As a world-renowned leader in the field of Parkinson’s disease and movement disorders, Alessandro Di Rocco, MD has been the principal and co-investigator of numerous research studies including NIH and major national and international foundation-sponsored studies, having been awarded nearly two dozen grants to support his research efforts. Dr. Di Rocco serves in the Board of director of the Parkinson’s Foundation and of the Fresco Foundation and Fresco Parkinson’s Institute. Dr. Di Rocco also serves on many advisory boards and committees including the WHO Parkinson’s program, and the World Forum on Parkinson’s. He has authored over 100 articles, 12 books and book chapters, over 150 abstracts and other publications.
Education
MD – Universita’ di Genova, Facolta’ di Medicina e Chirurgia, Genova, Italy
Residency
Neurology – Mount Sinai Medical Center
Fellowship
Movement Disorders and Geriatric Neurology – Mount Sinai Medical Center
Board
Certification Neurology – American Board of Psychiatry/Neurology
Clinical Trial & Research Interest
Integrated Model Care for Parkinson’s Disease and Other Neurological Disorders, Innovative Care Models for Advanced Parkinson’s Disease, Neurorestoration and Neuromodulation in Parkinson’s Disease and Related Disorders, Neurochemistry and Neuropharmacology of Parkinson’s Disease, Pharmacological Treatment of Parkinson’s Disease, Trans-Methylation in the Nervous System, Health Disparities in the Care of Neurological Patients
Awards & Professional
Recognition Travel Grant Award, International Federation of Parkinson’s Disease Foundations, 1994; Neurology Residency Teacher Award, Mount Sinai Medical Center, 1996; Medical Student’s Teacher Award, Mount Sinai Medical Center, 1996; Presidential Award, Spotlight Award-Recognition of Excellence, Mount Sinai Medical Center, 1997; The Nell and Herbert Singer Research Grant Award, 1998; Elected to the World Federation of Neurology, Committee on Extrapyramidal Research, 2002; European Academy Fellow and Achievement Award, 2003; America’s Top Physicians, Consumer’s Research Council of America, 2005–2013; Compassionate Doctor Award, American Medical Registry, 2013; Italian Heritage and Cultural Commission Award, 2015; Dean’s Honor Day, New York University, 2017
Professional Membership
Board of Directors, Parkinson’s Foundation, Miami-New York; Board of Directors, Melvin Yahr International Parkinson’s Disease Foundation; Board of Directors and Past President, Movement Disorders Society; American Academy of Neurology; International Association of Parkinsonism and Related Disorders; Parkinson Study Group
Specialty
Movement Disorders, Neurology Clinical Focus Parkinson’s Disease, Huntington’s Disease, Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, Multiple System Atrophy, Corticobasal Degeneration, Abnormal Gait, Ataxia, Spasmodic Dysphonia, Tourette Syndrome, Botox, Restless Leg Syndrome, Hemifacial Spasm, Deep Brain Stimulation, Meige Syndrome, Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus, Spasmodic Torticollis, Blepharospasm, Dystonia, Involuntary Muscle Jerking, Spasticity, REM Behavior Disorder, Lewy Body Dementia, Essential Tremor, Movement Disorders
Hospital Affiliation
North Shore University Hospital, Lenox Hill Hospital, Long Island Jewish Medical Center
Patient Office
Northwell Health Physician Partners Neuroscience Institute at Great Neck, 611 Northern Boulevard, Suite 150, Great Neck, NY 11021, (516) 325-7000, Fax (516) 325-7001
Northwell Health Physician Partners Neurology at Lenox Hill, 130 East 77th Street, 8 Black Hall, New York, NY 10075, (516) 325-7000, Fax (516) 325-7001
Joining Northwell Health in 2017, Ruben I. Kuzniecky, MD is internationally recognized in the fields of epilepsy, epilepsy surgery and neuroimaging. Dr. Kuzniecky has been awarded numerous research grants including one from the National Institutes of Health to organize the Epilepsy Phenome/ Genome Project. Dr. Kuzniecky is widely published, having authored two books, over 300 peer-reviewed publications and 40 book chapters. He was one of the first scientists to identify and prove that mesial temporal sclerosis is identifiable by MRI. Dr. Kuzniecky has three patents for his work related to epilepsy and has several additional patent applications pending.
