Our Team

Adam E. Ammar, MD

Pediatric Neurosurgeon

We are proud to announce our newest neurosurgeon joining our practice October 2023!

Dr. Adam Ammar completed his Pediatric Neurosurgical Fellowship at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in 2023, and his neurosurgery residency at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center in New York in 2022. In addition, he completed a Fellowship in Global Neurosurgery at the Harvard Medical School Program in Global Surgery and Social Change in 2021. His goal is to meld the two fields of pediatric and global neurosurgery to the benefit of patients both at home and abroad. He has authored over 25 peer-reviewed papers in addition to five book chapters. His scholarly pursuits lie in global neurosurgical capacity building and social determinants of health. He has obtained additional training in public health, implementation science, and health systems science, and completed the Health Systems Science Leadership Track at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in 2023, in order to integrate his research into his clinical practice, improve access to care, and develop patient-centric, value-based care that effectively and efficiently improves outcomes.

Dr. Ammar has a wealth of global neurosurgery experience. He was the lead secretariat of the Global Neurosurgery Committee of the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies. He is co-founder and assistant editor for the Journal of Global Neurosurgery, a new peer-review journal for global neurosurgery focused on promoting literature from low and middle income countries. He has also led capacity building efforts in Tanzania, Senegal, and Afghanistan, in addition to undertaking multiple surgical trips to Mongolia. He believes in the importance of training the next generation of neurosurgeons around the world, and is involved in mentorship and education of undergraduates, medical students, and residents both here and abroad.

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Clinical Interests

Dr. Ammar’s special interests include congenital neurologic disorders and injuries such as spina bifida, hydrocephalus, and cerebral palsy. He has expertise in the management of spasticity, hydrocephalus, traumatic brain injury and concussion, pediatric brain tumors and spine tumors, brain cysts, craniofacial surgery, Chiari malformation, spina bifida, and epilepsy. He treats children for the above specialties at his offices located in Morristown, Hackensack, Hazlet, and Rockaway, NJ.
Selected Publications

1. Ammar A, Stock AD, Holland R, Gelfand Y, Altschul D. Managing a Specialty Service During the COVID-19 Crisis: Lessons From a New York City Health System. Acad Med. 2020;95(10):1495-1498. doi:10.1097/ACM.0000000000003440. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32304386/
2. Bader ER, Ammar A, Fortunel AN, De la Garza Ramos R, Tepper O, Kobets AJ. Open craniofacial reconstruction for coronal craniosynostosis. Neurosurg Focus Video. 2021;4(2):V18. Published 2021 Apr 1. doi:10.3171/2021.1.FOCVID20122. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36284853/
3. Ammar A, Nawabi NLA, Hamzah R, et al. The Current State of Neurosurgery in Afghanistan. World Neurosurg. 2023;169:110-117.e1. doi:10.1016/j.wneu.2022.10.048. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36270595/

Published In

1. Block BR, Collins JJ, Rios JC, Mazzola CA. Levothyroxine Treatment as an Etiologic Factor in the Development of Infantile Craniosynostosis. Submitted to PEDIATRICS. October 2021.

2. Caruso JP, Ravinderjit S, Mazzola CA, Eldridge CM, Chilakapati S, Deme P, Swartz K, Schirmer CM, Huntoon K, Cheng J, Steinmetz M, Adogwa O: Are Neurosurgeons Leading the Way? A Comparative Assessment of Racial and Ethnic Diversity Among Specialties in Residency Training. Submitted to NEUROSURGERY. July 15,2021.

3. Bautista A, Bogan M, Mazzola CA: Secondary Craniosynostosis and Slit Ventricle Syndrome — A Dangerous Combination: Case Report and Literature Review. Submitted to Pediatric Neurosurgery. Summer, 2021.

4. Mazzola CA: Letter: United States medicolegal Progress and Innovation in telemedicine in the Age of COVID-19: A Primer for Neurosurgeons. NEUROSURGERY. NEU-D-21-01510, accepted October 2021.

