Clinical Team
Clinical Staff
Abigail Crum, P.A.-C
Abigail Crum, MPAS, PA-C, joined the University of Pittsburgh Department of Neurological surgery as a physician assistant in October 2022. She completed her academic training at Duquesne University in the five-year physician assistant program, completing her undergraduate and graduate studies in 2021 and 2022.
Abigail has a special interest in treating patients with a multidisciplinary team approach, working alongside specialists from neurology, orthopedics, physical medicine and rehabilitation, pain management and interventional radiology to help patients overcome their complex spinal conditions as safely and effectively as possible.
Enfolded Clinical Fellows
Ricardo Fernández-de Thomas, M.D.
Ricardo J. Fernández-de Thomas, M.D., is a neurosurgeon who joined the University of Pittsburgh Department of Neurological Surgery residency program in 2021. He graduated magna cum laude from the University of Puerto Rico with a bachelor’s degree in cellular and molecular biology and completed his medical education at the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine with magna cum laude distinction. Dr. Fernández-de Thomas developed a passion for neurosurgery early in his education and became involved in research and leadership roles. He received various research awards and actively participated in student organizations. After medical school, he completed a four-year neurosurgery residency at the University of Puerto Rico. Dr. Fernández-de Thomas is dedicated to community outreach and has volunteered in health clinics in Puerto Rico and Central America. His achievements led to his election into the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. Outside of medicine, he enjoys spending time with family and friends, practicing martial arts, playing various sports, and engaging in outdoor activities.
Joseph Scott Hudson, M.D.
Joseph Scott Hudson, M.D., is a neurosurgeon who joined the University of Pittsburgh Department of Neurological Surgery residency program in 2019. He graduated with research distinction from the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, where he also obtained his undergraduate degree with honors in biology. Dr. Hudson has been heavily involved in the field of neurosurgery since his undergraduate years, conducting research in cerebrovascular neurosurgery and making contributions to the understanding of intracranial aneurysms, device development, and neurovascular imaging. His research has been recognized with awards and has been published in peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Hudson is a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society. Currently, he is specializing as a complex and minimally invasive spine fellow. Outside of neurosurgery, he enjoys spending time with family and friends, golfing, following professional and collegiate sports, skiing, traveling, and water sports.
Andrew D. Legaretta, M.D.
Hansen Deng, M.D.
Gautam M. Nayar, M.D.
Gautam M. Nayar, MD, joined the University of Pittsburgh Department of Neurological Surgery residency program in July of 2018.
After graduating from the University of Florida with a degree in computer science, Dr. Nayar completed his medical education at Duke University School of Medicine. As the Ruth K. Broad Foundation Neurosciences Fellow, he studied neuronal response and processing towards integration of sensory brain-computer interfaces in the laboratory of Miguel Nicolelis, MD, PhD. Dr. Nayar also cultivated an interest in spinal outcomes research focusing on minimally invasive approaches, radiation reduction protocol, and identification of pre-operative risk factors. Dr. Nayar’s work on the clinical efficacy of ultra-low radiation imaging protocols was awarded the 2017 AANS Donald Quest Clinical Science Award.
Although raised in Pittsburgh, Dr. Nayar moved to Gainesville, Fla. for high school and college. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, weight lifting, and spending time with his family.
Jeffrey Head, M.D.
Jeffery Head, M.D., joined the University of Pittsburgh Department of Neurological Surgery residency program in July of 2020. He graduated from Colgate University in 2012 with honors in cellular neuroscience and earned his medical degree from Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University in 2020, where he graduated cum laude and was elected into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society.
Prior to medical school, Dr. Head spent two years as a post-baccalaureate research fellow at the National Institutes of Health studying developmental neurobiology in zebra fish. His work focused on understanding the molecular signaling pathways that regulate collective cell migration in the peripheral nervous system during embryogenesis and creating digital reconstructions of the relationships between these cells during their migration. During his medical school career, Dr. Head was involved in research on spinal cord stimulation waveforms in treating chronic low-back pain, surgical approaches to the spine in treating ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament, mechanical thrombectomy in distal circulation strokes, and the risk-factors for infection in external ventricular drains.
Dr. Head was born and raised in Fairfield, Conn. Outside of neurosurgery Dr. Head is an avid skier and enjoys cooking, hiking, running, softball, soccer, and spending time with his friends and family. Dr. Head enjoys finding new restaurants to enjoy around Pittsburgh and recently purchased a home in Lawrenceville with his fiancé, who is a resident at UPMC in the Department of Otolaryngology.
David J. McCarthy, M.D.
David J. McCarthy, M.D., is a physician specializing in neurological surgery. He completed his residency program at the University of Pittsburgh Department of Neurological Surgery in 2020 and holds a master’s degree in clinical and translational research with a focus on statistics from the University of Miami. During his medical school, he focused on stroke treatment and outcomes, conducting laboratory research on endothelial dysfunction in aneurysms and pharmaceutical stroke recovery enhancement. His clinical research contributions include optimizing neuroendovascular access and post-stroke thrombectomy critical care. Dr. McCarthy’s research interests encompass neurosurgical epidemiology, treatment trends, neuroendovascular devices, and the molecular physiology of cerebral aneurysms. He also aims to apply artificial intelligence and machine learning to assess cerebral aneurysms and improve statistical methods in neurosurgical literature. Outside of medicine, he enjoys creating art, winter mountaineering, skiing, hiking, running, and weightlifting.
Postgraduate Clinical Fellows
Manan Shah, M.D.
Manan Shah, M.D., is a neurosurgery resident at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. He grew up in Parsippany, NJ and graduated Summa Cum Laude from Rutgers with a double major in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry and Psychology. He went on to complete his medical school at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School with Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) honors. He then completed his first four years of neurosurgery training in Detroit Medical Center/Wayne State University and is now completing his residency at Rutgers. His current interests include spinal cord injury and neurotrauma. His hobbies include playing soccer, basketball, and spending time with family and friends.
Fellowship Alumni
Galal Elsayed, M.D.
Former Trainees
Sangami Pugazenthi, B.S.
Stephanie M. Casillo, M.D.
Nallammai Muthiah, M.D., M.S.
Ahmed Kashkoush, M.D.
Michael D. White, M.D.
Rachel C. Jacobs, M.D.
James Zhou, M.D.
Vijay Letchuman, M.D.
Ahmed Jorge, M.D., Ph.D.
Nicolas K. Khattar, M.D.