Internationally recognized for his clinical, research and teaching expertise, Souhel Najjar, MD, has dedicated his career to diagnosing and treating epilepsy of all ages, complex neurological disorders, and autoimmune disorders of the peripheral and the central nervous system. As CoDirector of the Northwell’s Institute for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Dr. Najjar directs a multidisciplinary team.of experts shaping the field of neuroscience. Under his leadership, the Team’s accomplishments include our hospitals’ continued preeminent rankings in US News and World Report, top accreditation by the National Association of Epilepsy Centers and The Joint Commission and NYS Accreditation of 2
Comprehensive Stroke Centers, 15 Department of Health Primary Centers; creating the first of its kind inpatient Parkinson’s Program, and developing our Memory Disorders and Headache Centers. Founder of the Autoimmune Brain Disorders and Autoimmune Encephalitis Center, he is internationally recognized for his expertise in diagnosing and managing complex CNS autoimmune disorders attracting patients from all over the world. Serving as Chief Medical Director for the Center for Executive and Global Services, Dr. Najjar brings our world-class practices to medical professionals worldwide.
Anna Bank, MD is the Director of Epilepsy at Long Island Jewish Medical Center and an Assistant Professor of Neurology at the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. Her primary clinical and research interest is the medical and surgical management of drug-resistant focal epilepsy.
Kendra Cheng graduated from Johnson & Wales University PA program. She first worked in internal medicine before coming to Lenox Hill Hospital’s Stroke Neurology service in 2018. At Lenox Hill, she has collaborated to create the ACP neurology team here to cover 24/7 stroke codes and consults,and has also expanded to become supervisor for all of inpatient
Neurology at Lenox Hill.
Robert A. Duarte, MD joined the North Shore-LIJ Health System in 1991 and is Director of the Pain Center and Assistant Professor of Neurology at Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine. Dr. Duarte is board certified in neurology, pain medicine and headache medicine and is also a certified acupuncturist. His clinical interests also include traumatic brain injury and concussion.
Dr. Duarte attended Ponce School of Medicine and completed his residency in neurology at Nassau University Medical Center. Post residency Dr. Duarte completed a fellowship in pain/headache management at Long Island Jewish Medical Center.
Dr. Duarte is President Elect of the New York State Pain Society and a member of the American Headache Society and American Academy of Neurology. He also sits on the Admissions Committee for Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine and is board member of the College of Health Professions in Syosset, NY.
Dr. Duarte has written multiple chapters on pain, headache, complementary medicine and traumatic brain injury. He lectures extensively and continues to participate in multiple research projects on pain and headache.
Dr. Gilberto’s approach to Medicine, Neurology and Alzheimer’s disease has always been dual: basic research and clinical practice. He has worked and collaborated with great scientists, such as Massimo Tabaton, George Perry, Mark Smith, Pierluigi Gambetti, Antonio Uccelli, Luciano D’Adamio and Peter Davies. The work with Dr. D’Adamio at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, lead to identify APP processing modulators, including ITMB2 (BRI2). At the Feinstein Institutes, Dr. Giliberto collaborates with a diverse range of excellent scientists, expanding the focus of his research to tau, microglia and the immune response, cell cycle and the treatment of tau pathology with engineered antibodies.
Dr. Giliberto works with patients affected by Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, providing clinical care and trials, helping them and their families to cope with the disruption that this disease brings to their lives.
This dual role has allowed him to broaden his view of the disease, as the inspiration he receives from patients at every encounter is invaluable.
Dr. Giliberto teaches clinical neurology to medical students, Neurology, Medicine and Psychiatry residents at Hofstra University and North Shore University Hospital, and trains MD/PhD and PhD students in the laboratory at the Feinstein Institutes.