5. Huntoon K, Stacy J, Cioffi S, Profitt C, Mazzola C, Sales Representatives in the Operating Room: Conflict of Interest or Clinical Support? World Neurosurgery, 2021,ISSN 1878-8750,. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wneu.2021.08.088

6. Mazzola CA. Invited Commentary: The Role of Gender in Neurosurgical Residency Applicants’ Letters of Recommendation, Neurosurgery, Volume 89, Issue 3, September 2021, Page E155, https://doi.org/10.1093/neuros/nyab235

7. Ca M, Luo Y, Wu Z, Mazzola CA, Goodman A, Catania L, Alvarez TL, Halperin JM, Li X: Topological Aberrance of Structural Brain Network Provides Quantitative Markers of post-TBI Attention Deficits in Children. Brain Connectivity doi: 10.1089/brain.2020.0866

8. Bertoli MJ, Parikh K, Klyde D, Mazzola CA, Shah SP: Spinal arteriovenous malformation in a pediatric patient with a history of congenital syphilis: a case report. BMC Pediatrics (2021)21:242 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12887-021-02707-y

9. Franklin RC, Behmer Hansen RA, Pierce JM, Tsitouras DJ, Mazzola CA. Reply to Oleske et al., Blood Lead Concentrations in Newark Children. Comment on “Franklin et al. Broken Promises to the People of Newark: A Historical Review of the Newark Uprising, the Newark Agreements, and Rutgers New Jersey Medical School’s Commitments to Newark. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 2117. Online Version: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/8/4215.

10. Kandregula S, Lefever D, Trosclair K, Savardekar A, Menger R, Agarwal N, Kimmell K, Mazzola CA, Cozzens J, Rosenow J, Schirmer C, Guthikonda B: “There has got to be a better way: The Medical Legal Environment in Neurosurgery: An Informative Overview of the Stages of Litigation and Distinct Challenges. Accepted by World Neurosurgery. March 6, 2021. WNS-21-296R1.

11. Caruso JP, Adogwa O, Mazzola CA, Steinmetz M, Simon SD, Schirmer CM: An Assessment of Neurosurgery Resident Clinical and Socioeconomic Training: The 2013 Council of State Neurosurgical Societies Post-Residency Survey Results. World Neurosurg. 2021 Mar 12; S1878-8750(21)00401-0. doi: 10.1016/j.wneu.2021.03.033

12. Franklin RC, Behmer Hansen RA, Pierce JM, Tsitouras DJ, Mazzola CA. Broken Promises to the People of Newark: A Historical Review of the Newark Uprising, the Newark Agreements, and Rutgers New Jersey Medical School’s Commitments to Newark. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021,18, 2117. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18042117

13. Ellen L Air, MD, PhD, Katie O Orrico, JD, Deborah L Benzil, MD, Alan M Scarrow, MD, JD, James R Bean, MD, Catherine A Mazzola, MD, Linda M Liau, MD, PhD, MBA, James T Rutka, MD, PhD, Karin M Muraszko, MD, Developing a Professionalism and Harassment Policy for Organized Neurosurgery, Neurosurgery, 2021; nyab051, https://doi.org/10.1093/neuros/nyab051

14. Snee IA, Mazzola CA. Chiari I Malformation with Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome: case report and review of the literature; Childs Nerv Syst (25 January 2021) https://doi.org/10.1007/s00381-020-04992

15. Bogan MH, Bautista AC, Natoli LT, Morin RJ, Reddy GM, Mazzola CA. Secondary Craniosynostosis and Elevated Intracranial Pressure with Functioning Shunt: An Imaging Report. J Clin Med Img. Jan 25, 2021; V5(5): 1-3.

16. Snee I, Mazzola CA, Fellus J: Kleptomania and other Disinhibition Linked with Pseudobulbar Affect Resulting from TBI; Treatment Remission from Dextromethorphan/Quinidine 39 Years Post-Injury. J Cogn Neuropsychol. Vol. 4 No. 2: 02. 2020.

