Hometown: Austin, TX

Undergrad: Texas A&M University 

Med school: NYITCOM- Arkansas

Fellowship plan/potential fellowship plan: Vascular  

Favorite cranial nerve and why: The Vagus nerve is my favorite because it embodies the spirit of travel- connecting diverse destinations (the brain and my organs) while making sure I stay balanced and happy. It's like my personal world class travel guide. 

Favorite thing about Long Island: Hands down the beaches. 

Favorite way to relax on a day off: A day at the beach, grab the train for a day in the city, heading to vineyards, and exploring different towns along the island. 

Your personal theme song: Shake it off- Taylor Swift 

Class of 2028

OMAMA ALI, DO

Hometown: North Bellmore, NY

Undergrad: SUNY Stony Brook University

Med school: Lincoln Memorial University DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine

Fellowship plan/potential fellowship plan: Vascular Neurology

Favorite cranial nerve and why: Facial nerve VII because it allows you to smile

Favorite thing about Long Island: The bagels

Favorite way to relax on a day of: Getting brunch or sitting at home watching Netflix

Your personal theme song: Don’t stop believing by Journey

​​​JARED BURNS-MARTIN, DO

Hometown: Bradenton, FL

Undergrad: University of South Florida

Med school: NYITCOM at Arkansas State

Fellowship plan/potential fellowship plan: Neurocritical Care/Neurointerventional or a fellowship geared toward doing General Neurology

Favorite cranial nerve and why: Vestibulocochlear because it carries two unique and complex functions. The cochlear component is a part of the system that converts mechanical sound waves into electrical signal, and carries that signal for the brain to process what we hear. While hearing feels so organic to us it is interesting to know our experience is electrical processing. The vestibular component, by input from the inner-ear  apparatuses, continuously keeps our brain informed about the body’s movement, acceleration, balance, and positioning in space. I find this to fascinating, especially in the context of fast and precise bodily movements such as in extreme sports.

Favorite thing about Long Island: Having access to NYC and beautiful Northeast seaside views to the East

Favorite way to relax on a day off: Grill good food alongside my wife, play and cuddle with my husky.

Your personal theme song: Somewhere I Belong – Linkin Park

AMBER HUGHES, MD

Hometown: Bohemia, NY

Undergrad: UMass Amherst

Med School: St. George’s University 

Fellowship plan/potential fellowship plan: Undecided, but excited to figure it out!

Favorite cranial nerve and why: Facial Nerve
You test her function by asking patients to smile, do I have to say more? :) :)  I will. It is both sensory and motor and I am both sensitive and love to be active! I also am very expressive and can’t help but show my thoughts with my facial expressions. Not to mention, 7 is my favorite number! 

Favorite thing about Long Island: My family and friends!

Favorite way to relax on a day off: Spending time outdoors with my fiancé. 

Your personal theme song: I Lived - One Republic 

RACHEED MANI, MD

Hometown: New York City/Kingston, Jamaica

Undergrad: New York University (NYU) 

Med school: Stony Brook University School of Medicine

Fellowship plan/potential fellowship plan: Movement Disorders or Vascular Neurology

Favorite cranial nerve and why: Vagus (X), just out of sheer fascination that a cranial nerve can have that breadth of influence on the parasympathetic nervous system  

Favorite thing about Long Island: Fall foliage 

Favorite way to relax on a day off: Reading and listening to music

Your personal theme song: Moonlight Sonata by Ludwig van Beethoven 

KIRANPREET SAWHNEY, DO

Hometown: Queens, NY

Undergrad: CUNY Baruch College 

Med school: VCOM-Carolina Campus

Fellowship plan/potential fellowship plan: 

I'm an undifferentiated neuron, its too early to say what sub-speciality I'll choose 

Favorite cranial nerve and why: CNX the Vagus nerve, it knows how to chill. Parasympathetic vibes only

Favorite thing about Long Island: Train ride away from the city and close to family

Favorite way to relax on a day off: Spending time with family/friends and sometimes myself. Depending on my energy level, I could be binge watching a good kdrama or exploring the city for good food and adventures

Your personal theme song: Kim Possible Theme Song

WILLIAM SHIN, DO

Hometown: Queens, NY

Undergrad: NYU

Med school: NYITCOM

Fellowship plan/potential fellowship plan: Vascular neurology, NCCU, Epilepsy

Favorite cranial nerve and why: CNXII because I like to eat food and smile

Favorite thing about Long Island: Heartland Golf Park

Favorite way to relax on a day off: Golfing, Hiking, Eating, Farmers markets

Your personal theme song: Runnin’ by David Dallas

Class of 2029

MAYA BHATTARAI

Hometown: 

Undergrad:

Med school: 

Fellowship plan/potential fellowship plan: 

Favorite cranial nerve and why: 

Favorite thing about Long Island: 

Favorite way to relax on a day off: 

Your personal theme song: 

DOMINICK CALAVANO

Hometown: 

Undergrad:

Med school: 

Fellowship plan/potential fellowship plan: 

Favorite cranial nerve and why: 

Favorite thing about Long Island: 

Favorite way to relax on a day off: 

Your personal theme song: 

MERON CHALLA

Hometown: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Undergrad:-

Med school: Addis Ababa University School of Health Sciences

Fellowship plan/potential fellowship plan: Neuro Oncology or Movement Disorders

Favorite cranial nerve and why: Facial nerve, how else would I satisfy my sweet tooth! I also love how, during a cranial nerve exam, it can bring a genuine smile to patients, even in the midst of their most difficult moments.