Dr. Giliberto graduated summa cum laude at the University of Milano Medical School, in Italy, completed his Neurology residency at the Medical school of Genova, Italy and at North Shore University Hospital, Northwell-Hofstra. He obtained his PhD in neuroscience from the Medical school of Genova, Italy while doing research at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
Asaff Harel MD MSC is an Associate Professor of Neurology at the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and serves as the Director of the Comprehensive Multiple Sclerosis Center as well as the North Shore/LIJ Neurology Residency Program. He subspecializes in the care of people with neuroimmunological conditions such as multiple sclerosis, neuromyelitis optica,MOGAD, sarcoidosis, central nervous system vasculitis, and other related conditions. He received his medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He completed bothvresidency and a neuroimmunology fellowship at the Mount Sinai Hospital. Outside of clinical work and teaching, Dr. Harel is devoted to research and is involved in several clinical trials and internal research projects studying MS and related conditions.
Margaret Irwin is the Rehabilitation Clinical Educator at Northwell Health Glen Cove Hospital. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy from the University of Hartford in 2002 and has over 22 years of clinical experience, primarily within the inpatient acute rehabilitation setting. Throughout her career, Margaret has gained extensive expertise in working with patients who have experienced stroke, brain injury, limb loss, spinal cord injury, and other medically complex conditions. In 2022, Margaret advanced into the role of Clinical Educator at Northwell Health Glen Cove Hospital, where she focuses on both therapy team members and patient education. She has played a pivotal role in the development and implementation of programs aimed at enhancing patient education, creating diagnosis-specific training modules for team members, and establishing comprehensive orientation pathways for new therapy clinicians. Margaret is also actively involved in a knowledge-to-translation performance improvement project focused on managing Parkinson’s disease patients by standardizing appropriate physical therapy interventions. She is dedicated to fostering a culture of lifelong learning, providing valuable educational opportunities for both patients and staff to ensure the highest quality of care.
Jeffrey M. Katz, MD is a Professor of Neurology and Radiology at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Director of Neuroendovascular Surgery and Chief of Vascular Services in the Department of Neurology, and Director of Neuroendovascular Surgery and the Interventional Neurology Fellowship at South Shore University Hospital. Dr. Katz is board certified in Neurology and Vascular Neurology, has a Recognized Focused Practice in CNS Endovascular Surgery by the American Board of Neurological Surgery, and is certified by the United Counsel of Neurologic Subspecialties in Interventional Neurology. Dr. Katz was the founding Director of the Comprehensive Stroke Center at North Shore University Hospital between 2006 and 2023. He is clinically active in the care of patients with ischemic stroke, intracerebral and subarachnoid hemorrhage, pulsatile tinnitus, intracranial aneurysms, vascular malformations of the brain and spine, carotid and vertebral arterial disease and intracranial steno-occlusive disease. Dr. Katz also provides minimally invasive treatments for idiopathic intracranial hypertension (pseudotumor cerebri) with venous sinus stenting, and embolization of the middle meningeal artery for subdural hematomas. Under his directorship, NSUH received Joint Commission disease specific certification as a Primary Stroke Center in 2008 and as a Comprehensive Stroke Center in 2014. In a synchronized effort between the Health System’s Stroke Task Force and the Center for Emergency Medical Services, Dr. Katz pioneered the development of the health system’s Stroke Rescue Program, which coordinates emergency transfers of stroke patients from neighboring Health System and non-system hospitals to NSUH for comprehensive acute stroke care. He also led the development of the Northwell Health TeleStroke Program and was integral to the creation of many of the health system’s stroke policies and clinical guidelines. He has been the Principal Investigator on numerous NIH and industry sponsored clinical trials and registries and won the Principal Investigator of the Year award for Northwell Health in 2019. His research interests include the use of implantable cardiac monitors in stroke patients, early imaging in acute stroke, and acute endovascular thrombectomy, and he has received research grant support from the NIH and industry.
Dr. Katz received his MD from New York University School of Medicine. He completed neurology residency at New York Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Cornell Medical Center. Dr. Katz then completed fellowship training at Cornell in stroke, neurointensive care and neuroendovascular surgery. He joined Northwell Health in 2006.
Noah Kieffer is a PA-C who completed his MPAS degree at The University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and an additional PA residency at Clement. Zablocki VA Medical Center. Noah’s focus and further training has been on Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders with particular attention on combing the art and science of Medicine.
Outside of medicine, he enjoys attending the theater as well as playing video games.
