Current Fellows

Michael Rizzuto, M.D.

Cerebrovascular Fellow
07/2026 – 06/2027

Michael Rizzuto is a Canadian-trained neurosurgeon originating from Montreal, Quebec and raised in Toronto, Ontario. He obtained his BSc (Hons) degree in Kinesiology at McMaster University, followed by his MD at the University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine. He trained in Neurosurgery at the University of British Columbia's residency program and is board certified in neurosurgery as a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (FRCSC). During his neurosurgical training he completed an MSc at the London School of Economics in Health Economics, Policy and Management and is interested in understanding the economic burden of cerebrovascular diseases on patients and systems. Following residency, he completed a fellowship in Endovascular Neurosurgery at Thomas Jefferson University. He has a passion for educating residents and medical students both in the operating room and on the wards. Outside his professional life he enjoys playing soccer, running, powerlifting, and exploring the local food scene.

Robert Grady Briggs, M.D.

Neuro-Oncology Fellow
07/2026 – 06/2027

Grady Briggs, M.D., is originally from Tulsa, Oklahoma. He earned a degree in chemical engineering from Oklahoma State University and completed medical school at the University of Oklahoma. During his medical training, he developed an interest in white matter connectomics, studying glioma-associated alterations in brain connectivity under the mentorship of Dr. Michael Sughrue. He completed his residency at the University of Southern California, with advanced training in skull base and tumor neurosurgery, including an enfolded fellowship in endoscopic and minimally invasive neurosurgical oncology under Dr. Gabriel Zada. Dr. Briggs has authored 117 peer-reviewed publications, with his recent research focused on pituitary and meningioma pathobiology. He is pursuing a career in academic neurosurgery, integrating neurosurgical oncology with translational research to advance patient care. Outside of work, he enjoys reading and spending time with his wife, Caitlin, and daughter, Norah.

Jared Clouse, M.D.

Neuro-Oncology Fellow
07/2026 – 06/2027

Jared Clouse is originally from Kaysville Utah. He obtained bachelor and Masters degrees in Molecular Biology and Genetics and Biotechnology from Brigham Young University studying and sequencing the genomes of orphaned crops such as amaranth and quinoa. He attended the Indiana University School of Medicine and completed residency training at UC Davis in Sacramento California. During his residency he completed an enfolded skull base fellowship at UC Davis. His clinical interests include minimally invasive cranial surgery, global health, and  teaching medical students and residents. Outside of the hospital he enjoys running and spending time with his wife and 4 children.

Joshua D Jackson, M.D., Ph.D.

Neuro-Oncology Surgeon-Scientist Fellow
07/2026 – 06/2027

Dr. Josh Jackson is a physician-scientist from Tennessee who completed his combined M.D./Ph.D. training at the University of Alabama at Birmingham under Drs. James Markert and Kevin Cassady with a focus on oncolytic HSV resistance mechanisms in malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors and glioma. He completed his neurosurgery residency with an enfolded surgeon-scientist year at Duke University under the mentorship of Drs. Peter Fecci and Anoop Patel. His research seeks to establish the role of tumor cell driven inflammatory signaling and how this sculpts the microenvironment to recruit tumor supporting immune cells and promote resistance to immunotherapy. His clinical interests include translational neuro-oncology, laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT), awake craniotomy, and minimally invasive cranial surgery with a specific emphasis on comprehensive patient selection and surgical optimization. He is pursuing a career in academic neurosurgery integrating translational immuno-oncology with tumor surgery. Outside the hospital, he enjoys music, coffee, cooking, science fiction, and traveling with his wife Ruby.

Ryan Eaton, M.D.

Spine Instructor 
07/2026 – 06/2027

Ryan Gregory Eaton is from Mansfield, Ohio. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering from The Ohio State University and later graduated magna cum laude from The Ohio State University College of Medicine. He completed his neurosurgery residency at Ohio State under Dr. Russell Lonser. His clinical interest is minimally invasive spine surgery. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his wife and two children.

Ian D. Connolly, M.D.

Spine Fellow
07/2026 – 06/2027

Dr. Ian Connolly is originally from Newport Beach, California. He completed his undergraduate and graduate training at Stanford University, where he earned a degree in biomechanical engineering, followed by a master’s degree in mechanical engineering. He received his medical degree from Stanford University School of Medicine and completed his neurosurgical residency at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Connolly’s clinical interests focus on complex and minimally invasive spine surgery, including endoscopic techniques, revision surgery, and strategies to optimize spinal fusion outcomes. His research background is rooted in translational spine science and engineering, with work spanning osteobiologics, mechanotransduction in spinal fusion, and implant-based drug delivery systems developed in collaboration with the MIT Koch Institute. He has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications and presented nationally on spine biomechanics, fusion biology, and surgical innovation.

Outside of medicine, Dr. Connolly enjoys golf, the beach, and spending time with his family.

Laureen D. Hachem, M.D., Ph.D.

