Neurosurgery Residency Program - Current Residents

Current Residents
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Tufts Medical Center neurosurgery residents, future leaders in neurosurgical care + innovation

Our residents are a diverse group of highly motivated individuals committed to becoming skilled and compassionate neurosurgeons. They bring a wide range of backgrounds and experiences to the program and thrive in Tufts Medical Center’s rigorous yet supportive training environment.

Throughout their residency, they gain hands-on clinical experience, participate in cutting-edge research and develop leadership skills that prepare them for successful careers in neurosurgery. Our residents are integral members of our team, collaborating closely with faculty and advanced practice providers to deliver outstanding patient care.

Residents shaping the future of neurosurgery
Program Year
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Matthew J. Kanter, MD
PGY-1
Matthew Kanter
Training + education
Undergraduate School
Wake Forest University
Graduate School
Heller School of Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University; Georgetown University
Medical School
Tufts University School of Medicine, Graduated with Research Honors
About me
Biography

Originally from Miami, Florida, Matthew completed his undergraduate studies at Wake Forest University where he received his B.A., magna cum laude, majoring in Economics with minors in Biology and Chemistry. Matthew continued his studies at Georgetown University and received his M.S. in Neuroscience with a concentration in Research. Prior to medical school, Matthew also worked at Woundtech, an early-stage value-based healthcare company, as an Associate for the Strategy and Operations team. Later, he joined Aldrich Capital Partners as a private equity intern in the healthcare division. Matthew graduated from the MD/MBA program at Tufts University School of Medicine and conducted research focused on improving adoption of new surgical techniques and methods in Spine surgery. Matthew graduated with Research Honors and received the David L. Kasdon Prize in Neurosurgery, the William Dameshek Award in Research, and was also inducted into the Beta Gamma Sigma Business Honor Society.
Career Interests

Surgical Innovation, AI in Neurosurgery, Medical Devices, Automation in Healthcare
Hometown
Miami, FL
Clinical Interests

Spine, Minimally-Invasive Surgery, Awake-Spine Surgery
Mulki Megari, MD
PGY-1
Mulki Mehari
Training + education
Undergraduate School
Arizona State University
Medical School
University of California, San Francisco
About me
Hometown
Phoenix, AZ
Clinical Interests

Neuro-oncology, Skull base surgery, Clinical trial enrollment, Health disparities
Aaron Luna, MD
he/him/his
PGY-2
Aaron Luna, MD
Training + education
Undergraduate School
The University of Texas at Austin
Medical School
University of Texas Medical Branch John Sealy School of Medicine
About me
Biography

Aaron was born in the Philippines and immigrated to the United States at the age of 2. He grew up in his modest hometown of Baytown, Texas. He developed a fascination with the nervous system, pursuing neuroscience at UT Austin for undergrad, attending UTMB John Sealy School of Medicine and ultimately matching at Tufts Medical Center to pursue neurosurgery.
Career Interests

Academic neurosurgery, cranial neurosurgery
Hometown
Baytown, TX
Clinical Interests

