Neurosurgery Clinical Instructors
Kumar Abhinav, BSc. (Hons.), MBBS, FRCS (Neurosurgery)
Cerebrovascular Surgery
Dr Abhinav obtained his medical degree from the Guy's, King's and St Thomas' School of Medicine, King's College London, University of London. During his medical training he also obtained an additional Bachelor of Science degree in Radiological Sciences. He undertook his neurosurgical training in Bristol and Plymouth and completed it in July 2017. He was awarded the Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of England in Neurosurgery in 2016.
He also undertook an enfolded two year research fellowship towards the award of doctor of medicine as a postdoctoral associate in the Department of Neurosurgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Centre. This period under the mentorship of Drs. Juan C Fernandez-Miranda and Robert Friedlander was funded by the prestigious Ellison-Cliffe Travelling fellowship award from the Royal Society of Medicine, London and the University of Pittsburgh Brain Institute. During this placement in the surgical neuroanatomy and imaging laboratory, he built up expertise in detailed neurosurgical anatomy particularly those pertaining to the complex skull base regions. This work led to descriptions of surgically relevant endoscopic skull base anatomy. He also extensively investigated the use of advanced white matter imaging techniques in examining the structural connections in the normal brain and in pathologies like tumors and cavernous malformations. This information was used to devise least invasive neurosurgical approaches and obtain imaging markers for prognostication.
His research work has led to multiple peer reviewed publications and presentations at scientific meetings.
He has also contributed book chapters on skull base anatomy and is currently co-editing the Neurosurgery section of the Gray's Applied Surgical Anatomy (Elsevier) textbook, a major international project.
He is passionate about training and has published a well reviewed textbook for medical students and junior residents titled 'Rapid Neurology and Neurosurgery' (Wiley-Blackwell).
Dr Abhinav is currently pursuing a cerebrovascular fellowship and upon completion of his subspecialist fellowships intends to pursue a clinical academic career in cerebrovascular and skull base neurosurgery.
Geoff Appelboom, MD, PhD
Neurosurgical Spine
Dr Appelboom is Clinical Instructor of Neurosurgery at Stanford. Dr Appelboom is focused on advancing minimally invasive surgical techniques for diseases of the brain and spine.
He spent 3 years of integrated PhD research at Columbia University to study genetic predictors of vascular fragility. Dr Appelboom has authored over 65 peer reviewed publications in international journals including Stroke, Translational Stroke Research, Current Atherosclerosis Reports, and Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry. He has also completed a master in stereotactic neurosurgery at La Sorbonne University in Paris.
Dr Appelboom was selected to be a 2017 Biodesign Faculty Fellow at Stanford and is part of the Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) Start-up Garage.
Dr Appelboom’s research efforts include med tech innovation to improve patients' lives. He has co-invented a wearable ultraviolet sensor to help patient with photosensitivity with Cornell University and is working on a new technology using ultrasound for the treatment of stroke with Khuri-Yakub Ultrasonics group.
Omid R. Hariri, D.O., MSc
Neurosurgical Spine
Omid R. Hariri, is a Clinical Instructor of Neurosurgery. He attended UCLA, where he obtained his BSc in Neurosciences and graduated with Summa Cum Laude. He pursued his research fellowship with Howard Hughes Medical Institution under the mentorship of Dr. Paul Micevych. He continued his graduate studies at UCLA, where he obtained his Masters in Neurobiology. He received his medical degree from Western University of Health Science in Pomona, CA.
Dr. Hariri completed his neurological surgery residency at Riverside University Health System in Riverside, CA. Under the direct mentorship of his Chairman, Javed Siddiqi, M.D., Ph.D., he became the first fellow to the Board of Directors of California Association of Neurological Surgeons (CANS). He is currently pursuing his fellowship training in Complex Spine Surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine.
Dr. Hariri has authored multiple peer reviewed publications in international journals. His research interests include Spinal Oncology and associated biomechanical instability.
Derek Martinez, MD
Functional Neurosurgery
Derek is originally from Alberta, Canada. He earned his BS Biology at Brigham Young University – Idaho and his MS Neuroscience at Brigham Young University. His thesis research in the lab of Dixon Woodbury, PhD, centered around the biophysical interaction between neurosecretory vesicle proteins and cellular membranes. He completed medical school at Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit, Michigan and neurological surgery residency at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center/University of Illinois Peoria.