Dr. Libman earned a bachelor of science degree and a medical degree from the McGill University school of medicine, Montréal, Canada. He completed a residency in neurology at the Albert Einstein College of medicine and a fellowship in stroke at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center/New York Neurological Institute.
Dr. Libman is a vice chairman of neurology. He joined the health system in 1993 as a stroke neurologist at LIJ. Under Dr. Libman’s leadership, LIJ became one of the leading centers in the country for clinical trials testing innovative treatments for stroke, including participating in the landmark National Institutes of Health study on the clot busting drug TPA, which revolutionized the treatment of acute stroke. Under Dr. Libman’s leadership, LIJ won the American Heart Associations’ highest awards for quality of care of stroke patients. In his leadership role of the North Shore-LIJ Stroke Task Force, Dr. Libman oversaw the accreditation of all health system hospitals as New York State Department of Health designated primary stroke centers.
Dr. Libman has published extensively in various neurological and stroke journals, with numerous book chapters and has presented his work at national and international meetings. He is a professor of neurology at the Hofstra Northwell school of medicine, a member of the American Academy of Neurology, American Heart/American Stroke Association and the American Medical Association. He has been given the teacher of the year award on several occasions.
Mara McCrossin graduated from New York University School of Nursing in 2009, and has consistently pursued her passion for neurosciences, starting her career as a bedside nurse on a neuroscience unit and then joining a neuroscience intensive care unit as a Nurse Practitioner. She graduated from Stony Brook University School of nursing with a Master’s degree as an Adult Health Nurse Practitioner in 2017, and has honed her skills in various roles, culminating in her current position at Northwell’s Glen Cove Hospital Acute Inpatient Rehabilitation in Glen Cove, NY where she joined the Parkinson’s and Movement Disorders rehabilitation team in 2021. She was promoted to Supervisor of the Advanced Clinical Providers for the Rehabilitation Service Line in 2023. Mara has found immense reward in witnessing the positive impact of rehabilitation on her patients’ lives. This dedication has driven her to become a voice for the Parkinson’s community, presenting her work at national and international conferences, and publications in national journals.
Nationally recognized for her clinical expertise, research and teaching, Dr Juliann Paolicchi joined Northwell Health System’s Epilepsy service in 2021 to expand the practice in pediatric epilepsy. Her research focuses on utilizing new technologies and treatments to help improve the quality of life of people with epilepsy. Her clinical expertise encompasses the genetic diagnosis and treatment of epileptic conditions, surgical options for drug-resistant epilepsy, and non-pharmacological treatments for epilepsy, such as neuromodulation and dietary therapies.
In addition, Dr. Paolicchi has recently developed a clinical and research focus on the presentation of autoimmune encephalitis in children.
Dr. Paolicchi has been internationally recognized by her peers, research granting organizations and prestigious professional associations. She has been named a Fellow of the American Epilepsy Society, the American Academy of Neurology, and a Professor of the Child Neurology Association. Previously, she was the Director of Pediatric Neurology at The Ohio State University, Vanderbilt University, and Weill Cornell Medical Center. She is a reviewer and editor of several peer-related journals, an investigator in over 90 clinical trials, and has been published in 90 journals and books.
She is an advocate for people living with epilepsy through her dedication to community education, and her service on Professional Advisory Boards of the Epilepsy Foundation of America.
Director Movement Disorders – Central Region
Director of Deep Brain Stimulation
Northwell Health
Associate Professor of Neurology
Zucker School of Medicine
Having dedicated his career to the evaluation and treatment of patients with Parkinson’s and other movement disorders, Ritesh A. Ramdhani, MD is a leader in his field. Prior to joining Northwell Health, Dr. Ramdhani held leadership positons at several organizations and is actively involved in resident and student teaching, contributing to the development of tomorrow’s physicians. Dr. Ramdhani’s research interests include using motion sensor technology to better characterize Parkinson’s motor symptoms and subsequently develop computational frameworks to potentially predict medication and deep brain stimulation responses.
