Spinal Neurosurgeon
Johns Hopkins University

Dr. Jin is joining South Shore University Hospital in July 2022 as the Director of Complex Spine Surgery and Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery at the Zucker School of Medicine 

Yike Jin, MD is a fellowship-trained, complex spine neurosurgeon who will be joining Northwell Health’s South Shore University Hospital in July 2022.  Dr. Jin earned his undergraduate degree and MD at Johns Hopkins University and is completing his residency and CAST-certified fellowship in complex spine surgery and robotics at Johns Hopkins Hospital.  During this time Dr. Jin received dedicated training in spinal trauma, deformity correction and spinal oncology, and was awarded the prestigious Irving J. Sherman Award for Resident Achievement.  Dr. Jin’s clinical interests include brain tumors, Chiari malformation, trigeminal neuralgia, spinal degeneration and deformity, and spinal oncology.  He also has an interest in minimally invasive spine surgery and surgical navigation and innovation. 

President, Medical Board
Vice Chair, Neurosurgery
Trauma Liaison, Neurosurgery, South Shore University Hospital
Assistant Professor, Neurosurgery, Zucker School of Medicine

Justin Michael Thomas, MD, FACS, FAANS, is ABNS board certified in neurological surgery and treats primary and metastatic brain and spine tumors, hydrocephalus, Chiari malformation and degenerative spine disease, in addition to cranial and spinal neurotrauma. Dr. Thomas completed his undergraduate education as a Presidential Honors Scholar at New York University, graduating magna cum laude. He earned his medical degree from New York University School of Medicine, also with honors. During medical school, Dr. Thomas pursued his interest in medical ethics and is a published author and theme issue editor of the AMA Journal of Ethics.

Director, Orthopedic Spine Surgery, Southside Hospital
Assistant Professor, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell

Dr. Daniel J. Brandenstein is the Director of Orthopedic Spinal Surgery at Southside Hospital. He has been at Southside Hospital for greater than 10 years and specializes in adult spinal conditions. Arthritic and degenerative condition’s as well as trauma and cancer related spinal surgery is his focus. He utilizes a conservative approach with all aspects of non – operative care prior to initiating surgical planning.

David J. Chalif, MD, FACS, is the chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at South Shore University Hospital. He joined Northwell Health in 2005 as the chief of cerebrovascular surgery. With more than 35 years of surgical experience in the treatment of cerebral aneurysms, vascular malformations and malignant and benign brain tumors, Dr. Chalif now leads a multidisciplinary department that treats the full range of neurosurgical disorders.

Dr. Chalif founded the Brain Aneurysm Center at North Shore University Hospital, a cutting-edge program consisting of microsurgery, neurointerventional radiology, fellowship training and neurointensive care. In addition to helping to train future physicians at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, he contributes to the future of brain aneurysm treatments through ongoing research and has been published in medical journals such as Neurosurgical Review, World Neurosurgery and Operative Neurosurgery.

Dr. Chalif is certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery (1988) and is a member of numerous professional organizations, including the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, the Congress of Neurological Surgeons and the Cerebrovascular Section of the AANS/CNS. He is a past president of the Nassau Surgical Society (2003) and was past chair of the annual Nassau Surgical Society clinic day in neurosurgery.

As a recognized leader in his field, Dr. Chalif has been a recipient of the national Brain Aneurysm Foundation’s Physician Champion Award and is a member of the Brain Aneurysm Foundation Medical Advisory Board. He is a true advocate for his patients, having lobbied on Capitol Hill and met with members of the U.S. Congress to raise awareness of brain aneurysms. Dr. Chalif also champions community outreach and spearheads fundraising efforts to support neurosurgery research. He organized and started Long Island’s Annual Brain Aneurysm Walk, an annual event that has been running for over a decade and has raised over $800,000 for brain aneurysm research. 

Dr. Chalif attended medical school at the University of Chicago, graduating in 1979. He trained in neurosurgery at the New York University Department of Neurosurgery from 1979 to 1986, including a fellowship in neurology at the National Hospital for Neurological Diseases at Queen Square, London, in 1981. He earned his BA in biology from Wesleyan University in 1975.

