“I care for my patients akin to how I care for my family – Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

Nitin Agarwal, MD, joined the University of Pittsburgh Department of Neurological Surgery as an associate professor on February 1, 2023. As part of his educational mission, he serves as the associate program director of the UPMC/University of Pittsburgh neurological surgery residency program and co-director of the department’s Complex and Minimally Invasive Spine Deformity Fellowship. On the clinical front, he is director of the department’s Minimally Invasive Spine and Robotics Surgery program.

Dr. Agarwal received his medical degree from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. Afterwards, he completed his neurological surgery residency at the University of Pittsburgh. During this time, he also completed an enfolded fellowship in sports medicine as well as in minimally invasive and complex spine surgery. He then completed an AO Spine and Committee on Advanced Subspecialty Training (CAST) approved minimally invasive and complex spine surgery fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco with dual training from orthopedic and neurosurgical mentors. Prior to joining the University of Pittsburgh, Dr. Agarwal served as the director of neurotrauma at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis with a clinical focus in spinal deformity surgery.

Dr. Agarwal has funded investigations in four concentrations: neurotrauma outcomes after severe traumatic brain injury and acute spinal cord injury, spine outcomes, socioeconomic research, and patient education. To date, he has published over 275 peer-reviewed articles and has spoken at several regional and national conferences with over 300 oral and poster presentations. His health literacy research has been published in several high impact factor journals including JAMA Internal Medicine and he has also been featured by prominent healthcare-oriented news outlets such as Reuters Health. In addition, he is an editor for the following books:

Neurosurgery Fundamentals

Surviving Neurosurgery: Vignettes of Resilience

The Evolution of Health Literacy: Empowering Patients through Improved Education

Pre-Medicine: The Complete Guide for Aspiring Doctors.

Dr. Agarwal also maintains an active role in organized neurosurgery advocating for medical student and patient education. 

Moreover, he has pledged his commitment to advancing neurosurgery as a member of the Neurosurgery Research and Education Foundation Cushing Circle of Giving.

Outside of neurological surgery, Dr. Agarwal has been deeply dedicated to martial arts, specifically the disciplines of Taekwondo, Krav Maga and Jiu-Jitsu. For over a decade, he served as a certified instructor, national judge and school owner. Dr. Agarwal credits martial arts with providing mental and physical discipline as well as adherence to a strict honor code.

Dr. Agarwal also leads The Knowledge Ticket, which is an academic tutoring service. The organization is committed to working closely with students and their families to provide customized, one-on-one tutoring instruction that helps students achieve their academic goals. Its elite group of tutors brings a wealth of experience in their individual fields of academic expertise to their students. They individualize students’ lessons and present materials and concepts in engaging, easy-to-understand ways that keep students motivated and on the road to success.