he was named as Castle Connolly Top Doctor and New York Times Top Doctors. In 2019, Dr. Ortiz was nominated by his peers as a finalist for the Truly Awards for leadership. In 2010 he received The American Heart Association’s Young Heart Award for achievements in Cardiovascular Science and Medicine and also the American Heart Association’s Tu Corazon Latino Award for dedication to patient education and community health. In 2013, he was recognized as one of the Men of the Year in the City of New York by El Diario La Prensa newspaper. In 2014 and 2015 respectively, he received the Leadership and Vision Award of the American Heart and Stroke Association and the Latino Trendsetter Award.

Dr. Ortiz specializes in endovascular (interventional) treatment of cerebral aneurysms, embolization of brain tumors and vascular tumors of the head and neck region, cerebral and spinal arteriovenous malformations, treatment of craniofacial vascular lesions (venous, lymphatic, AVMs, hemangiomas) in adults and children, stenting of carotid artery stenosis, as well as revascularization procedures for acute stroke. He is known for his dedication to community education, patient satisfaction and outstanding patient care.

Dr. Sacho has undertaken both open surgical and endovascular training to treat cerebrovascular disorders. This puts him in a unique position to offer both treatment options to his patients. He is focused on providing patient centered care using the safest and most effective therapy currently available.

Clinical Programs

• Brain & Spine Tumor Program
• Neuro-Oncology
• Pituitary Disorders Program
• Stroke Program

Director, Stroke, Phelps Hospital

Regional Director, Stroke Ambulatory Services, Westchester County, Northwell Health

With over 15 years of clinical experience in the Hudson Valley region, Ramandeep Sahni, MD, joins Northwell Health as the Stroke Director at Phelps Hospital and Regional Director of Stroke Ambulatory Services for the Westchester region. Dr. Sahni is dedicated to developing and promoting strategies to standardize stroke care to eliminate healthcare disparities. Her personal goal is to advance stroke prevention by raising awareness of the concept of vascular health within the community and assuring her patients are educated and empowered to target their own risk factors.

Languages Spoken
Hindi; Punjabi

Education
MD – Dayanand Medical College

Residency
Long Island Jewish Medical Center

Fellowship
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Board certifications
Neurology – American Board of Psychiatry / Neurology-Neurology
Vascular Neurology – American Board of Psychiatry / Neurology-Vasc. Neuro

Professional Membership
American Academy of Neurology (AAN)
American Heart Association (AHA)

Publications
Sahni R, Weinberger J. Management of Intracerebral Hemorrhage. Journal of Vascular Health and Risk Management. Vasc Health Risk Manag. 2007;3(5):701-9. PMID: 18078021; Lamba G, Deol R, Shah D, Sahni R., Malhotra B K. Sunitinib and Thrombosis. Journal of Gastrointestinal Cancer. 2011 Sept 1. PMID: 21881834; Lleva, Ahluwalia BS, Marks S, Sahni R, et al. Traumatic and Spontaneous Carotid and Vertebral Artery Dissection in a Level 1 Trauma Center. Journal of Clinical Neuroscience 19:1112-1114, 2012.; Todo A, Minaeian A, Sahni R, Chao KH. Incidence and outcome of procedural distal emboli using the Penumbra thrombectomy for acute stroke. J Neurointerv Surg. 2013 Mar;5(2):135-8. PMID: 22331641; Gokaldas R, Singh, M, Lal S, Benenstein RJ, Sahni R. Carotid Stenosis: From Diagnosis to Management, Where Do We Stand? Current Atherosclerosis Reports. 2015 Feb;17(2):480.PMID: 25609266

Specialty
Neurology
Vascular Neurology

Clinical Focus
Ischemic Stroke
Hemorrhagic Stroke
Vascular Malformations
Arterial Dissection
Carotid Stenosis
Migraine

Hospital Affiliation
Phelps Hospital
Northern Westchester Hospital

Director, Neuroendovascular Surgery, Phelps Hospital

As Director of Neuroendovascular Surgery at Phelps Hospital and a member of the Department of Neurosurgery at Lenox Hill Hospital, Yafell Serulle, MD, PhD specializes in the endovascular treatment of stroke, intracranial aneurysms, vascular malformations, atherosclerotic disease of the neck and head vasculature and other vascular pathologies of the head, neck and spine. His clinical interests also include the treatment of vertebral compression fractures using minimally invasive techniques. Dr. Serulle has authored numerous publications in top peer-reviewed journals and has contributed to several book chapters on the topics of neurointervention.