Spine Fellow
07/2026 – 06/2027

Dr. Laureen Hachem completed her medical training and neurosurgery residency at the University of Toronto, Canada. During residency, she completed a PhD studying regenerative strategies to enhance plasticity in the injured central nervous system with a specific focus on endogenous stem cell activation after traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). Through her doctoral work, she discovered a novel mechanism of ependymal cell activation after SCI which can be targeted therapeutically to harness the endogenous regenerative potential of the injured spinal cord and improve recovery after SCI. 

In recognition of her academic contributions, Dr. Hachem received the 2025 Governor General Gold Medal - one of Canada's most prestigious academic honors. Her research has been published in leading journals including Nature Neuroscience and has been supported by grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Academy of Neurological Surgeons /Neurosurgery Research & Education Foundation, and Physicians Services Incorporated Foundation. Dr. Hachem received several national and international recognitions including a Vanier Scholarship (CIHR), AANS/CNS Neurotrauma/Critical Care Section Research Award, the Charles Tator Spinal Cord Injury Resident Research Award (AANS/CNS), the K.G. McKenzie 1st Place Basic Science Research Prize (Canadian Neurosurgical Society), and the Shafie S. Fazel Outstanding Resident Surgeon & Investigator Award (University of Toronto). Her clinical and research interests include complex and minimally invasive spine surgery, emerging spine technologies and translational approaches for spinal cord injury and neural repair. 

Arati Patel, M.D.

Spine Fellow
07/2026 – 06/2027

Arati Patel, MD, graduated with honors in neuroscience from UCLA. She then attended the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, where she was a Dean’s Research Scholar and a recipient of the Carolyn L. Kuckein Student Research Fellowship through the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. Her research under Dr. William Mack, MD focused on white matter changes in a murine model of chronic cerebral hypoperfusion.

As a neurosurgery resident at UCSF, she worked closely with her mentor, Praveen Mummaneni, MD. Her clinical training focused on minimally invasive and endoscopic approaches to spine pathologies. Her research interests were in using patient-reported outcomes to provide personalized approaches to spine surgery. Her work with the Spine Clinical Outcomes Registry (CORe) study group, a collaborative effort between 14 U.S. institutions to prospectively collect data about the long-term outcomes for patients following spine surgery, has been recognized by the Cervical Spine Research Society, the San Francisco Neurological Society, and the American Association of Neurological Surgeons.

Outside of medicine, she enjoys spending time with her husband and son.

Benjamin Plog, M.D., Ph.D.

Spine Fellow
07/2026 – 06/2027

Benjamin Plog was born and raised in upstate New York. He completed his undergraduate education at the University of Rochester, graduating summa cum laude with a degree in Biology, and remained there for medical school, earning both his MD and PhD. His doctoral research focused on cerebrospinal fluid dynamics in neurologic injury. During his neurosurgery residency at Washington University in St. Louis, he completed an NIH-funded postdoctoral research fellowship studying the role of cerebrospinal fluid flow in neuroimmune regulation following spinal cord injury. His clinical interests include minimally invasive, endoscopic, and motion preserving spine surgery. Outside of the hospital, he enjoys spending time with his wife and children, exercising, and reading.

Jorge F. Urquiaga, M.D.

Spine Fellow
07/2026 – 06/2027

Jorge F. Urquiaga, MD, was born and raised in Lima, Peru. He earned his medical degree from Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia. Following graduation, he worked as a physician in the Peruvian Army for one year, practicing in remote areas of the Andes. He then relocated to St. Louis, Missouri, where he worked as a Skull Base and Cerebrovascular Research Fellow at Saint Louis University. He subsequently matched and completed his neurosurgery residency at the same institution. During residency, he also earned an MBA from The Pennsylvania State University.

Luke Weisbrod, M.D.

Spine Fellow
07/2026 – 06/2027

Dr. Luke Weisbrod is originally from Manhattan, KS, and earned a Bachelor of Science in biology at Kansas State University. He received his medical degree from the University of Kansas Medical Center and recently completed his neurosurgery residency training at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. 

His clinical interests include adult degenerative deformity, minimally invasive spine surgery, and enhanced recovery after surgery. Outside of his professional life, he enjoys sports and spending time with friends, family, wife, and 2 sons.

Jubran H. Jubran, M.D.

Spine Enfolded Fellow
07/2026 – 06/2027

Dr. Jubran Jubran is a California native who completed his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He then went on to receive his medical degree from the University of Arizona, College of Medicine - Phoenix, and returned to California to for neurosurgery residency at the University of California, San Diego. Dr. Jubran has completed three years of neurosurgical training and will be joining the University of Miami Neurosurgery Department as an enfolded spine fellow for his fourth year of neurosurgical training. His clinical interests include minimally invasive spinal surgery and medical education. Outside of the hospital, he enjoys exercising, music, exploring nature, trying new restaurants, and spending time with family.

Stefan Lieber, M.D.

Skull Base Fellow
07/2026 – 06/2027

Jacob Kosarchuk, M.D.

