The Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery was created in 1984. It is the oldest pediatric neurosurgical service in the metropolitan area and the largest service in the tri-state region, having a regional, national and international referral base. Approximately 500 surgical procedures are performed each year including over 70 pediatric brain tumors, 50 craniofacial/craniosynostosis and 50 epilepsy procedures. The location of this busy pediatric service within a general hospital has allowed children with congenital and chronic pediatric conditions to be followed by the same pediatric neurosurgical team into adulthood, avoiding the discontinuity in care that is often seen with patients followed in a dedicated children's hospital. Approximately 15 percent of the surgical procedures are on adults with pediatric diseases, primarily hydrocephalus, spina bifida, tethered cord, and Chiari malformations.
Given the complex, multidimensional and chronic nature of most pediatric neurosurgical conditions, the division has vigorously promoted a team approach to both perioperative care and surgical intervention. These multidisciplinary teams include the Craniofacial Center in the Institute for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the pediatric neuro-oncology tumor board and the collaboration with the pediatric physiatry service at the Rusk Institute for Rehabilitative Medicine. There are weekly conferences emphasizing both patient care and teaching in the Craniofacial Center and tumor board, as well as a didactic pediatric neurosurgery teaching conference in conjunction with neuroradiology.
The division has an active program of both clinical and basic science research in pediatric neuro-oncology, hydrocephalus, and congenital malformations. Most of the eligible patients participate in either institutional or national treatment protocols. During a resident's rotation on the service they are encouraged to participate in some aspect of the research program with the goal of writing at least one scientific paper.
Dr. Jeffrey Wisoff is Associate Professor of Neurosurgery and Pediatrics and the director of the Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery. He is a graduate of Union College and the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. Dr. Wisoff received his neurosurgical and pediatric neurosurgical training at NYU Medical Center and was one of the founding members of the Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery in 1984. His major clinical interests are in pediatric brain tumors, Chiari malformations, craniofacial disorders and hydrocephalus. He is an author or co-author of 100 scientific papers or chapters. Dr. Wisoff is the co-chairman of the Neurosurgery Committee and a senior member of the Brain Tumor Strategy Committee of the national Children's Oncology Group. He is the chair of the COG Low-grade Astrocytoma Protocol, a prospective, international study of the surgical treatment of over 700 children with low-grade pediatric brain tumors. Dr. Wisoff is an officer of the Joint Section of Pediatric Neurosurgery of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and Congress of Neurological Surgeons, and is a member of the American Society of Pediatric Neurosurgery and the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery. He also serves on the medical advisory board of the Children's Brain Tumor Foundation and the Hydrocephalus Association.
Howard L. Weiner, MD is Associate Professor of Neurosurgery and Pediatrics. His clinical areas of expertise include the surgical treatment of pediatric brain and spinal tumors, pediatric epilepsy, craniofacial disorders, pediatric spasticity, hydrocephalus, spina bifida, Chiari malformations, syringomyelia and tethered spinal cord. In the laboratory, he is studying the role of the hedgehog signaling pathway in medulloblastoma formation with Alexandra Joyner, Ph.D., and Dan Turnbull, Ph.D., in the Developmental Genetics Program of the NYU Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, work that is funded by the NIH. He was recently awarded the Pediatric Basic Research Award by the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation and Society for Neuro-Oncology, the Young Investigator Award, and the Best Individual Investigator Award by the AANS/CNS Tumor Section. He serves on the AANS Public Relations and Young Neurosurgeon's Committees. He has nearly 50 publications.
Dr. David Harter is an assistant professor of neurosurgery with subspecialization in pediatric neurosurgery. He has a specific interest in pediatric spine disease/tumors/malformations, as well as endoscopic brain surgery. He has authored numerous manuscripts and lectures nationally in the field of pediatric neurosurgery.
