Department Chair:
Brij S. Ahluwalia, M.D.
Chair and Professor of Neurology
Dr. Singh is Chair & Professor of Neurology at New York Medical College, Director of Neurology & Chief, Cerebrovascular & General Neurology Sections at Westchester Medical Center.
He received his medical degree, M.B.B.S. in 1961 and post-graduate degree in Internal Medicine (M.D.) in 1966 from Punjab University in Chandigarh, India. He completed residencies in Internal Medicine and Emergency Medicine from Rajindra Hospital in Patiala, India, and a four-year research fellowship from the Indian Council of Medical Research, a national health research institute, in 1967. Upon completion of his Neurology Residency at New York Medical College in 1972, he joined the Department of Neurology faculty at New York Medical College.
Dr. Singh is board certified in Neurology by the American Board of Neurology and Psychiatry. He is a fellow of American Academy of Neurology and fellow of Stroke Council for American Heart Association. He is former president of the AHA Westchester/Putnam Chapter. He served as President of the Medical Board of WMC for 5 years. He has authored a number of scientific papers. He has been elected to the Best Doctors Guide in the New York metro area by Castle Connelly and included in the "Best Doctors in New York" issue of New York Magazine for 19 years (2001-2020). Dr. Singh was Doctor of the Year – 1992 - Dr. I. Fund Foundation, Founding President of the Hudson Valley Association of Physicians from India – 1994, Physician of the year at the 19th Annual Ball - Westchester Medical Center and honored by the Westchester County Board of Legislation on June 7, 1997 at “Brij Singh Ahluwalia Day. His clinical interests include Multiple Sclerosis, Alzheimer (dementia), Headache, Balance disorders and Stroke & General Neurology.
Full-time Faculty
Stephen J. Marks, M.D., F.A.H.A., Professor of Neurology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, has the distinct pleasure of teaching at the medical school he matriculated at. After medical school at New York Med, Dr. Marks interned at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City for a year of Internal Medicine and then went further uptown for his Neurology residency at Mt. Sinai Hospital. After his residency, he did a Fellowship at Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, which focused clinically on stroke with additional bench laboratory research on neuronal plasticity and Alzheimer's disease.
Dr. Marks has also distinguished himself as one of the finest educators in the country, being voted by the graduating senior class of NYMC an Outstanding Teaching Award fourteen times since joining New York Med in 1988. He has published numerous papers, presented at national meetings and has authored chapters. He is also a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) honor medical society, the Goldstein Society of Honor for Teaching excellence, and Marquis Who's Who in Medicine. He has been elected to the Best Doctors Guide for the New York Metro area for the past fourteen years, is in the Best Doctors issue of New York Magazine and is a Top Doctor in the Westchester Magazine for the past eight years. Other highlights include being the neurologist for the New York Jets (1986-1987), being ringside as a neurologic consultant for the boxing heavyweight title for the New York Athletic Commission (2000), lecturing as an Instructor in Bio-Ethics since the creation of the Bio-Ethics Institute in 1999 and being an Expert Consultant for the Office of Professional Medical Conduct in the New York State Department of Health.
Venkat Ramani, M.D., is a Professor of Neurology at New York Medical College. He is also the Director of Neurology Residency Program at New York Medical College. At Westchester Medical Center he serves as the Chief of the Section of Epilepsy and Clinical Neurophysiology. Prior to his joining the department of Neurology at NYMC, Dr. Ramani had held academic neurology faculty positions at the Universities of Illinois and Minnesota and more recently at Albany Medical College, where he was Chairman of the Department.
Dr. Ramani completed his Residencies in New York and Fellowship training at the University of Minnesota. He is fully trained in Neurology, Psychiatry and Clinical Neurophysiology (EEG) and is independently Board Certified in all three fields. He is an active member of the American Academy of Neurology, American Epilepsy Society, the American Psychiatric Association, and the American Clinical Neurophysiology Society (ACNS).He has served for a number of years as an examiner in EEG Boards (ACNS), and also as a member of the Professional Advisory Board of the Epilepsy Foundation of America, and a Medical Reviewer for the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles in Albany. He has authored a number of scientific papers and book chapters in his specialty areas.
Dr. Ramani specializes in Epilepsy and complicated seizure disorders and provides comprehensive assessment and management of these conditions utilizing state of the art diagnostic and treatment options. His additional subspecialty interest includes the field of Neuropsychiatry which deals with the diagnosis and management of psychological (depression and anxiety) and behavioral manifestations of neurological disorders.