Skull Base Enfolded Fellow
07/2026 – 06/2027

Jacob J. Kosarchuk, MD is originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, CA. He attended the University of California at Santa Cruz for his undergraduate education, completing a B.A. in Politics and a B.S. in Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology. While in college he worked in multiple research labs, and won an undergraduate research award for his efforts. After college he worked on spinal cord injury clinical trials at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in Santa Clara, CA. He then went to the George Washington University for a post-baccalaureate program before completing his medical education at Eastern Virginia Medical School (now Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University) in Norfolk. After graduating from EVMS he started his neurosurgery residency at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, MA. His interest in open and endoscopic skull base and tumor treating fields developed during his residency, and led him to pursue an enfolded skull base fellowship at the University of Miami. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with family, sailing, drumming, attending concerts and sports games, and trying new restaurants.

Nadia McMillan, M.D., Ph.D.

Sr. Endovascular Instructor
7/2026 - 6/2027

Nadia was born in Arkansas to a Cypriot mother and an Iraqi father and spent her early life moving frequently alongside her twin sister. After earning her B.A. in Neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University, she joined the MSTP at Stonybrook University where she completed her combined medical and research training. Her PhD involved detailed cellular and molecular work investigating neural stem cell properties. She went on to complete her Neurology training at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard in Boston followed by a two-year Neuro-Critical Care Fellowship at the prestigious Massachusetts General Hospital/Brigham and Women’s Hospital.  Her current research builds on her prior foundational work aiming to evaluate the role of neural stem cells in brain pathology with the goal of applying stem cells to improve clinical outcomes. In her free time, she is passionate about travel and leads an active lifestyle.

Romil Singh, M.D.

Jr. Endovascular Instructor
7/2026 - 6/2027

Dr. Romil Singh was a vascular neurology fellow at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center who joined the University of Miami/Jackson Health System for fellowship training in Neurointerventional Surgery. His clinical interests include acute ischemic stroke intervention, endovascular treatment of aneurysms, and optimization of stroke triage and thrombectomy systems.

Dr. Singh also previously served as Chief Resident in Neurology at Allegheny General Hospital, where he gained extensive experience in emergency stroke care, neurocritical care, and clinical trial coordination, including serving as the resident liaison for the MEMBRANE and PICASSO trials. He has additionally completed a Neuroendovascular Surgery E-Fellowship with the University of Chicago, strengthening his foundation in cerebrovascular anatomy and endovascular decision-making.

His research portfolio includes more than 40 peer-reviewed publications spanning neurovascular care, stroke systems optimization, perfusion-based selection for thrombectomy, and multi-institutional critical-care outcomes. Dr. Singh is also actively involved in global stroke advocacy through Mission Thrombectomy and has contributed to educational and mentorship initiatives within national societies, including the Society of Vascular and Interventional Neurology (SVIN) and the Society of Neurointerventional Surgery (SNIS).

Alessandro De Bonis, M.D.

Neurotrauma Fellow 
07/2026 – 06/2027

Dr. Alessandro De Bonis is an Italian-trained neurosurgeon. He earned his M.D. from Vita-Salute San Raffaele University in Milan, Italy, graduating summa cum laude with highest honors. He subsequently completed his neurosurgical residency at San Raffaele Hospital, one of Italy’s leading academic neurosurgical centers. 

To further advance his surgical expertise, Dr. De Bonis pursued subspecialty training through an enfolded Neurotrauma Fellowship at a high-acuity trauma center in Southern Italy, a Cranial Surgery Fellowship in Munich, Germany, and a Skull Base Research Fellowship at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. 

Dr. De Bonis has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, and international presentations focusing on the microsurgical neuroanatomy of the skull base and white matter tract dissection of the cerebrum and brainstem. His contributions to anatomical research were recognized with the Rhoton Award from the NASBS, honoring excellence in anatomical dissection research. 

After serving as an Associate Researcher at the CANES Laboratory at the University of Miami, Dr. De Bonis is joining as a Neurotrauma Fellow, with the goal to further refine his expertise in the management of acute traumatic brain and cranial injuries while pursuing a career in academic cranial neurosurgery focused on integrating anatomical research, surgical innovation, and neurosurgical education.

Youssef Ismail, M.D.

Jackson North P.R. Fellow 
07/2026 – 06/2027

Youssef was born and raised in Alexandria, Egypt, where he completed his medical degree at Alexandria University, graduating summa cum laude. He subsequently completed a four-year postdoctoral fellowship at Emory University, where his research integrated molecular biology, bioinformatics, and advanced computational approaches to study neuro-oncology and cerebrovascular diseases.

During his fellowship, Dr. Zohdy developed and copyrighted several novel software programs and has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed manuscripts and scientific abstracts. His work has been recognized with numerous prestigious awards, including the Society for Neuro-Oncology Radiation Sciences Award, the Gildenberg and KLS Martin Awards from the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, and the Zeiss Brain Tumor Award from the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, among others.

Dr. Zohdy aspires to pursue a career in academic neurosurgery, combining innovative translational research, computational neuroscience, and clinical practice to advance the understanding and treatment of complex neurological diseases.
Outside of medicine and research, he enjoys sports, reading, and woodworking.