Vice Chair, Radiation Medicine, Quality and Safety
South Shore University Hospital
Assistant Professor, Radiation Medicine
Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell

Board certified general radiation oncologist, William C. Chen, MD, is comfortable managing all disease sites utilizing modern technologies and techniques. He has a particular interest in stereotactic ablative radiation therapy and the potential role of local therapies in the management of advanced malignancies. Dr. Chen trained at Yale University, New York University School of Medicine, Yale-New Haven Hospital and University Hospitals of Case Western Reserve University. Before joining Northwell Health, Dr. Chen was in private practice and served the communities of Erie and Niagara counties in western New York. He strives to deliver excellent patient-centered care and collaborates with the multidisciplinary team of experts. Outside of medicine, he enjoys photography, hiking and dining out.

Director, Neurosurgery
Peconic Bay Medical Center
Director, Neurosurgical Spine
Northwell Health Eastern Region
Associate Professor, Neurosurgery, Zucker School of Medicine

Having joined Northwell Health in 2017, Dr. Galler is a native New Yorker, completing his undergraduate degree at Hofstra University, his DO at New York College of Osteopathic Medicine and his MPH at Columbia University. He was an Associate Professor of Neurosurgery and Orthopaedics at Stony Brook for the first part of his career. Dr. Galler’s clinical practice focuses on a wide variety of spinal disorders, being dual fellowship trained in the fields of complex and minimally invasive spinal techniques.

Physiatrist
Northwell Health
Assistant Professor, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell

As a native Long Islander, Brian Golden, DO is proud to serve his community and practices at multiple locations throughout Suffolk County. Dr. Golden attended Binghamton University for his undergraduate studies and received his medical degree and doctorate from New York College of Osteopathic Medicine, graduating in 2015. He completed his residency training in physical medicine & rehabilitation from Nassau University Medical Center and a fellowship in pain medicine from the University of Michigan. Dr. Golden is board certified in both Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, as well as Pain Medicine.

Neurosurgeon
Assistant Professor, Neurosurgery, Zucker School of Medicine

Anthony Lau, MD, PhD, FRCSC specializes in minimally invasive spine surgery, adult spinal deformity, spinal trauma and cranial trauma. Dr. Lau completed his medical education at Queen’s University and earned his PhD in traumatic brain injury at the University of Toronto under the supervision of Dr. Michael Tymianski. Dr. Lau subsequently completed his neurosurgical training at the University of Toronto in 2016 where he developed an interest in spinal surgery under Dr. Michael Fehlings. Dr. Lau spent an additional year focusing on minimally invasive and complex spine surgery at the University of Miami under the auspices of Dr. Michael Wang, Dr. Allan Levi and Dr. Barth Green.

Sheng-fu Larry Lo, MD, MHS, FAANS, is a nationally renowned neurosurgeon who serves as the director of Spine Tumor Surgery and co-director of Spinal Deformity Surgery at North Shore University Hospital and the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. He joins us from The Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he served as the director of Spinal Oncology. He is a complex spine specialist, with special emphasis on spine tumors, spinal deformity, craniocervical junction abnormalities and spinal vascular disorders.

As a master clinician in his field, Dr. Lo treats some of the country s most challenging surgical cases. He provides his full attention to all his patients, giving them the same compassion and respect that he d give a family member. Patients also value Dr. Lo s conservative approach when assessing the need for surgery, exploring all nonoperative measures first before considering surgical intervention.

Collaboration in care is also important to Dr. Lo. He tailors each treatment plan based on his patients individual needs, and when necessary, teams up with Northwell experts from numerous fields, including physiatry, pain management, oncology and orthopedics.

Dr. Lo is an associate professor in neurosciences at the Zucker School of Medicine and is passionate about training the next generation of neurosurgeons. He regularly teaches advanced surgical techniques across the country, and has been recognized with various teaching awards, including the Excellence in Teaching Award at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

A widely recognized researcher, Dr. Lo has been published in more than 200 peer-reviewed articles, and has won many awards for his research, including the Rosenblum-Mahaley Award and the Improvement in Patient Safety Award. His recently published studies include novel sacrectomy techniques with nerve root preservation and sacroplasty reconstruction techniques with motion preservation.

Dr. Lo has received many recognitions for clinical excellence. In 2015, he won the Irving J. Sherman Award for Resident Achievement. He has also been named a Castle Connolly Rising Star in 2021 immediately upon arriving in New York, among many other honors.

Prior to arriving at Northwell, Dr. Lo received his medical training at Yale University School of Medicine, graduating with a combined medical and master of health sciences degree. He completed a residency in neurosurgery, and a fellowship in complex spine surgery and spinal oncology at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Dr. Lo is part of many notable organizations and serves on numerous committees, including the Section on Spinal Oncology for the North American Spine Society and Program Committee for the Lumbar Spine Research Society. He is a member of the Spine Tumor Academy, a global coalition of leading experts in spinal oncology. He is a Fellow of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and is board-certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgeons.

