Dr. Michael Tobias

headshot of dr. michael tobias of bssny

Meet Dr. Tobias

Caring for the special surgical needs of children with problems involving the brain, spine, and peripheral nerves takes a lot of training. So much training, in fact, that there are fewer than 200 board-certified pediatric neurosurgeons currently practicing in the United States.

 

Dr. Michael Tobias is a pediatric neurosurgeon with board certifications in both neurological surgery and pediatric neurological surgery. In addition, he is an Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery and Pediatrics at New York Medical College.

 

Dr. Tobias received his medical degree from Brown University School of Medicine, graduating with honors in neurosurgery. He performed his internship and residency at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. While Chief Resident there, Dr. Tobias helped establish a new educational curriculum for resident training in pediatric neurosurgery at Montefiore Hospital. Dr. Tobias completed his Pediatric Neurosurgery Fellowship at St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital in Memphis, TN.

 

As a pediatric neurosurgeon, Dr. Tobias knows how important it is to make sure families understand what is happening with their child and feel comfortable with the treatment plan.

 

“We see families at one of the most challenging times of their lives and we want them to understand that they are in the very best hands they can be in,” said Dr. Tobias. “We take the time to explain what is going on and what we are going to do to help their child.”

 

“One of the things we do very well here is that we’re very collaborative,” he said. “Our families and patients get to know us very well and we are always available to answer any questions they have.”

 

In addition to his work as a pediatric neurosurgeon, Dr. Tobias is also a sought-after presenter and is the author and co-author of numerous research papers.

 

To learn more about Dr. Tobias and pediatric neurosurgery at BSSNY, click here.

Dr. Michael Tobias gives a lecture on craniofacial abnormalities

Credentials

Education

  • B.A. in Political Science
    Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
  • Medical Degree
    Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island

Post Graduate Training

  • Intern, General Surgery
    Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York
  • Resident Neurosurgery
    Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York
  • Pediatric Neurosurgery Fellowship
    LeBonheur Children’s Medical Center/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee

Certificates & Licensures

  • New York medical license
  • Tennessee medical license
  • Federal DEA certificate
  • American Board Certified November 2013

Professional Societies

  • American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS)
  • Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS)
  • Pediatric Section Member(AANS/CNS)
  • New York Neurosurgical Society (NYNS)

Hospital Appointments

Current:

  • Attending Neurosurgeon
    Westchester Medical Center, Valhalla, NY

Past:

  • Pediatric Neurosurgery Fellow
    LeBonheur Children’s Medical Center, Memphis, TN
  • Pediatric Neurosurgery Fellow
    Jude Children’s Research Hospita, Memphis, TN

Academic Appointments

  • Assistant Professor
    Department of Neurosurgery and Pediatrics New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY

U.S. Patent

1996 U.S. Patent Number 5,493,811: Plant Watering Method and Apparatus Invented and patented a device that automatically waters plants while homeowner is away.

Community Service

  • Member of Project Sunshine – provide services to children with severe illnesses.
  • Volunteer for Brown Community Outreach Program – worked with children from Providence Public Schools.
  • Faculty Advisor for the National Youth Leadership Forum on medicine in Boston, Massachusetts – instructed high school seniors interested in pursuing a career in medicine.
  • Childhood Lead Action Program – screened children for lead poisoning in Providence, Rhode Island.

Research & Publications

  • Goldstein I, Tobias ME, Kothbauer K, Jallo G, and Epstein, F. “High
    grade spinal cord tumors of the spine: a retrospective study.”
    Journal of Neurosurgery(to be submitted).
  • Tobias, ME, McGirt MJ, Chaichana KL, Goldstein IM, Kothbauer KF,
    Epstein F, Jallo GI. “Surgical management of long intramedullary Spinal cord tumors. Childs Nerv Syst. July 2007.
  • Tobias, ME, Lenart, C, Gokhan, S, Abrahams, J, Mehler, M.
    “Induction neurogenesis in a rat model of transient middle cerebral artery occlusion.” Neurosurgery(to be submitted).
  • Tobias, ME, Silvera, M, Jallo, G, “Spine astrocytoma.” Radiology
    Section, Emedicine, pp. 1-10, 2005.
  • Worked at Rose F. Kennedy Center for research in mental retardation and developmental disabilities at Albert Einstein College of Medicine neuroscience lab. Developed stroke models in rats and mice to investigate different aspects of neurogenesis in the stroke bed, the penumbra, the subventricular zone, and remote areas of the brain.
  • Tobias, Michael E. “American medical residency programs: an analysis of New York’s Bell regulations and the training of physicians.” Rhode Island Medicine and Health, volume 81: pp. 284-288, 1998.