Favorite thing about Long Island: Still exploring the island but loving the greenery so far

Favorite way to relax on a day off: Spending time with my husband and fur baby. Love teaching my golden to fetch items around the house, has become very handy specially when I’m feeling a bit too cozy on the couch:)

Your personal theme song: Evidence, Josh Baldwin

JOHN NATE GROSS

Hometown: St. Louis

Undergrad: Arizona State University

Med school: St. George's University

Fellowship plan/potential fellowship plan: Undecided (leaning stroke)

Favorite cranial nerve and why: CN8 because hearing is my favorite sense, and the vestibular component is underrated

Favorite thing about Long Island: Port Jeff is cool. 

Favorite way to relax on a day off: Sleep in, go to the gym, hangout with friends, and sit in my recliner while watching tv

Your personal theme song: Cheeseburger in Paradise -Jimmy Buffet

MELISSA MURPHY

Hometown: Ridgefield, Connecticut

Undergrad: University of Connecticut

Med school: University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine

Fellowship plan/potential fellowship plan: Neurocritical Care/Vascular Neurology/Neurointerventional

Favorite cranial nerve and why: The Vagus nerve (CN X) is my MVP because when life serves chaos à la carte it keeps my heart steady and my vibes flowing 😊

Favorite thing about Long Island: The Italian food and bagels

Favorite way to relax on a day off: Baking (I take requests), golfing, reading

Your personal theme song: “Feeling Good” – Michael Bublé

DANIELA RICO

Hometown: San Diego, California

Undergrad: University of California, Santa Barbara – B.A. in Sociology with a minor in English; Virginia Commonwealth University – B.S. in Biology with a minor in Chemistry

Med school: Ross University School of Medicine

Fellowship plan/potential fellowship plan: Stroke and/or Neurocritical Care

Favorite cranial nerve and why: The optic nerve is my favorite, as it carries the gift of sight, allowing us to see and be seen, to marvel at the world’s natural beauty, and to bear witness to the wonders created by human hands.

Favorite thing about Long Island: To be determined. I’ve never been to Long Island before, so I’m still exploring the area

Favorite way to relax on a day off: Spend the day with my boys! My partner and I have two Siberian Huskies, Zuko and Iroh. During the colder seasons, we often go on long hikes together, but in the summer, we have to keep the pups cool, so we drive them to the ice cream shop.

Your personal theme song: Relentless by Walls of Jericho

AUDREY YAN

Hometown: Roslyn, NY

Undergrad: Binghamton University (Go Bearcats?)

Med school: West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine

Fellowship plan/potential fellowship plan: Neuro-ophthalmology, Vascular

Favorite cranial nerve and why: CN VIII, because how else would I appreciate music on full blast?

Favorite thing about Long Island: It’s the island that raised me :) (oh, and the bagels obviously) 

Favorite way to relax on a day off: Running, Orangetheory, and a long scenic drive with 2000s pop hits blasting

Your personal theme song: That’s the Way It Is by Céline Dion

Class of 2030

Mojtaba Mahmoodi 

Hometown: 

Undergrad:

Med school: 

Fellowship plan/potential fellowship plan: 

Favorite cranial nerve and why: 

Favorite thing about Long Island: 

Favorite way to relax on a day off: 

Your personal theme song: 

Diego Suarez Irizarry 

Hometown: San Juan, Puerto Rico 

Undergrad: Florida International University 

Med school: University of Puerto Rico SOM

Fellowship plan/potential fellowship plan: Interested in MS/Neuroimmunology, Movement Disorders, and Neuromuscular

Favorite cranial nerve and why: CN IX because tasting good food is priceless

Favorite thing about Long Island: Many different vibes based on the region and love how many trees there are. Still have lots to explore!

Favorite way to relax on a day off: Spending time with my partner and our son (dog)

Your personal theme song: Gratisfaction by The Strokes

Amulya Kulkarni

Hometown: Irvine, California

Undergrad: California State University Fullerton

Med school: Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine

Fellowship plan/potential fellowship plan: Headache medicine, Vascular Neurology, or Epilepsy

Favorite cranial nerve and why: Cranial nerve 7, the facial nerve, because it controls facial expressions to help you smile! 🙂

Favorite thing about Long Island: The greenery and how beautiful the beaches are

Favorite way to relax on a day off: A day in, sipping a cup of green tea while playing with my kitten

Your personal theme song: Espresso by Sabrina Carpenter because I can’t go a day without coffee