Education
MD – Mount Sinai Medical School
Residency
Neurology – Mount Sinai Medical Center
Fellowship
Movement Disorders – Mount Sinai Medical Center
Board Certification
Neurology – American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
Clinical Trial & Research Interest
Investigation of the Use of Wearable Sensor Technology to Improve the Application of Existing Therapies for Parkinson’s Disease and Tremor, Site Principal Investigator for the APPRISE Trial, which Studies the Impact of the Parkinson’s Kinetograph (PKG) from Global Kinetics, Inc. on Decision Making Among Movement Disorders Specialists
Awards & Professional Recognition
Resident Member, Alpha Omega Alpha, 2012; House Staff Physician of the Year, Mount Sinai Medical Center, 2010; Employee Appreciation Award for Outstanding Patient Care, Mount Sinai Medical Center, 2008
Professional Membership
American Academy of Neurology; Movement Disorders Society; American Neurological Association; Editorial Board, International Journal of Neurology and Neurotherapy, 2014; Editorial Board, Journal of Clinical Movement Disorders, 2016; International Journal of Neuroscience, 2015; Reviewer, Journal of Neurological Sciences, 2016; Reviewer, Journal of Clinical Movement Disorders, 2016; Reviewer, Tremor and Other Hyperkinetic Movements, 2017; Reviewer, Journal of Parkinson’s Disease, 2017
Publications
Khojandi, A., Shylo, O., Mannini, L., Kopell, B.H., Ramdhani, R.A.: Stratifying Parkinson’s Patients with STN-DBS into High Frequency or 60Hz-Frequency Modulation using a Computational Model. Neuromodulation, May 8, 2017; doi: 10.1111/ner.12607 [PMID 28480524]
Ramdhani, R.A., Khojandi, A., Shylo, O., Kopell, B.H.: Optimizing Clinical Assessments in Parkinson’s Disease Through the Use of Wearable Sensors and Data Driven Modeling. Frontiers In Computational Neuroscience, 12:72. https://doi.org/10.3389/ fncom.2018.00072
Ramdhani, R.A., Kumar, V., Velickovic, M., Frucht, S.J., Tagliati, M., Simonyan, K.: What’s special about task in dystonia? A voxel-based morphometry and diffusion tensor imaging study. Mov Disord, August 2014;29(9):1141-50 [PMID 24925463]
Specialty
Neurology
Clinical Focus
Parkinson’s Disease
Atypical Parkinsonism
Tremor
Dystonia
Restless Leg Syndrome
Hemifacial Spasm
Tic Disorder
Chorea
Botulinum Toxin Therapy
Deep Brain Stimulation
Hospital Affiliation
North Shore University Hospital, Lenox Hill Hospital
Patient Office
Northwell Health Physician Partners Neuroscience Institute at Great Neck, 611 Northern Boulevard, Suite 150, Great Neck, NY 11021, (516) 325-7000, Fax (516) 325-7001
Northwell Health Physician Partners Neurology at Lenox Hill, 130 East 77 Street, 8 Black Hall, New York, NY 10075, (516) 325-7000, Fax (516) 325-7001
Dr. Rosen works in Great Neck, NY and specializes in general neurology, headache & pain medicine. Dr. Rosen is affiliated with North Shore University Hospital and Long Island Jewish Medical Center.
Board certifications
Neurology – American Board of Psychiatry / Neurology-Neurology
Psychiatry – American Board of Psychiatry / Neurology-Psychiatry
Pain Management – American Board of Psych / Neurology-Pain Medicine
Academic titles
Associate Professor, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell
Education
Georgetown University School of Medicine
Residencies
New York University School of Medicine
New York University School of Medicine
Fellowships
Thomas Jefferson University Hospital & Med College
Affiliations
Long Island Jewish Medical Center
North Shore University Hospital
Northwell Health Neuroscience Institute
Katz Institute for Women’s Health
Senior Neuropsychologist, Northwell Health – Lenox Hill Hospital.
Assistant Professor at Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell
Beril Yaffe, PhD joined Northwell Health in 2020. She currently oversees the neuropsychology service at Lenox Hill Hospital, and she has been involved in training programs at Lenox Hill Hospital in Neuropsychology across various levels. Her focus includes neuropsychological assessments of patients with epilepsy, dementia, stroke, autoimmune encephalitis, traumatic brain injury and brain tumors.