Stephan A. Mayer, M.D., FCCM, FNCS is Director of Neurocritical Care and Emergency Neurology Services for Westchester Medical Center Health System and Professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery (pending) at New York Medical College. Dr. Mayer earned his undergraduate degree from Brown University and his medical degree from Cornell University Medical College in New York City. He completed a residency in neurology and a fellowship in critical care neurology at the Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons, where he rose to the rank of Professor of Neurology and built one of the nation’s leading academic Neurocritical care programs. Following that, he moved to the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where he was Founding Director of the Institute for Critical Care Medicine. More recently, he served as the William T. Gossett Chair of Neurology for the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, Michigan.
Dr. Mayer is a practicing neurointensivist and is considered a world leader in the field. He has published more than 280 original research articles, 190 chapters and review articles, 370 abstracts, and written or edited 10 books, including the most recent edition of Merritt’s Textbook of Neurology, considered a standard text in the field. Dr. Mayer was a founding member and past president of the Neurocritical Care Society, an international society with over 2,700 members. He was principal investigator of the FAST Trial, a worldwide multicenter clinical trial evaluating ultra-early hemostatic therapy for brain hemorrhage, and served as principal investigator of the NIH-funded New York Presbyterian Hospital hub of the Neurological Emergencies Treatment Trials (NETT) network and the Columbia University Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Outcomes Project. His work in helping victims of severe brain injury has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and in the book Cheating Death, by CNN medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
Dr. Li is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurology at New York Medical College. She is the chief of the Neuromuscular section at Westchester Medical Center. She specializes in neuromuscular disease, EMG/NCS in pediatric and adult patients as well as headache medicine. Dr. Li has special interests in headaches and uses a comprehensive approach to treat patients with simple and complicated headaches. She has extensive experience in botulinum toxin injections treating various neurological conditions including dystonia, spasticity and chronic headaches.
Dr. Li received her medical degree in 1993 from the prestigious medical school of Peking University in China. She continued her medical research in the Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy at New York Medical College and received her PhD degree in 2001. In 2002 she completed her neurology residency at NYMC/Westchester Medical Center and joined the faculty in the Department of Neurology at New York Medical College.
Dr. Li is independently board certified in the fields of Neurology, Electrodiagnostic Medicine, Neuromuscular Medicine and Headache Medicine. Dr. Li has authored multiple peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. She is a member of the American Academy of Neurology, American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine and American Headache Society..
Ramandeep Sahni, M.D., is a Clinical Associate Professor of Neurology at New York Medical College, Program Director of the Vascular Neurology Fellowship, and Assistant Director of the Stroke Program at Westchester Medical Center. Dr. Sahni is board certified in Adult Neurology and Vascular Neurology.
After graduating from medical school in India, Dr. Sahni completed her medical internship and neurology residency at Long Island Jewish Medical Center. Thereafter, she completed two-year American College of Graduating Medical Education (ACGME) accredited Vascular Neurology (Stroke) Fellowship at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York.
Dr. Sahni has been practicing neurology since 2002 and has been a part of the faculty at Westchester Medical Center since 2007. She takes special interest in teaching and mentoring the stroke fellows, residents and students. In 2008, she started the Vascular Neurology Fellowship at Westchester Medical Center, which is accredited by the ACGME. Dr Sahni has published several articles in peer-reviewed journals and is actively involved in several clinical research projects.
Dr. Sahni currently practices as a general neurologist and is accepting new patients. She has a special interest in cerebrovascular-related disorders such as ischemic stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage, arterial dissection, carotid stenosis, vascular malformations, and migraine.
Dr. Fekete is an Associate Professor of Neurology at New York Medical College in Valhalla, New York.
Dr. Fekete completed his pre-medical studies at The Johns Hopkins University. He was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, the Honor Society for Neuroscience, and graduated with an Honors biology degree. He received his M.D. degree from NYU School of Medicine and served as chief resident in neurology at North Shore – LIJ Health System. He finished his training with a two-year movement disorders fellowship with Dr. Joseph Jankovic at Baylor College of Medicine.
Dr. Fekete has an active interest in research that began with three undergraduate Howard Hughes fellowships. He has participated in multi-center randomized trials of new therapies for movement disorders, and he has published peer-reviewed articles on essential tremor, Parkinson's disease, chorea, and convergence spasm.
Dr. Al-Mufti is one of the few triple-trained Neurologist, Neurointensivist, and Neuroendovascular Surgeons specializing in the surgical management of strokes, cerebral aneurysms and other cerebrovascular malformation.
