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Ramin Rak, M.D., F.A.A.N.S., F.C.N.S., is a board certified neurosurgeon who performs complex neurosurgery. He has extensive experience in performing awake craniotomies. Dr. Rak specializes in the treatment of neurological tumors and cerebrovascular and skull base diseases. He uses stereotactic radiosurgery, such as Cyberknife®, as well as complex and minimally invasive spinal procedures. Dr. Rak is an expert in micro-neurosurgical techniques which he utilizes to perform most of his surgeries.
“He’s a wonderful doctor. He’s a wonderful person. I don’t ever want to deal with a neurosurgeon again, but if anyone ever does, I would definitely recommend him. He made me very comfortable after all I went through.” – Barbara Nadel Tepper
Dr. Rak received his undergraduate degree with high honors in Medical Basic Sciences and his medical degree from the Free University of Brussels, Brussels, Belgium. He then completed an externship followed by Internship and another year of General Surgery residency in the department of surgery at Washington Hospital Center, Washington, D.C. Dr. Rak was a clinical neurosurgery fellow, NIH/NINDS/Surgical Neurology Branch, Bethesda, MD; then a neurosurgery resident at the department of neurosurgery, George Washington University, Washington, D.C. He then joined Dr. Sekhar at the Mid-Atlantic Brain and Spine Institute in Annandale, VA and University of Maryland in Baltimore, MD for a microneurosurgery clinical and research fellowship. He established the “Brain and Spinal Cord Foundation” with Dr. Sekhar in Northern Virginia.
Dr. Rak became a clinical neurosurgery fellow, cerebrovascular and skull base surgery under Dr. Sekhar at North Shore-LIJ, then chief neurosurgery resident, department of neurosurgery, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, where he also taught a neurosurgery lecture series.
For more than twenty years Dr. Rak has conducted basic neuroscience and clinical research in a variety of neurologicial conditions, including reperfusion injuries after treatment of stroke, micro-neurosurgical techniques and outcomes of difficult skull base and cerebrovascular diseases and usage of adult Olfactory Ensheathing Glial and Schwann Cells (OEC) in spinal cord injuries. He has published several dozen articles and book chapters in the main neurosurgical journals and book atlases.
Dr. Rak has presented at more than twenty professional meetings on topics such as Minimizing Reperfusion injuries after treatment of stroke, Neuronavigation in Skull Base Surgery, Reconstruction Options for the Complex Posterior Fossa and Middle Cerebral Artery Aneurysms, and Functional Recovery after Spinal Cord Injuries/Optic Nerve Injuries/Brain Stem Injuries in Patients Transplanted with Olfactory Ensheathing Glial and Schwann Cells (OEC.)
The Society for Brain Mapping and Therapeutics (SBMT) appointed Dr. Rak to its Board of Directors in 2013. His committee assignment at SBMT will include a leadership position for the membership committee. He will also be involved in organizing 2018/19 World Brain Mapping in NYC. Dr. Rak is a member of the (AANS) American Association of Neurological Surgeons and the (CNS) Congress of Neurological Surgeons. Dr. Rak is currently the incoming president of the (SCMS) Suffolk County Medical Society and Suffolk Academy of Medicine and the past president of the (NYSNS) New York State Neurosurgical Society.
Dr. Rak is the Director of Neurosurgical Trauma Services at Mount Sinai South Nassau, as well as the Director of Brain and Spine Tumor Program at Mount Sinai South Nassau/NSPC. He was recently appointed to New York State Department of Health’s Spinal Cord Injury Research Board (SCIRB), whose mission is to support neurological spinal cord injury scientific research projects from leading researchers within New York State to find a cure for spinal cord injuries.
Dr. Rak speaks fluent Persian and French.
POSITIONS HELD
CURRENT HOSPITAL AFFILIATION
SCIENTIFIC AND PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
Dr. Keith L. Black serves as Director of Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute and Director of Neurosurgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. An internationally renowned neurosurgeon and scientist, Dr. Black joined Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in July 1997 and was awarded the Ruth and Lawrence Harvey Chair in Neurosciences in November of that year.
