Current Residents

Michael Silva, M.D.

PGY-7

Started in 07/2019
Graduates in 06/2026

Michael Silva grew up in Miami. He graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College in 2015 with a degree in molecular biology, in addition to taking coursework at MIT’s Sloan School of Business. He went on to receive his medical degree from Harvard Medical School in 2019, where his research explored aneurysm rupture modeling, endovascular innovation, AVM hemorrhage outcome prediction, and the application of machine learning to cerebrovascular and spine surgery. Outside of the hospital, he enjoys fishing, running, tennis, and performance track driving.

Eva Wu, M.D.

PGY-7

Started in 07/2019
Graduates in 06/2026

Eva Wu grew up in Dallas area and graduated summa cum laude from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Neurobiology. She received her medical degree from the University of Texas at Southwestern School of Medicine where she was elected to junior AOA and where she was involved in research. Her clinical interests include all aspects of cranial and spinal neurosurgery.

Vignessh Kumar, M.D.

PGY-7

Started in 07/2019
Graduates in 06/2026

Vignessh Kumar grew up in the Midwest and graduated summa cum laude from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He attended medical school at Albany Medical College and graduated AOA with distinction in research. While in medical school he worked with Dr. Julie Pilitsis to assess the efficacy of innovations in functional neurosurgery, specifically concerning spinal cord stimulation and deep brain stimulation. Outside of the hospital, he enjoys running, basketball, cooking, and watching the Bears.

Gregory D. Brusko, M.D.

PGY-6 - Chief

Started in 07/2020
Graduates in 06/2027

G. Damian Brusko grew up in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and graduated from Liberty High School. He then completed his undergraduate education in Neuroscience at the University of Miami, completing the Advanced Program for Integrated Science and Mathematics (PRISM) and graduating Cum Laude. Damian continued his medical school education at the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine as part of the Medical Scholars Program where he graduated with Research Distinction and was elected into the Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) Honor Society. His clinical and research interests include Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) and many aspects of both cranial and spinal neurosurgery. Outside the hospital, Damian enjoys playing table tennis, golfing, and DJ-ing.

Victor Lu, M.D., Ph.D.

PGY-6 - Chief

Started in 07/2020
Graduates in 06/2027

Victor Lu grew up in Canberra, Australia, and after his degree in chemistry at the University of Sydney, graduated from Sydney Medical School with first class honors, where he also completed a Masters in surgical outcomes. He then pursued his Masters in neuroscience at the University of Oxford, before completing his PhD in brain tumor nanomedicine back in Sydney, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship in pediatric neurosurgical research at the Mayo Clinic, Minnesota. Outside the hospital, Victor enjoys table tennis, being by the ocean and Cuban coffee

Sumedh Shah, M.D.

PGY-6 - Chief

Started in 07/2020
Graduates in 06/2027

Sumedh S. Shah grew up in Thousand Oaks, California, and completed his undergraduate education in Biology at the University of Miami through the Honors Program in Medicine. He graduated from Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine with Research Distinction and was elected into the Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) and Gold Humanism honors societies. During medical school, he completed a Howard Hughes Medical Institute research fellowship in San Francisco to study glioblastoma. His clinical interests include all aspects of cranial and spinal neurosurgery. Outside of medicine, Sumedh enjoys table tennis, basketball, spending time with family, and perfecting the colada.

Turki Elarjani, MD

PGY-5

Started in 07/2021
Graduates in 06/2028

Turki was born and raised in Houston, TX, where he lived for six years prior to moving to Saudi Arabia. During high school, he shadowed Neurosurgeons in their clinics and operations, which sparked his passion to pursue Neurosurgery as a career. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Alfaisal University. Turki enrolled in a local Neurosurgery residency program and spent two years, where he attained the score nationwide on the neurosurgery annual written test. Afterwards, he decided to continue his residency training in the US. Turki is interested in all aspects of neurosurgery. In his free time, he enjoys scuba diving, traveling, and running.

Adham Khalafallah, M.D.

PGY-5

Started in 07/2021
Graduates in 06/2028

Dr. Adham M. Khalafallah graduated summa cum laude from Alexandria University School of Medicine. He completed a postdoctoral research fellowship in neurosurgical oncology at the Johns Hopkins University Department of Neurosurgery, where he served as Co Director of the Neuro Oncology Surgical Outcomes Laboratory.

His clinical interests include spinal oncology, complex spine surgery, minimally invasive and endoscopic spine techniques, nerve sheath tumors, and peripheral nerve repair. Dr. Khalafallah’s research encompasses neurosurgical outcomes, frailty and risk stratification models, machine learning applications in neurosurgery, complex spine surgery, academic career development, and disparities in access to spine and neuro oncologic care. He has authored over 100 peer reviewed publications and presented his work at numerous national and international conferences.