Dr. Al-Mufti has over 100 research publications, abstracts, books chapters and has presented at numerous reputable scientific meetings. His research expertise is primarily in subarachnoid hemorrhage and acute ischemic stroke. He strives to synergize his clinical training and research interests; to gain in depth understanding of devastating neurological diseases and to improve patient outcomes by applying early identification of novel treatment targets while enabling innovations in precision medicine.
He is a recipient of the prestigious CNS/AANS Cerebrovascular Fellow’s Award by the American Academy of Neurological Surgeons as well as having been recent listed within Castle Connolly’s Top Doctors and Marquis Who's Who in Medicine. Dr. Al-Mufti is continually active in the Neurocritical care society and he hosts the monthly Neurocritical Care Society podcast, additionally he serves as the Chair of the Society of Vascular and Interventional Neurology’s Social Media and Digital Strategy Committee.
Working through wars for several years with Doctors without Borders afforded him the unique opportunity to treat a wide variety of patients under some of the direst situations. Few physicians are fortunate enough to have been exposed to this depth, breadth and sheer complexity of working under the stress of war. “I attribute my dedication to my patient's outcomes largely to my war experiences”.
“A patient must be considered as a person first and foremost – and should be treated as if they were a family member” Dr. Al-Mufti is a firm believer in a collaborative multidisciplinary approach to patient care. He sees his role as being a combination of physician and educator and that patient education and joint decision-making with patients and families is paramount.
Dr. Kodi is an Assistant Professor of Neurology at New York Medical College in Valhalla, NY. She is board certified in Neurology, Clinical Neurophysiology and Sleep Medicine (ABPN).
Dr. Kodi received her medical degree from Bangalore Medical College in Bangalore, India. She went on to residencies in internal medicine at St. Vincent's Catholic Medical Center in Jamaica, New York, and in neurology at New York Medical College. Dr. Kodi then completed a fellowship in clinical neurophysiology at Jacobs Neurological Institute of the State University of New York, Buffalo, and a fellowship in sleep medicine at Winthrop University Hospital in Mineola, New York.
A member of the American Academy of Neurology, American Academy of Sleep Medicine and American Medical Association, Dr. Kodi has also authored several journal articles and participated as a research investigator in neurological studies.
Dr. Thomas is an Assistant Professor of Neurology at New York Medical College in Valhalla, New York.
Dr. Thomas completed her undergraduate education at Dartmouth College, graduating with honors. She received her medical degree from NYU School of Medicine, where she also completed her internship in Internal Medicine. She completed her Neurology residency at Mount Sinai Medical Center, where she served as a chief resident. She finished her training at Mount Sinai Medical Center with a fellowship in Clinical Neurophysiology, focused in electromyography.
Dr. Thomas is board certified in General Neurology and Clinical Neurophysiology. She is a member of the American Academy of Neurology and the American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine.
Christeena Kurian, M.D. is an Assistant Professor of Neurology at New York Medical College in Valhalla, NY and an attending physician at Westchester Medical Center.
After graduating from the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine, Dr. Kurian completed her medical internship at Montefiore Medical Center, Wakefield Campus. She completed her neurology residency at Westchester Medical Center/ New York Medical College where she served as chief resident. Thereafter she completed a Vascular Neurology Fellowship at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
Dr. Kurian is board certified in Adult Neurology. Dr. Kurian has been a part of the faculty at Westchester Medical Center since 2019. She takes special interest in Vascular Neurology and in teaching and mentoring stroke fellows, residents and students. Dr. Kurian currently practices as a vascular and general neurologist at the Bradhurst Outpatient offices.
Dr. Kaur is an Interventional and Vascular neurologist who specializes in the medical and endovascular treatment of strokes, cerebral and subarachnoid hemorrhage, brain aneurysms, and arteriovenous malformations. Dr. Kaur is board certified in Neurology, Vascular Neurology and Endovascular Neurosurgery.
Dr. Kaur completed her residency in Neurology at SUNY Upstate Medical University, where she was the Chief Resident, her Vascular Neurology fellowship from Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Endovascular Neurology fellowship from Westchester Medical Center. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Lady Hardinge Medical College in India.
Throughout her training and career, Dr. Kaur has demonstrated leadership qualities and a strong interest in being a physician educator. For her efforts, she won the prestigious AAN Enhanced Resident Leadership Award, the GME award for Professional excellence as well as many research awards.
Dr. Kaur has authored multiple peer-reviewed articles, serves as a reviewer for prestigious stroke journals and is a senior blogger for the American Heart Association ‘Blogging Stroke’ program. Her research interests include advanced neuroimaging, expansion of thrombectomy criteria and outcomes research using administrative databases.