In addition to functional neurosurgery, his neurosurgical interests include general neurosurgery, spine surgery and neurosurgical oncology.
He enjoys any and all activities with his wife and five children.
Antonio Meola, MD, PhD
Stereotactic Radiosurgery/CyberKnife program
Antonio Meola M.D. Ph.D graduated Summa cum Laude and Research Honors at the University of Pisa, Italy, in 2008, and completed his residency training in Neurosurgery at the same Institution in July 2015. Dr Meola attended a Ph.D program at the University of Florence, Italy, where he discussed a doctoral thesis entitled "A New Head-Mounted Display-based Augmented Reality System in Neurosurgical Oncology: a study on phantom".
Since 2/2014 to 1/2015 Dr Meola completed a Research Fellowship in Neurosurgical anatomy at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), under the Direction of Dr. Juan C. Fernandez-Miranda. The main focus of his research was the surgical neuroanatomy of the white matter tracts of the human brain.
Since 7/2015 to 6/2016 Dr Meola served as Clinical Fellow in Image-Guided Neurosurgery at the Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, in Boston, MA (Director: Dr. Alexandra J. Golby M.D.). During the fellowship, he focused on the clinical application and integration of advanced imaging techniques, including intraoperative-MRI, intraoperative US, functional MRI, tractography.
Since 7/2016 to 6/2017 Dr Meola completed a Neurosurgical Oncology Fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, OH, devoting his efforts to minimally-invasive neurosurgical techniques, such as Laser interstitial Thermal Therapy (LITT) and stereotactic radiosurgery (Gamma Knife), as well as to awake neurosurgery.
Justin Murray Moore, MD (Hon), PhD, LLB, B.Med.Sci (Hon), Grad Dip Surg Anatom, FRACS (Neurosurgery)
Specialty: Surgical Neuro-Oncology Skull Base Fellow
Justin Moore completed B.Med.Sci and Medical degrees at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia under a faculty scholarship and obtained first class honors in both. Justin also completed a law degree with an emphasis on medical law. He completed his intern year and basic surgical training at St Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne, Australia while obtaining a post-graduate diploma in surgical anatomy from Melbourne University. Justin was awarded a scholarship to Oxford University in the UK, where he completed a PhD in neuro-genomics, which focused on novel genes involve in neurodevelopment and tumor formation. Justin then returned to Australia and completed residency training in Neurosurgery, training at numerous hospitals including The Alfred, Monash and Royal Melbourne Hospitals before being awarded a fellowship of Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. He has just completed a cerebrovascular fellowship at BIDMC, Harvard Medical School in the USA. He has active research interests in cerebrovascular neurosurgery, neuro-oncology and the interaction between the law and neurosurgery
Troels Nielsen, MD, PhD
Cerebrovascular Surgery
Troels Nielsen was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. He attended medical School at the University of Odense School of Medicine, Denmark and finished his Neurosurgical Residency in 2013 at the Odense University Hospital, Denmark.
In 2014 he completed his PhD thesis from University of Southern Denmark, Faculty of Health Sciences focusing on changes in cerebral metabolism and mitochondrial function after ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke and subarachnoid haemorrhage.
Troels has been appointed as staff specialist at Odense University Hospital, Department of Neurosurgery since 2013 and as attending neurosurgeon from 2016.
In 2015 he was appointed Associate Professor at the Faculty of Health Science, Department of Clinical Research, University of Odense and is currently mentor and co-mentor of three PhD and two MD Master’s Thesis. His continuous research interest includes changes in cerebral metabolism and mitochondrial function in response to pathological conditions and potential treatments of mitochondrial dysfunction.
Of special clinical interest is cerebrovascular neurosurgery including revascularization techniques and treatment of complex aneurysms and arterio-venous malformations as well as cavernous malformations.
Troels enjoys his sparetime with wife and kids, enjoys travelling and endurance sports. Troels is a four-times Ironman triathlon finisher and 2016 Danish Champion in amateur short-course triathlon.
Augustus Jose Perez, MD
Pediatric Neurosurgical Service
Gus' home town is Austin, TX. He attended medical school at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. He completed his internship and residency training at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. He is now the Pediatric Neurosurgery Fellow at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital and Clinical Instructor of Neurosurgery in the Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery. His loving family includes Janelle Bennett and their two-year-old son, Hendrix.