Languages Spoken
Spanish

Education
MD – Universidad Nacional Pedro Henriquez Ureña, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; PhD – New York University School of Medicine

Residency
Diagnostic Radiology – New York University School of Medicine

Fellowship
Neuroradiology – University of Maryland Medical Center; Interventional Neuroradiology – University of Maryland Medical Center Board Certification Diagnostic Radiology – American Board of Radiology/Diagnostic Radiology; Neuroradiology – American Board of Radiology/Neuroradiology

Professional Membership
Society of Neurointerventional Surgery; American College of Radiology; American Society of Neuroradiology; Reviewer, American Journal of Neuroradiology; Reviewer, Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Reviewer, Neurographics

Publications
Carr, K., Tew, D., Becerra, L., Siddall, K., Dubensky, L., Serulle, Y.: Endovascular aspiration of a symptomatic free-floating common carotid artery thrombus. Neuroradiology, 2018 Aug 14; Miskin, N., Patel, H., Franceschi, A.M., Ades-Aron, B., Le, A., Damadian, B.E., Stanton, C., Serulle, Y., Golomb, J., Gonen, O., Rusinek, H., George, A.E.: Diagnosis of Normal-Pressure Hydrocephalus: Use of Traditional Measures in the Era of Volumetric MR Imaging. Radiology, 2017 May 10:161216; Thakur, S.K., Serulle, Y., Miskin, N.P., Rusinek, H., Golomb, J., George, A.E.: Lumbar Puncture Test in Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus: Does the Volume of CSF Removed Affect the Response to Tap? American Journal of Neuroradiology, 2017 May 4

Ashley Stewart received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Binghamton University Decker School of Nursing in 2012. She began her career on a medical-surgical unit at NYP Lawrence Hospital, before being accepted into the Emergency Department Fellowship Program at Northern Westchester Hospital in 2014.

She continued to work as a clinical nurse in the emergency department, while she took on the role of stroke coordinator in 2017. Ashley now works full-time as the stroke coordinator at NWH, working closely with the entire hospital team to continue to promote excellent patient care and safety in our Joint Commission certified stroke center.

Board certifications
Neurology – American Board of Psychiatry / Neurology-Neurology
Vascular Neurology – American Board of Psychiatry / Neurology-Vasc. Neuro

Administrative titles
Director – Stroke Program, Department of Neurology, Northern Westchester Hospital

Education
New York Medical College

Residencies
New York Medical College
Westchester Medical Center

Fellowships
Westchester Medical Center

Affiliations
Lenox Hill Hospital
Northern Westchester Hospital
Phelps Memorial Hospital Center

Having completed her neurology residency and vascular neurology fellowship at Wright State University in Dayton, OH, Umran Ugur, MD, is returning to New York as a vascular neurologist at Northwell Health.

She has dedicated her training to treating patients with strokes and complex neurovascular disorders and treats each patient as an individual, with empathy and compassion. Dr. Ugur believes in giving her patients the knowledge and tools to work together as a team to meet their healthcare needs.

Kelly Wexlar serves as Program Director for Northwell Health’s Neurosciences. Kelly leads the program’s Continuing Medical Education and community outreach events throughout New York. She also builds Northwell Neurosciences’ presence in our medical and patient communities through marketing, PR, corporate partnerships, and various initiatives across the health system.

Receiving an M.B.A from Fordham University, Kelly previously worked at The Boston Consulting Group for the firm’s global Private Equity and Principal Investors group. Kelly is deeply passionate about bringing diverse perspectives to neurosciences and committed to further innovating the department by leveraging new thought leadership and cutting-edge technologies shaping the field.