Dr. Danisi is Associate Director of Neurology, MidHudson Regional Hospital in Poughkeepsie, NY - part of the Westchester Medical Center Network, and is Associate Professor of Neurology at New York Medical College. He is also adjunct Professor at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine in Middletown, NY.
Dr. Danisi is a native of Rome, Italy where he graduated from the University of Rome “La Sapienza” medical school cum laude. He completed a Neurology residency and was chosen Chief Resident at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York. He also completed a Movement Disorders fellowship at Mount Sinai in 1998.
In the past, he has served as Censor and Treasurer of the Ulster County Medical Society, Secretary of the Health Alliance Hospital Medical Staff Executive Committee and Board Member of the Taconic IPA.
He is active in the field of Movement Disorders, and is skilled in the diagnosis and treatment of disorders such as Parkinson's disease, Essential Tremor, Huntington's Chorea, Dystonia, Tics and Spasticity.
Dr. Danisi employs multiple treatment modalities, including botulinum toxin injections for dystonia, spasticity, hyperhidrosis, sialorrhea, and chronic headaches. He is skilled in use of intrathecal baclofen pump therapy and Deep Brain Stimulation therapy for Parkinson’s, Essential tremor and dystonia. He has been Principal Investigator for several Clinical Research Trials. He has published book chapters and peer-reviewed original articles on Parkinson's disease, Dystonia and related topics.
Dr. Amodeo is a neurologist who specializes in the diagnosis and care of patients with neurodegenerative movement and cognitive disorders, including Parkinson’s disease and dementia with Lewy bodies. She completed fellowship training at the University of Rochester as a selected Edmond J. Safra Michael J Fox Foundation Fellow. During this time, she was mentored and trained by faculty in both the Movement Disorders center and the Memory Care program. She has served as principal investigator and co-investigator in several clinical trials in Parkinson’s disease and dementia with Lewy bodies.
Dr. Amodeo evaluates and treats patients with neurological disorders, with a focus in movement and cognitive disorders. Her research focuses on identifying modifiable risk factors for cognitive impairment with the goal of mitigating risk for dementia in those with Parkinson’s disease and prodromal dementia with Lewy bodies.
Part-time Faculty
Akfirat, Gokhan Lut, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Neurology
Avitzur, Orly, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurology
Benjamin, Jeffrey L., M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurology
Capanelli, Vincent Salvatore, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Neurology
Carbone, Joseph R., M.D.
Instructor of Neurology
Cornett, Oriana Ellen, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurology
Corrigan, Nicole Melissa, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Neurology
Danisi, Fabio O., M.D.
Clinical Associate Professor of Neurology
Daras, Michael, M.D., Ph.D.
Adjunct Professor of Neurology
Dennis, Lyle James, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurology
Engstrand, Beatrice C., M.D.
Clinical Associate Professor of Neurology
Etienne, Mill, M.D., M.P.H.
Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurology
Gitlevich, Tatyana R., M.D.
Adjunct Assistant Professor of Neurology
Gutstein, Hal, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurology
Hines, Terence, Ph.D.
Adjunct Professor of Neurology
Jindal, Surinder P., M.D.
Clinical Associate Professor of Neurology
Katz, Avery S., M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurology
Kay, Arthur D., M.D.
Adjunct Associate Professor of Neurology
Koppel, Barbara S., M.D.
Clinical Professor of Neurology
Lahiri, Asok K., M.D.
Clinical Associate Professor of Neurology
Lair, Lindsey Lee, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurology
Lequerica, Steve, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurology
Lleva, Paul, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurology
Masdeu, Joseph C., M.D., Ph.D.
Adjunct Professor of Neurology
Ollar, Robert A., Ph.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurology
Ranade, Kishore N., M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurology
Rosenthal, Loren Ethan, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurology
Sahni, Ramandeep, M.D.
Clinical Associate Professor of Neurology
Singh, Avtar, M.D.
Clinical Associate Professor of Neurology
Singh, Baldev K., M.D.
Clinical Associate Professor of Neurology
Smith, Steven J., M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurology
Stein, Beth, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Neurology
Todo, Akira, M.D., M.S.
Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurology
Traugott, Ute, M.D.
Clinical Professor of Neurology
Tuchman, Alan J., M.D.
Clinical Professor of Neurology
Vulkanov, Volodymyr, M.D., D.O.
Assistant Professor of Neurology
Weisbrot, Frederick John, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurology
