Souhel Najjar, MD
Department Chair
Epilepsy, Neurology
Steven Pacia, MD
Department Vice Chair
Epilepsy, Neurophysiology
Asaff Harel, MD
Program Director
Neuroimmunology & Multiple Sclerosis
Joseph Diamond, MD
Associate Program Director
Neurology, Neurophysiology, Epilepsy
Meshia Addison, BS
Lead GME Training Program Administrator
Department of Neurology
Directors Message
Welcome to the North Shore LIJ Neurology Residency Program at Northwell Health! We are excited to share with you our vision for a unique training environment. Our program provides each resident with an outstanding training experience in a setting that promotes collegiality, well-being, and diversity. Our responsibility is to provide resources and guidance to ensure that every one of our residents becomes an exceptional neurologist, with unparalleled clinical exposure from two large academic medical centers.
Resident well-being is of utmost importance for us, and a balanced life is key to success. We provide several “wellness days” each year as well as protected time for residency retreats. Our mission is to serve as advocates and to ensure that residents achieve their full potential, not only in clinical practice but in scholarly activity and wellbeing outside the hospital.
Our culture is one of respect and inclusivity, and from the beginning of residency, we consider our residents to be teammates. Our faculty members are exceptional and devoted teachers who are comprehensive clinicians and experts in their own subspecialties. The collegial environment, coupled with exceptional clinical expertise, is what sets our program apart.
Mentorship is of utmost importance during residency, and we have a robust mentoring program led by Dr. Natasha Hameed, our Mentorship Program Director. Incoming residents are matched with faculty mentors based on shared interests and background. However, we know that residents’ interests evolve during residency, so we continue to identify appropriate mentors throughout the years in the program.
We expect all residents to participate in scholarly projects during their training. This may take the form of original research, case reports, reviews, community outreach, or quality improvement projects.
Many of our residents work with physicians or scientists through the Center for Neurosciences at The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, a renowned research institution that bridges the gaps to promote collaborations with clinicians throughout Northwell Health System.
We are searching for residents who demonstrate professionalism, tenacity, and are devoted to the field of neurology. We are looking for inquisitive go-getters who will do their very best to provide the utmost compassionate care to each patient.
We look forward to introducing you to our program!
Directors Message
Our responsibility is to provide resources and guidance to ensure that every one of our residents becomes an exceptional neurologist, with unparalleled clinical exposure from two large academic medical centers. Resident well-being is of utmost importance for us, and a balanced life is key to success. We provide several “wellness days” each year as well as protected time for residency retreats. Our mission is to serve as advocates and to ensure that residents achieve their full potential, not only in clinical practice but in scholarly activity and wellbeing outside the hospital.
Our culture is one of respect and inclusivity, and from the beginning of residency, we consider our residents to be teammates. Our faculty members are exceptional and devoted teachers who are comprehensive clinicians and experts in their own subspecialties. The collegial environment, coupled with exceptional clinical expertise, is what sets our program apart.
Mentorship is of utmost importance during residency, and we have a robust mentoring program led by Dr. Natasha Hameed, our Mentorship Program Director. Incoming residents are matched with faculty mentors based on shared interests and background. However, we know that residents’ interests evolve during residency, so we continue to identify appropriate mentors throughout the years in the program.We expect all residents to participate in scholarly projects during their training. This may take the form of original research, case reports, reviews, community outreach, or quality improvement projects.
Many of our residents work with physicians or scientists through the Center for Neurosciences at The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, a renowned research institution that bridges the gaps to promote collaborations with clinicians throughout Northwell Health System. We are searching for residents who demonstrate professionalism, tenacity, and are devoted to the field of neurology. We are looking for inquisitive go-getters who will do their very best to provide the utmost compassionate care to each patient.
We look forward to introducing you to our program!
Our Faculty
Jeffrey M. Katz, MD
Interventional Endovascular Neurology, Vascular Neurology
Rohan Arora, MD
Vascular Neurology
Sakhshi Bajaj, MD
Movement Disorder Medicine
Li-Fen Chen, MD
Neurology
Alessandro Di Rocco, MD
Movement Disorder Medicine
Robert Alfonso Duarte, MD
Headache Medicine, Pain Medicine (acute)
Sean Tchanho Hwang, MD
Epilepsy, Neurophysiology
Ruben Itamar Kuzniecky, MD
Epilepsy
Fred Alexander Lado, MD
Epilepsy
Richard Libman, MD
Vascular Neurology
Chetan Malpe, MD
Epilepsy, Movement Disorder Medicine
Bibhuti Bhushan Mishra, MD
Neurophysiology, Neurology
Natasha Hameed, MD
Neuroimmunology and Multiple Sclerosis
Martin Niethammer, MD, PhD
Movement Disorder Medicine
Simona Vasilica Proteasa, MD
Epilepsy, Neurology
Ritesh Ramdhani, MD
Movement Disorder Medicine
Noah L. Rosen, MD
Headache Medicine
Surya M. Vishnubhakat, MD
Neuromuscular Medicine
Stephan Bickel, MD, PhD
Epilepsy, Neurology
Giacinto Grieco, MD
Neurology
Lyubov Rubin, MD
Neurology
Ronald Mark Kanner, MD
Neurology
Eliz H. Agopian, MD
Neuromuscular Medicine
Salman Azhar, MD
Vascular Neurology
Anna Maya Bank, MD
Epilepsy, Neurology
Shayna Sanguinetti, MD
Headache Medicine
Neeraj Singh, MD
Epilepsy, Neurology
Scott Jordan Stevens, MD
Epilepsy, Neurophysiology
Jai Dev Kumar, MD
Neurology, Sleep Medicine, Epilepsy
Michelle Esther Bobrow, MD
Neurophysiology, Neurology
Mordechai Zalman Smith, MD
Neuromuscular Medicine, Neurology
Samuel Singer, MD
Neuro-oncology
Philip Salvatore Ragone, MD
Neuromuscular Medicine, Neurology
Arada Weerawat, MD
Neuromuscular Medicine, Neurology
Mentorship is vital at every career stage, especially during residency when professional foundations are built. At North Shore/LIJ, each incoming resident is matched with a faculty mentor based on shared interests and background. Mentors and residents meet quarterly to discuss career goals, fellowship applications, research opportunities, and work-life balance. This structured mentorship ensures residents receive personalized guidance and support to thrive during training and beyond.
Natasha Hameed, Neurology Residency Mentorship Director
Connect with Us
Have questions about the program, research, or rotations? We welcome your inquiries and look forward to meeting future neurologists.