Prior to joining Cedars-Sinai, Dr. Black served on the University of California, Los Angeles faculty for 10 years where he was Professor of Neurosurgery. In 1992 he was awarded the Ruth and Raymond Stotter Chair in the Department of Surgery and was Head of the UCLA Comprehensive Brain Tumor Program.
Dr. Black pioneered research on designing ways to open the blood-brain barrier, enabling chemotherapeutic drugs to be delivered directly into the tumor. His work in this field received the Jacob Javits award from the National Advisory Neurological Disorders and Stroke Council of the National Institutes of Health in June of 2000. Dr. Black and patients undergoing the first clinical trials of the drug, RMP-7, were profiled in 1996 on the PBS program, “The New Explorers,” in an episode called “Outsmarting the Brain.” Dr. Black’s other groundbreaking research has focused on developing a vaccine to enhance the body’s immune response to brain tumors, use of gene arrays to develop molecular profiles of tumors, the use of optical technology for brain mapping, and the use of focused microwave energy to non-invasively destroy brain tumors. He was featured on the cover of Time magazine in the Fall 1997 special edition of “Heroes in Medicine.”
In addition to his work at Cedars-Sinai, Dr. Black serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Neuro-Oncology, Neurological Research, Perspectives in Neurological Surgery, Critical Reviews in Neurosurgery and the Journal of Radiosurgery. He is on the National Institutes of Health’s Board of Scientific Counselors for Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Dr. Black was recently appointed to the National Advisory Neurological Disorders and Stroke Council of the National Institutes of Health. He is also a member of numerous professional societies including the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, Neurosurgical Society of America and the Academy of Neurological Surgery. He also is a Founding Member of the North American Skull Base Society.
Dr. Black has a unique ability to combine cutting-edge research and an extremely busy surgical practice. Since 1987, he has performed more than 3,000 operations for resection of brain tumors.
Dr. Black has had a keen interest in science since childhood. At age 17, he published his first scientific paper, which earned the Westinghouse Science Award. He completed an accelerated college program at the University of Michigan and earned both his undergraduate and medical degrees in six years. He completed his internship in general surgery and residency in neurological surgery at the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor.
Robert A. Crescenzo has a Master’s degree from Columbia University (School of Social Work) and is a Certified Social Worker (CSW) in New York as well as a member of the Academy of Certified Social Workers (ACSW) for the past 25 years. He was Director of Social Work at Bellevue Hospital Center between 1985-88, Associate Director of Social Work at Bellevue from 1981-1885, Director of Social Work at St. John’s Episcopal Hospital, and Far Rockaway from 1978-1981. Currently, he works at Lancer Insurance Company and manages all of their Training, Education, Safety, and Substance Abuse Management services.
Mr. Crescenzo has been the Chairperson of the New York Acoustic Neuroma Association since 1999. He is also certified as a Substance Abuse Program Administrator and as Substance Abuse Professional. He is a board member of the Substance Abuse Foundation for Education and Research (SAFER) and a board member and past president of the Substance Abuse Program Administrators Certification Commission (SAPACG). He was the founding member and past president of the Substance Abuse Program Administrators Association, (SAPAA).
Dr. Friedman earned his medical degree at State University of New York at Syracuse in 1977. Later he specialized in Pediatrics at the State University of New York at Syracuse in 1979. Finally he went on to subspecialize in Pediatric Hematology-Oncology in Upstate Medical Center, New York, and Duke University Medical Center, 1981-83.
Chairman of the Medical Department – Internist/17th Year in NFL
Elliot Pellman joined the New York Jets medical staff in 1988 and in 1998 was named the chairman of the Medical Department. In his current capacity, Dr. Pellman is responsible for the direction, supervision and operations of the entire Jets’ medical department. He also serves the Jets’ staff as the team internist. Dr. Pellman is the NFL medical liaison and is a past president of the NFL Physician’s Society. He is the chairman of the NFL subcommittee on Mild Traumatic Brain Injury, a member of the NFL Injury and Safety Panel and is a member of the NFL/NFLPA Player Safety Committee.
He has been the medical director of the New York Islanders since 1996, was recently named medical advisor for MLB, also serves as the medical director of the New York Dragons Arena Football team. Is the medical director and cofounder of ProHEALTH Care Associates in Lake Success, New York.