Skull base, tumor, trauma
Hobbies

Basketball, chess, eating at new restaurants, and video games
Selected publications
  1. O'Leary S, Gowda P, Prabhakar A, Jenkins A, Darko K, Azam F, Robledo A, Luna AE, Bonsrah
    NA, Still MEH, Aoun SG, Whittemore BA, Barrie U, Braga BP, Totimeh T. Evidence-based
    approaches to cranial cerebrospinal fluid leaks in low- and middle-income countries: a
    systematic review of the literature. Neurosurg Rev. 2024 Dec 30;48(1):14. doi:
    10.1007/s10143-024-03162-w. PMID: 39738756.
  2. Colasurdo M, Shalev D, Robledo A, Vasandani V, Luna ZA, Rao AS, Garcia R, Edhayan G,
    Srinivasan VM, Sheth SA, Donner Y, Bibas O, Limzider N, Shaltoni H, Kan P. Validation of an
    automated machine learning algorithm for the detection and analysis of cerebral
    aneurysms. J Neurosurg. 2023 Mar 3:1-8. doi: 10.3171/2023.1.JNS222304. Epub ahead of
    print. PMID: 36883646.
  3. McClendon LK, Garcia RL, Lazaro T, Robledo A, Vasandani V, Luna ZAE, Rao AS, Srivatsan A,
    Lonard DM, Dacso CC, Kan P, O'Malley BW. A steroid receptor coactivator small molecule
    "stimulator" attenuates post-stroke ischemic brain injury. Front Mol Neurosci. 2022 Dec
    1;15:1055295. doi: 10.3389/fnmol.2022.1055295. PMID: 36533127; PMCID: PMC9751323.
  4. Colasurdo M, Shalev D, Robledo A, Vasandani V, Luna ZA, Rao AS, Garcia R, Edhayan G,
    Srinivasan VM, Sheth SA, Donner Y, Bibas O, Limzider N, Shaltoni H, Kan P. Validation of an
    automated machine learning algorithm for the detection and analysis of cerebral
    aneurysms. J Neurosurg. 2023 Mar 3:1-8. doi: 10.3171/2023.1.JNS222304. Epub ahead of
    print. PMID: 36883646.
  5. Kan P, Srinivasan VM, Gumin J, Garcia R, Chen SR, Johnson JN, Collins DE, Chen MM,
    Ledbetter D, Huse J, Luna ZAE, Robledo A, Vasandani V, Rao A, Singh SK, Shpall EJ, Fueyo J,
    Gomez-Manzano C, Lang FF. Development of a Rabbit Human Glioblastoma Model for
    Testing of Endovascular Selective Intra-Arterial Infusion (ESIA) of Novel Stem Cell-Based
    Therapeutics. Neuro Oncol. 2023
Scott Flynn, MD
he/him/his
PGY-3
Scott Flynn
Training + education
Undergraduate School
Cornell University
Medical School
Tufts University School of Medicine
About me
Biography

I grew up in Mountain Lakes, NJ before attending Cornell University where I prepared for medical school and played lacrosse. At Tufts University Medical School, through research opportunities and the many interactions I had with the excellent Neurosurgery faculty and residents at Tufts Medicine, I became certain that I wanted to pursue a career in Neurosurgery.
Hometown
Boston, MA
Clinical Interests

Neurotrauma, intensive care
Hobbies

Reading, running and spending time with friends and family.
Omar Sorour, MD
PGY-3
Omar Sorour
Training + education
Undergraduate School
Harvard University
Medical School
University of Massachusetts T.H. Chan School of Medicine
About me
Hometown
Westwood, MA
Anthony Yu, MD
he/him/his
PGY-4
Anthony Yu
Training + education
Undergraduate School
Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH
Graduate School
Tufts University
Medical School
Tufts University School of Medicine
About me
Hometown
Stow, MA
John Herendeen, MD
he/him/his
PGY-5
John Herendeen
Training + education
Undergraduate School
Boston College
Medical School
Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
About me
Career Interests

Trauma/Critical Care
Hometown
Chatham, NJ
Clinical Interests

TBI-Traumatic Brain Injury, SCI-Spinal Cord injury, and SAH (subarachnoid hemorrhage)
Hobbies

Ice hockey, golf, surfing, cooking
Harrison Snyder, MD
he/him/his
PGY-5
M. Harrison Snyder
Training + education
Undergraduate School
Brigham Young University, Provo UT
Medical School
University of Virginia School of Medicine
About me
Biography

Dr. Snyder grew up in Georgia and developed an interest in medical science and anatomy at a young age, beginning when his parents would watch medical documentaries and dramas, and continuing during his science classes in school. Seeing a way to utilize this interest in a way that helps others, he pursued a medical education with the goal to become a surgeon. He was drawn to Neurosurgery in particular by the variety and complexity of neurosurgical procedures and neuroanatomy.
Career Interests

Research on cerebrovascular disorders as well as new endovascular applications and devices; academic practice; medical education
Hometown
Powder Springs, GA
Clinical Interests

Cerebrovascular and Endovascular Neurosurgery
Hobbies

Music (playing guitar, saxophone, piano, and listening to almost all genres); appreciation of nature (hiking, diving, conservation, wildlife); sports (especially football, basketball)
Alper Dincer, MD
PGY-6
Alper Dincer, MD
Training + education
Undergraduate School
Bucknell University
Medical School
Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine
About me
Hometown
Worcester, PA
Clinical Interests

Neuro-oncology, Cancer genomics and epigenomics, Experimental Therapeutics, Neurosurgical education
Hobbies

Gardening, reading, skiing
Jacob Kosarchuk, MD
PGY-6
Jacob Kosarchuk, mD
Training + education
Undergraduate School
University of California, Santa Cruz
Graduate School
George Washington University
Medical School
Eastern Virginia Medical School
About me
Career Interests

