About Us

The Department of Neurosurgery was formed in 1959 as a division of the Department of Surgery at the University of Miami. The Neurosurgical Training Program was shortly established thereafter as a subset of the division of surgery. In 1962 the division enacted a Chairman, David H. Reynolds, M.D., who continued to supervise patient care and neurosurgical education until 1971 when the division became an autonomous department.

Hubert L. Rosomoff, M.D., D.Med.Sc., F.A.A.P.M.
Chairman 1971−1994

Upon the creation of the Department of Neurosurgery in 1971, Hubert L. Rosomoff, M.D., became the Chairman and Residency Program Director, remaining in his position until 1994.

Under the leadership of Dr. Rosomoff, the department pioneered research in hypothermia, cryosurgery, spine and brain injuries/surgery, tissue transplantation, cranial reconstruction, percutaneous cordotomy pain surgery, and rehabilitation. Dr. Rosomoff was the first to investigate and utilize lasers to conduct brain surgery. He also created numerous surgical techniques and procedures, and assisted in developing radiological criteria, which resulted in present day interpretations of CAT-Scans and MRIs. He also founded the University of Miami Comprehensive Pain Center; now known as The Rosomoff Comprehensive Pain Center, an internationally recognized Center of Excellence for the treatment of pain.

Dr. Rosomoff was nationally acclaimed and greatly increased the notoriety of the department through his involvement in a various neurosurgical organization. He was a founding member of the International Association for the Study of Pain, the President of the American Pain Society, President of the American Academy of Pain Medicine and the Eastern Pain Society. He served as Vice President of the Southern Neurosurgical Society, founder and President of the Southern Pain Society, among other prestigious organizations. He has served as Vice Chairman of the State of Florida Pain Management Commission, has consulted for a number of state and federal agencies, and was the editor to many scientific journals.

Larry K. Page M.D.
Co-Chairman 1971−1994

Larry K. Page M.D. served as the Co-Chairman with Dr. Rosomoff and also remained in his position until 1994.

Dr. Page played a very important role in establishing the clinical diversity of the department. He established the Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery in 1972. At the time of its inception, it was the only pediatric neurosurgery program in the state of Florida.

Barth A. Green, M.D., F.A.C.S.
Chairman 1995−2015

Dr. Green joined the faculty in 1975, having been trained at Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago. He was named Departmental Chairman in 1995. His commitment, vision, and dedication to help spinal cord injury patients inspired him to co-found the internationally-recognized Miami Project to Cure Paralysis in 1985. The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis has become the world’s largest, most comprehensive research center dedicated to finding more effective treatments and, ultimately, a cure for paralysis that results from spinal cord injury.

Under the direction of Dr. Green, The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis and the Department of Neurosurgery are now housed in the Lois Pope Life Center, a state-of-the-art facility, that opened its doors October 26, 2000. Named after the generosity and beneficence of its patron, Lois Pope, the center brings together all elements of the multi-pronged assault on paralysis and other neurological disorders, including stroke, brain trauma, and neurodegenerative diseases.

During his time with the Department of Neurosurgery, Dr. Green has extended the treatment of tumors and syringomyelia, creating one of the country’s largest clinical practices in spinal surgery. The department has been able to provide the most comprehensive care to its patients and has built a collaborative relationship with University of Miami physicians on various interdisciplinary levels.

Dr. Green has also made it a priority to create numerous organizations dedicated to the betterment of neurosurgical patients and people throughout the world. In addition to his responsibilities as Professor for the Department of Neurological Surgery, and President of The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, he also co-founded The Global Institute for Community Health and Development, Project Medishare for Haiti,Inc., and Shake-a-Leg Miami. A true believer in care without borders, he has received numerous honors for his commitment to patients no matter their circumstances.

Roberto C. Heros, M.D., F.A.C.S.
Co-Chairman 1995−2015

Dr. Robert C. Heros joined the University of Miami in 1995, as Professor and Co-Chairman of the Department of Neurological Surgery, as well as the Residency Program Director. Dr. Heros has placed an emphasis on training and international health. Dr. Heros developed and founded the University’s International Health Center. He is also a member of more than 50 international and national associations.

He also has greatly contributed to the advancement of cerebrovascular surgery at the University of Miami, having developed a substantial interest and experience in skull base approaches and surgical treatment of complex skull base tumors.

He has served as President of the American Association of Neurological Surgery and Chairman of the Neurovascular Committee of the World Federation of Neurological Surgeons. He has also founded and served as past Chairman of the National “Brain Attack” Coalition as well as past President of the American Academy of Neurological Surgery. He also received the 2010 AANS Cushing Medal, the highest award given to a neurosurgeon by the AANS.

In the fall of 2015, Dr. Green and then Dr. Heros stepped down from their administrative roles in the department, and Dr. Allan D. Levi became Chair of the Department, with Dr. Morcos serving as Co-Chair until 2023. Dr. Ricardo Komotar is the current Program Director, and the new resident contingent has recently increased to 4 per year. Some of the other major administrative heads include Dr. Michael Wang who is both the Spine Service Director and the leads one of the largest spine fellowship programs in the country. Dr Barth Green is the dean of Global Health and the Chair of the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis. Dr. Michael Ivan and Dr. Carolina Benjamin direct the skull base program. Dr John Jagid leads the functional and neurotrauma programs. Dr. Eric Peterson serves as the neuro-endovascular lead and Dr Starke as co-director. Dr. Adib Abla directs the cranial service at Jackson Memorial Hospital.

During the last 10 years, and despite COVID, the number of faculty has grown tremendously to 23 full-time faculty who cover Jackson Memorial Hospital, the Ryder Trauma Center, Holtz Children’s Hospital, as well as the University of Miami Health Tower across the street, and the VA Hospital with over 6000 operative cases performed each year. Each of the hospital systems at the University of Miami has also grown significantly in the last decade, with the presence of Lennar, Doral, and the soon-to-open Solé Mia and Jackson health has developed a major hospital system within Dade County which now includes Jackson North, West and South in addition to Jackson Main.

During this new era (2015-2025), the U.S. News & World Report ranking of Neurology and Neurosurgery has climbed into the top 25. We continue to be in the top 10 in NIH Blue Ridge ranking. Our neurosurgery training program is highly coveted amongst resident applicants as we have been ranked # 5 by Doximity as a neurosurgery residency program to train in. We continue to have one of the largest fellowship training programs in the U.S. that covers all the subspecialty areas. We serve our Southern Florida community as a leader in neurosurgical care but have a geographic referral base that includes the United States, the Caribbean, and Central / South America.