17. Markosian C, Mazzola CA, Tomycz LD: “Sodium Fluorescein-Guided Gross Total Resection of Pediatric Exophytic Brainstem Glioma: 2-Dimensional Operative Video”. Operative Neurosurgery, opaa357, https://doi.org/10.1093/ons/opaa357. Published: 12 December 2020

18. Huntoon K, Stacy J, Cioffi S, Swartz K, Mazzola CA, Profitt C, Adogwa, O: The Enforceability of Noncompete Clauses in the Medical profession: A Review by the Workforce Committee and the Medicolegal Committee of the Council of State Neurosurgical Societies. Neurosurgery 87:1085-1090, December 2020. CNS ANNUAL SOCIOECONOMIC PAPER OF 2020.

19. Mazzola CA, Christie C, Snee IA, Iqbal H. Atlantoaxial subluxation in the pediatric patient: Case series and literature review. J Neurosci Neurol Disord. 2020; 4:069-074, November 2020.

20. Hansen RT, Hansen RA, Markosian C, Mazzola CA, Mammis A: Neurosurgery Community Engagement and Lessons Learned. World Neurosurg. 2020 Nov;143:579-580. Doi:10.1016 PMID: 33167119

21. Markosian C., Mazzola CA, Tomycz, LD. Gross Total Resection of Pediatric Cervical Intramedullary Ependymoma with D-Wave Monitoring: A Case Report. SN Compr. Clin. Med. (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42399-020-00618-0

22. Guthikonda B, Mazzola CA, Steinmetz MP, Cheng JS, Stacy JD, Wohns RN: Introduction. The importance of understanding the medicolegal climate in neurosurgery. Neurosurgical Focus. Volume 49 (2020): Issue 5 (Nov 2020): Medicolegal issues. neurosurgery https://doi.org/10.3171/2020.8.FOCUS20765

23. Bauer DF, Baird LC, Klimo P, Mazzola CA, Nikas DC, Tamber MS, Flannery MA. Congress of Neurological Surgeons Systematic Review and Evidence-Based Guidelines on the Treatment of Pediatric Hydrocephalus: Update of the 2014 Guidelines. Neurosurgery, Published: 28 October 2020

24. Menger R, Esfahani DR, Heary R, Ziu M, Mazzola CA, LeFever D, Origitano T, Barnes T, Cozzens J, Taylor S. Contract Negotiation for Neurosurgeons: A Practical Guide. Menger Neurosurgery. 2020 Sep 15;87(4):614-619. doi: 10.1093/neuros/nyaa042.PMID: 32310279

25. Snee IA, Mazzola CA. C1-C2 subluxation after mild cervical spine trauma in a child: a case report; Surgical Case Reports doi: 10.31487/j.SCR.2020.07.17

26. Erdman CM, Christie C, Iqbal MO, Mazzola CA, Tomycz: The utilization of sodium fluorescein in pediatric brain stem gliomas: a case report and review of the literature. Childs Nerv Syst. 2020 Aug 11. doi: 10.1007/s00381-020-04857-3.

27. Iqbal H, Mazzola CA: Recurrent Torticollis and Cervical Subluxation in a Pediatric Patient. Surgical Case Reports doi: 10.31487/j.SCR.2020.08.02

28. Silva NA, Cerasiello SY, Herendeen JA, Sotayo A, Say I, Mazzola CA, Liu JK, Eloy JA. Gender Differences in NIH Grant Funding in Neurological Surgery. J Clin Neurosci. 2020 Oct;80:43-49. doi: 10.1016/j.jocn.2020.07.052. Epub 2020 Aug 17. PMID: 33099365

29. Cao M, Luo Y, Wu Z, Mazzola CA et al: Topological Aberrance of Structural Brain Network Provides Quantitative Markers of post-TBI Attention Deficits in Children. The preprint in perpetuity. medRxiv preprint doi: . this version posted June 16, 2020.

30. Zhang HJ, Silva N, Solli E, Ayala AC, Tomycz L, Christie C, Mazzola CA: Treatment options and long-term outcomes in pediatric spinal cord vascular malformations: A case report and review of the literature. Childs Nerv Syst. 2020 May 6. doi: 10.1007/s00381-020-04624-4.

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