Senior Vice President, Neurosurgery
Co-director, Institute for Neurology and Neurosurgery
Northwell Health
Chair, Neurosurgery
North Shore University Hospital
Long Island Jewish Medical Center
Chair, Neurosurgery
Zucker School of Medicine

Daniel M. Sciubba, MD, is Northwell’s senior vice president of neurosurgery, chair of neurosurgery at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and co-director of Northwell Health’s Institute for Neurology and Neurosurgery. Prior to joining Northwell, Dr. Sciubba served as professor of neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery, oncology, radiation oncology and molecular radiation sciences at Johns Hopkins University (JHU) School of Medicine. A nationally renowned expert in complex spinal conditions, Dr. Sciubba also served as JHU’s director of spinal tumor and deformity surgery, as well as director of the multidisciplinary spinal oncology board and clinic.

Dr. Sciubba received his medical degree from the College of Physicians & Surgeons at Columbia University and a Master of Business Administration from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. His post-doctoral training included a residency in neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital and two complex spine fellowships at JHU and Shriners Hospital in Philadelphia, PA. Dr. Sciubba also completed a research fellowship in neuro-oncology at the National Institutes of Health/Hopkins. A highly regarded researcher, Dr. Sciubba has authored over 500 peer reviewed papers, has edited three books, and has received grants from multiple foundations, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). Dr. Sciubba also serves on the editorial board of several prominent neurosurgery and spine journals.

Joining Northwell Health in 2019, Ina Terón, MD, MPH is a dually board certified endovascular neurologist with fellowship training in both endovascular and vascular neurology. Dr. Terón completed her Bachelor of Science degree magna cum laude, her Master of Public Health summa cum laude and her medical degree magna cum laude. Dr. Terón has been involved in research throughout her career, including several studies that focus on stroke and the treatment of cerebral aneurysms. She is bilingual in English and Spanish.

Melanie Lopez-Humann, MBA, PA-C is the Senior Director of Operations for the Neuroscience Program at South Shore University Hospital (SSUH) in Bay Shore, part of Northwell Health. Recruited for this role in 2018, Ms. Lopez-Humann is directly responsible for the development and operations of the rapidly expanding neurology, neurosurgery and neuro-endovascular programs. Under Ms. Lopez-Humann‘s leadership, SSUH’s scope of neuroscience services have grown significantly, providing patients a higher level of both emergent and routine care not previously available to Suffolk residents at a Northwell facility.

Ms. Lopez-Humann has 20 years of clinical experience as a board certified physician assistant, and specializes in the field of neurosurgery. She also earned her Master of Business Administration from Adelphi University’s Robert B. Willumstad School of Business, having graduated with honors. Prior to joining the leadership team at Southside Hospital, Ms. Lopez-Humann held a senior-level management position for nearly 10 years where she not only cared for patients, but also oversaw a large, private practice physician assistant team that covered nine hospitals throughout Nassau County.

Program Director
Neurosciences
South Shore University Hospital

Jennifer Salay joined neurosciences at Northwell Health in 2007 and for the last three years has been the Program Director for Neurosciences at South Shore University Hospital (SSUH). Throughout her tenure at Northwell, Ms. Salay has spearheaded professional, patient and consumer education, physician and community outreach, partnerships and sponsorships with other organizations, philanthropic efforts, internal communications, and marketing initiatives related to areas both within and outside of neurosciences.

Ms. Salay graduated from New York Institute of Technology Summa cum Laude and leads SSUH’s internal communications and 360 Communication Committee, has been the administrative chair of Northwell’s annual brain aneurysm walk since 2008 and sits on Northwell’s Katz Institute Collaborative. Ms. Salay is also a member of EPIC Long Island/Epilepsy Foundation of Long Island’s Professional Advisory Board and has been a member of their annual dinner gala planning committee for the last several years. Ms. Salay has also sat on numerous past Northwell committees, including the Community Benefit Excellent Council, Women’s Health Collaborative Group, the Stroke Task Force and the Ambulatory Services Diversity & Health Equity Site Council. From 2017-2019 Ms. Salay chaired Northwell’s Neuroscience Nursing Conference and in 2019 was the Administrative Director for the New York Society for Neurosurgery.