His academic contributions have been recognized with several honors, including the Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) Postgraduate Fellowship Award, the A. Earl Walker Outstanding International Fellow Award, two Kuntz Awards for Best Spine Abstract at the 2024 and 2025 Spine Summit meetings, the Southern Neurosurgical Society Young Surgeon Grant Award, and the ISASS 2025 Award for Early-Career Surgeon Grant.

Outside of neurosurgery, he enjoys playing tennis, skiing, traveling, and spending time at the beach with his family.

Daivik B. Vyas, M.D.

PGY-5

Started in 07/2021
Graduates in 06/2028

Daivik Vyas grew up in Rancho Cucamonga, California, and completed his undergraduate education at Claremont McKenna College, graduating Cum Laude with Honors in Neuroscience. He received his medical education at the Stanford University School of Medicine, during which he completed a year-long research fellowship in nanoparticle-based drug delivery and focused ultrasound as part of the Stanford Medical Scholars Research Program. His clinical interests include all aspects of cranial and spinal surgery, as well as critical care medicine. He is interested in translational research, clinical outcomes studies, and medical education. Outside the hospital, he enjoys cooking, reading, and spending time with his family.

Long Di, M.D.

PGY-4

Started in 07/2022
Graduates in 06/2029

Long Di grew up in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. He graduated summa cum laude from Emory University double majoring in Neuroscience and Chemistry and completed a NIH-funded research fellowship in neurotrauma under Dr. Ross Bullock at the University of Miami. He then received his medical education at the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine. While in medical school, Long completed a NREF research fellowship under the mentorship of Dr. Michael Ivan and Dr. Ricardo Komotar, was elected junior AOA and Robert A. Good Honor societies, published nearly 50 peer-reviewed papers, was President of his class, and was awarded the prestigious Silbiger Research Prize. Outside the hospital he enjoys exploring Miami, practicing his Spanish, and spending time with family.

Emade Jaman, M.D.

PGY-4

Started in 07/2022
Graduates in 06/2029

Grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and graduated from Temple University with a degree in Biology and a minor in Cognitive Neuroscience. He then attended medical school at the University of Pittsburgh. During medical school, Dr. Jaman was awarded multiple research fellowship awards, including the Dean's Year Research Fellowship, during which he spent a year studying the epigenetic landscape of IDH mutant gliomas, and also mentoring medical students interested in Neurosurgery. His current interests span all areas of both spine and cranial neurosurgery. In his free time, he enjoys traveling, photography, and exploring new restaurants with friends.

Tyler M. Cardinal, M.D.

PGY-4

Started in 07/2022
Graduates in 06/2029

Tyler Cardinal, M.D. grew up in Phoenix, Arizona and graduated from University of California Los Angeles with Honors in Neuroscience and a minor in Spanish. He attended Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California where he graduated as a member of Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society.¬ During medical school Tyler spent a year as a Dean’s Research Scholar investigating predictors of outcomes for patients with pituitary adenomas and the distribution of brain metastases. In his free time Tyler enjoys going out to dinner with friends, going to concerts, and traveling.

Vaidya Govindarajan, M.D.

PGY-3

Started in 07/2023
Graduates in 06/2030

Vaidya Govindarajan was born and raised in Miami, FL. He graduated summa cum laude in Neuroscience from the University of Miami as part of the Honors Program in Medicine. He graduated from the Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine with Research Distinction. His clinical interests include all aspects of cranial and spinal surgery. Outside of medicine, Vaidya enjoys football, marksmanship, and spending time with family.

Mary Margaret O’Hehir, M.D.

PGY-3

Started in 07/2024
Graduates in 06/2030

Dr. O’Hehir was born outside of Toronto, Canada and grew up in Fairport, NY.  She attended the University of Rochester where she continued her training as a classical pianist at the Eastman School of Music and enjoyed a semester abroad in Paris studying at the Sorbonne. Upon earning her B.S. in Neuroscience with minors in Music and French, she dedicated a year of her life as an AmeriCorps volunteer, teaching algebra in the Bronx. She then worked in clinical research for Weill Cornell Medicine’s Neurosurgery Department prior to pursuing her medical education at the University at Buffalo. She was the inaugural recipient of the Shakir Summer Fellowship in Neurosurgery Scholarship, and was a Co-Principal Investigator for an AO Discovery and Innovation Grant for spine cadaveric biomechanical testing. Her partnership with industry throughout her research pursuits led her to complete an MBA in Healthcare Administration between her 3rdand 4th years of medical school. She graduated from the University at Buffalo with research honors. Outside of the hospital, Dr. O'Hehir spends her time riding motorcycles, building hours toward her private pilot license, running, and baking.

Seth S.Tigchelaar, M.D., Ph.D.

