Catherine A. Schevon, MD, PhD

Dr. Sisti specializes in the treatment of complex brain tumors, meningiomas, and acoustic neuromas employing state of the art computer guided microneurosurgery and Gamma Knife radiosurgery. Dr. Sisti’s core belief is that by dedicating himself both to the best in medical technology and to the quality of the physician patient relationship, he provides the optimum opportunity for helping patients deal with these difficult brain tumors. He has safely and successfully operated upon more than seven thousand patients with these complex conditions. During his 30 year career in the Department of Neurosurgery at Columbia University’s world-class medical center Dr. Sisti has also pioneered many surgical and technical advances including New York City’s first non-invasive radiosurgery program. As a result of his personal philosophy and the long term concentrated experience in treating the most difficult tumors Dr. Sisti has earned a reputation for technical excellence in surgical results as well as providing superior personal care to his patients and their family members. Dr. Sisti is the James G. McMurtry III, MD Professor of Neurosurgery, Radiation Oncology & Otolaryngology. He is also the Co-director, Center for Radiosurgery. Watch Dr. Sisti's Videos: Meet Dr. Michael B. Sisti Medical Minute: Metastatic Brain Tumors Medical Minute: Malignant Brain Tumors Medical Minute: Meningiomas Medical Minute: Radiosurgery Dr. Sisti shares his expertise on Acoustic Neuromas Dr. Sisti's Patient Story

Julia Yasek, MS, FNP-BC, DNP is a Clinical Research Nurse Practitioner in the Division of Neuromuscular Medicine. Prior to pursuing nursing, Dr. Yasek conducted laboratory and clinical research in the Department of Neurology at the University of Massachusetts (UMass) Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, with a focus on neuromuscular disorders, genetics, and imaging. She subsequently graduated from the UMass Medical School Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Program, and practiced for several years in both an inpatient acute care setting and a primary care practice, with a focus on underserved populations. Dr. Yasek also has interests and training in palliative care, healthcare policy, and quality improvement, and brings these many skills to her role, as part of the multidisciplinary care team in the Eleanor and Lou Gehrig ALS Center.

Gordon Baltuch MD, PhD, FACS, FRCS(C) is the Co-Chief of Functional Neurosurgery Division at Columbia Neurosurgery. Dr. Baltuch specializes in the surgical treatment of movement disorders and was previously director of the Penn Center for Functional and Restorative Neurosurgery and professor of neurosurgery at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, where he had been a faculty member since 1996. Dr. Baltuch was one of the first neurosurgeons in the United States to use deep brain stimulation to reduce tremor and other motor symptoms in people with Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders. After training in Montreal, Switzerland, and France, Dr. Baltuch moved to Penn to develop one of the first deep brain stimulation programs in the United States. He has treated more than 1,600 patients using the procedure, making him one of the most experienced neurosurgeons in functional neurosurgery. He also pioneered the use of the technology to treat epilepsy, depression, and Alzheimer’s disease. More recently, Dr. Baltuch also became a pioneer in the use of focused ultrasound, a nonsurgical procedure approved in 2016 to treat essential tremor. Since 2017, he has successfully performed hundreds of these procedures and developed Penn’s focused ultrasound program into one of the largest such practices in the country. Before joining Penn, Dr. Baltuch completed a fellowship in Lausanne, Switzerland, and a residency in neurosurgery at the Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI). He earned his MD and PhD degrees at McGill University. Among other honors, Dr. Baltuch received the Wilder Penfield Award in Neurosurgery from the MNI, the K.G. McKenzie Award for Basic Science Research from the Canadian Neurosurgical Society, and the Luigi Mastroianni Clinical Innovator Award of Excellence from the Faculty of Medicine at Penn. He is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and Royal College of Surgeons of Canada.