Academic Accomplishments

  • Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York
    Neurosurgery PGY-7 Chief Resident

    • Rotated at Montefiore Hospital (Bronx, New York) and St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital (Manhattan, New York)
    • Established a new educational curriculum with Dr. Rick Abbott and Dr. James Goodrich at Montefiore Hospital for resident training in pediatric neurosurgery. The purpose of this new program is to teach neurosurgery residents and all hospital staff involved in taking care of pediatric neurosurgery patients.
    • Approached Integra Neurosciences to redesign their current ventricular-peritoneal shunt system. The new design, which is currently available on their OSV2 and NPH valves, was integrated into many of their shunt systems.

         

  • Brown University School of Medicine, Providence, Rhode Island          
    • Received Honors in Neurosurgery and Pediatric Neurosurgery
    • Received Brown University Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior Academic Grand Rounds Award

 

  • Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
    • Selected for Brown’s Program in Liberal Medical Education (PLME), which combines undergraduate and graduate medical education
    • Graduated with Honors in Political Science
    • Thesis on “American Medical Residency Programs: A Political Analysis of New York’s Bell Commission.”

Presentations & Posters

  • 2012  AANS, accepted for poster presentation at 80thAnnual Meeting in Miami, Florida, “Targeting Glioblastoma Multiforme with PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway inhibitors”
  • 2011  AANS/CNS Section on Pediatric Neurological Surgery, poster presentation at the 40thAnnual Meeting in Austin, Texas, “Endovascular Embolization of Choroid Plexus Papillomas in Reducing Morbidity from Blood Loss”
  • 2011  AANS/CNS Section on Pediatric Neurological Surgery, poster presentation at the 40thAnnual Meeting in Austin, Texas, “Rapid Magnetic Resonance Imaging as Imaging Modality of Choice in the Post-Operative Period”
  • 2010  AANS/CNS Section on Pediatric Neurological Surgery, oral presentation at the 39thAnnual Meeting in Cleveland, Ohio, “Validity of Rapid Sequence MagneticResonance Imaging in Pediatric Brain Trauma”
  • 2009  AANS/CNS Section on Pediatric Neurological Surgery, poster presentation at the 38thAnnual Meeting in Boston, MA, “Acute Suppurative Intracranial Complications of Sinusitis: A Single Institution Experience”
  • 2008  AANS/CNS Section on Pediatric Neurological Surgery, oral presentation at the 37thAnnual Meeting in Spokane, Washington, “Evaluating the safety of MRI in patients with Vagal Nerve Stimulators”
  • 2007 AANS/CNS Section on Pediatric Neurological Surgery, oral presentation at the 36th Annual Meeting in Miami, Florida, “Passive range of motion fMRI accurately localizes the motor strip in children”
  • 2007  Neurosurgical Grand Rounds, Westchester Medical Center, visiting       lecturer, “Update on Posterior Fossa Tumors in Children”
  • 2006  Congress of Neurological Surgeons,poster presentation at  56th  Annual Meeting, Chicago, Illinois, “Surgical Resection of Malignant Astrocytomas of the Spinal Cord”
  • 2006  American Society of Neuroradiology,oral presentation at the Annual Meeting, San Diego, California, “A Rare Cause of Isolated Third NervePalsy: Spontaneous Hemorrhage vs. Cavernous Malformation”
  • 2004  Congress of Neurological Surgeons,oral presentation at the 54th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, California, “Induction Neurogenesis in a Rat Model of Transient Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion”
  • 2004New York Neurosurgical Society, oral presentation at the Annual Resident Research Meeting, New York, New York, “Induction Neurogenesis in a Rat Model of Transient Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion”
  • 2003  Congress of Neurological Surgeons, poster presentation at the 53rd Annual Meeting, Denver, Colorado, “Holocord Tumors of the Spine – Surgical Management and Review of the Literature”
  • 2002  Congress of Neurological Surgeons,poster presentation at the 52nd Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, “Malignant Astrocytomas of the Spinal Cord: A Retrospective Study”
  • 1999  Congress of Neurological Surgeons,oral presentation at the 49th Annual Meeting, Boston, Massachusetts, “Gamma Knife Radiosurgery in Childhood Malignant Brain Tumors”