PGY-3

Started in 07/2023
Graduates in 06/2030

Seth Tigchelaar was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, but grew up in Vancouver, Canada. He graduated from UBC, where he received his PhD in Neuroscience with Dr. Brian Kwon, and has spent the past 15 years studying spinal cord injury. As a medical student at Stanford, he worked with Dr. Steinberg on stem cells for recovery after stroke. While at Stanford, he joined the medical team at SpaceX where he helped develop the world’s first biobank to define the biological response to spaceflight, and designed systems that will help humans get to Mars. After SpaceX, he joined Neuralink to help develop brain-machine interfaces to restore function after spinal cord injury. Seth has been awarded fellowships from AOA, NREF, AHA, SpaceX, was elected into the GHHS, and has published over 50 peer-reviewed papers. Outside of the hospital, he enjoys fishing, seeing his daughter, and cortadito’s.

Adam Levy, M.D.

PGY-2

Started in 07/2024
graduates in 06/2031

Adam grew up in Chicago, IL. He graduated from the University of Miami with departmental honors in Chemistry and with minors in Biochemistry and Finance. He then received his medical education at the Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine. During medical school, Adam earned his MBA at the Miami Herbert Business School, completed a research commercialization fellowship with the Wallace H. Coulter Center, and published nearly 30 peer-reviewed papers. His clinical interests encompass all aspects of neurosurgery, with special interest in tumors of the brain and spine. Outside of the hospital, Adam enjoys surfing, SCUBA diving, fishing, and spending time with his friends and family.

Josiah J.Z. Sherman, M.D.

PGY-2

Started in 07/2024
graduates in 06/2031

Josiah Sherman grew up in Houston, TX. He graduated with honors from Xavier University of Louisiana in 2019 with a B.S. in Biology. He received his medical degree from Yale School of Medicine in 2024. During medical school, Josiah’s research interests included the development of micro- and nanoparticles to improve drug delivery for brain tumors, clinical outcomes of patients undergoing a variety of neurosurgical procedures, and the use of machine learning for outcome prediction in neurosurgery. Outside of the hospital, Josiah enjoys weightlifting, music, and exploring the local food scene.

Sima Vazquez, M.D.

PGY-2

Started in 07/2024
graduates in 06/2031

Sima Vazquez was born and raised in Miami and graduated with degrees in English and Creative Writing from the University of Chicago. She received a Master’s in Human Nutrition from Columbia University and her medical degree from New York Medical College. During medical school, she served as the AANS chapter president and was involved in research. Sima enjoys running, reading, traveling, and spending time with her family.

Jay Chandar, M.D.

PGY-1

Started in 07/2025
graduates in 06/2032

Daksh Chauhan, M.D.

PGY-1

Started in 07/2025
graduates in 06/2032

Daksh grew up in New Delhi, India, before moving to Santa Rosa, California. He attended the University of Chicago for his undergraduate studies in biological sciences, graduating with summa cum laude and phi beta kappa honors. Daksh continued his medical education at the University of Pennsylvania, where he investigated the utility of smartphones for tracking spine patient outcomes with Dr Jang Won Yoon. His work was awarded multiple fellowships, including the NREF, and resulted in over 30 publications. Outside the hospital, Daksh enjoys weightlifting, reading, building Legos, and exploring niche restaurants with friends and family.

Megan Sharpe, M.D.

PGY-1

Started in 07/2025
graduates in 06/2032

Megan Sharpe grew up in Louisiana and earned her undergraduate degree in Biology from Truman State University, where she was a two-sport collegiate athlete. She went on to play professional volleyball overseas before working in microbiology and biopharmaceuticals at Thermo Fisher Scientific. She later completed a Master’s in Biology at Washington University in St. Louis and earned her M.D. from Case Western Reserve University, graduating with Honors with Distinction in Research. During medical school, her research focused on behavioral recovery following peripheral nerve injury, as well as quality improvement initiatives that led to increased Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement and enhanced patient care. Dr. Sharpe enjoys sports, travel, reading, and perfume collecting in her spare time.

Andrew Liou-Wang, M.D., M.A.S.

PGY-1

Started in 07/2025
graduates in 06/2032

Andrew graduated summa cum laude from Emory University, where he majored in Biology, Neuroscience, and Behavioral Biology, and also completed a neuromuscular research fellowship at the NIH/Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and a pain research fellowship at Boston’s F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center. He then pursued a Graduate Professional Certification in Nanotechnology from Harvard University as a visiting scholar, followed by a Master’s in Clinical Research with a specialization in Implementation Science and Advanced Biostatistics from UCSF, where he was a TICR scholar. During his medical education at UCLA as a Drew Bloomberg Scholar, he authored over 50 peer-reviewed publications and was honored with the AANS MISSION Fellowship along with induction into the Young Neurosurgeons Committee. Outside the hospital, he enjoys watching the NBA and NFL, exploring local cuisines to recreate at home, and spending time with his wife, Mandy, and their three fur babies.