Skull base surgery, neurosurgical education
Clinical Interests

Skull base surgery, neuroendoscopy, neurotrauma, tumor treating fields, brain tumors
Hobbies

Family time, listening to music and attending concerts, drumming, sailing, traveling, and watching sports games
Alumni
Michael Yang, MD2025Barrow Brain & Spine in Phoenix, AZ, Complex Spine Fellowship
Shane Burke, MD, MBA2024Cerebrovascular and Endovascular Fellowship Hartford Hospital, Hartford, CT
Tara Jayde Nail, MD2023Tufts Medical Center
Richard Dowd, MD2022Southcoast Health
Max Shutran, MD2021Stamford health/Columbia U
Rob Heller, MD2020Albany Medical Center
Rich Ogbuji, MD2019Baystate Medical Center
Marie Roguski2017Tufts Medical Center; Assistant Professor at Tufts Medical Center
Mina Safain2016Tufts Medical Center; Assistant Professor at Tufts Medical Center
Jason Rahal2015South Shore Hospital, Weymouth, MA
William Miele2014Kaiser Permanente of Washington
Ami Raval2013Grand View Health in PA
Abraham Boskovitz2012Kaiser Permanente, Sacramento, CA
Haran Ramachandran2011U of Kentucky
Clemens Schirmer2010System Director of Cerebrovascular and Endovascular Neurosurgery, Geisinger Medical Center, Danville, PA
Steven Hwang2009Shriners Hospital for Children, PA
Daniel Hoit2009Semmes Murphy Clinic, Memphis, TN
Ron Riesenburger*2008Neurosurgeon, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA, Director of the Spine Center
Vasilios Zerris2007Chairman, Henry Dunant Hospital, Athens, Greece
Justin Paquette2006Paquette Spine Insititute, Beverly Hills, CA
James Kryzanski*2005Chief, Division of Epilepsy Surgery; Neurosurgeon, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA
Samuel Kim2004Weill Cornell Spine & Brain Center, New York
Tina Lin2003Kaiser Permanente, Anahiem, CA
Lyndell Wang2002Kaiser Permanente, Redwood City, CA
Neil Troffkin2001Owensboro Health, Owensboro, KY & St. Mary's Hospital, Evansville, IN
Mark Friedberg2000Neurosurgical Consultants, Inc. Norwood, MA
David Estin1998Columbia Neurosurgeons, West Long Branch, NJ
Frank Vrionis1998Chief of Neurosurgical Oncology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL
Michael Gieger1997Neurosurgical Consultants, Inc. Norwood, MA
Jonathan Borden1996Riverhills Neuroscience- Montgomery, Cincinnati, OH
Patrick Roth1995Chairman of Neurosurgery; Hackensack University Medical Center, Hackensack, NJ
Carl Heilman*1994Neurosurgeon-in-Chief; Chairman of Neurosurgery;Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA
Robin Koeleveld1993Rex Neurosurgery & Spine Specialists; UNC Health Care, NC
Samuel Neff1992St. Christopher's Hospital for Children, Philadelphia, PA; Deceased 2005
John Wilson1991Wake Forest Baptist Health Center, Winston-Salem, NC
Kenneth Renkens1990Indiana Spine Group; Carmel, IN
Stanley Pugsley1989Neurosurgery Geisinger, Scranton, PA
Gerald McGillicuddy1988UMass Memorial Medical Center; Worcester, MA
Julian Wu*1988Associate Chairman, Department of Neurosurgery; Chief, Division of Neurosurgical Oncology at Tufts Medical Center
Jeffrey Yablon1987UCSF; Napa, CA
Ramon Batson1987Chief of Neurosurgery, Neurological Associates of Southwestern CT; Norwalk & Danbury, CT
Joel Abramovitz1984St. John Neurosurgical Center; Tulsa, OK
Thomas Peterson1983Hackensack UMC; Hackensack, NJ
Eduardo Mercado1982Deceased
Brad Selland1981President, Bradford Distillery; Hingham, MA
Rodney Rozario1980Eastern Maine Medical Center; Bangor, ME
Volkar Sonntag1978Barrow Neurological Associates; Phoenix, AZ; Retired 2010
Eddy Garrido1977Lancaster Neuroscience & Spine Associates; Lancaster, PA

*= Tufts Medical Center Faculty
Contact
user
Aurora Adams, BA, C-TAGME
Residency Coordinator