Program Director & Staff

Program Director’s Message

Excellence in medical education has been a tradition of Mercy Hospital of Buffalo for over 100 years. The Neurocritical Care Fellowship Program at Mercy Hospital of Buffalo combines hospital activities, clinical research opportunities, teaching experience, and administrative training. There is available clinical, radiographic, and electrophysiology experience for those applying from other than a neuroscience background. Practical experience comes from multiple clinical settings and work with Neurocritical Care-certified physicians who strive to foster your personal interests.

The particular strength of the program is its collaboration between faculty from departments of neuroendovascular, neurology, neurosurgery, critical care medicine, cardiovascular surgery, cardiology, emergency medicine, radiology, and anesthesiology, and its association for training at the regional Level-One trauma center.

Upon successful completion, fellows are certified in Emergency Neurological Life Support and Advanced Cardiac Life Support, and they are board-eligible for the United Council of Neurologic Subspecialties Neurocritical Care examination. They will have developed a foundation in teaching and clinical research for their future careers.

Raed Alnaji, MD
Fellowship Program Director

Program Staff

Amanda Melas
Neuroscience Program Administrator/Neurocritical Care Fellowship Program Coordinator
akelly2@chsbuffalo.org

Core Faculty

Raed Alnaji, MD – Neurointensivist
Fellowship Program Director

William Coplin, MD, FCCM, FNCS – Neurointensivist
Medical Director Neurocritical Care

Julius G. LaTorre, MD, MPH – Neurointensivist
Professor of Neurology
Medical Directory Neurology & Stroke SUNY Upstate

Lee Guterman, PhD, MD – Endovascular Neurosurgeon
Medical Director, Neuroscience Service Line

Steve Dofitas, MD – Vascular Neurologist

Gregory Castiglia, MD – Neurosurgeon

Christopher Wilcox, DO, MS – Neurointensivist, Cardiac Intensivist

Arie Weinstock, MD – Epileptologist
Professor of Clinical Neurology SUNY Buffalo
Director, Epilepsy Program and Long-Term Monitoring

Arun Babu, MD – Neurologist

James Egnatchik, MD – Neurosurgeon Chairman of Neurosurgery

Edward Cosgrove, MD – Emergency Medicine
Medical Director, Department of Emergency Medicine

William J Flynn Jr., MD – Trauma surgeon, Intensivist
Chief, Division of Critical Care Erie County Medical Center
Associate Professor, Program Director Critical Care fellowship

Michael S. Chopko, MD – Trauma surgeon, Intensivist
Clinical Assistant Professor

Nurse Practitioner Team

Amanda Coleman, NP

Andrea Perry, NP

Maria White, NP

Brittany McMillan, NP

Trevor Chichelli, DNP

Nicole Wedzina, DNP

Kara Wopperer, NP

Supervising Attending Physicians/ Faculty

Andrew SanFilippo, DO, DPT – Vascular Neurologist

Peterkin Lee-Kwen, MD – Neurologist

Jason Davies, MD, PhD – Endovascular Neurosurgeon

Jeffery Lewis, MD – Neurosurgeon

Stephen Gladysz, MD – Anesthesiologist

Nishi Harvey, MD – Anesthesiologist

Nirosshan Thiruchelvam, MD – Intensivist, Pulmonologist

Zeeshan Qureshi, DO – Neuroradiologist