The Department of Neurosurgery has announced promotions and appointments of faculty members across Mount Sinai Health System.

J Mocco, MD, MS

J Mocco, MD, MS, has been promoted to Senior Vice Chair of Neurosurgery, Mount Sinai Health System.

In this new position, Dr. Mocco will work with the Department Chair and clinicians to provide strategic leadership in advancing the Department of Neurosurgery’s 10 service lines across the Health System. These include cerebrovascular, skull base, malignant brain tumors, pituitary/neuroendocrine, spine, neuromodulation, epilepsy, pediatrics, trauma, and neurocritical care.

Since joining the Department, Dr. Mocco has served as Vice Chair of Neurosurgery and Director of the Neurosurgery Residency Program. He is Director of the Cerebrovascular Center and Co-Director of the Neuroendovascular Fellowship Program. In these roles, Dr. Mocco developed the stroke coverage model for NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst and the Mount Sinai Queens stroke suite program. This initiative established a novel care pathway that is already delivering dramatic improvements for stroke care. Dr. Mocco has also directed the opening of thrombectomy and diagnostic neurointerventional services at Mount Sinai Brooklyn. He has gained international recognition for his extensive stroke research as a key thought leader and Principal Investigator in many pivotal clinical trials.

Dr. Mocco received his medical degree from the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. He completed his Master of Science in Biostatistics at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, a residency in neurological surgery at the Neurological Institute of New York, and a fellowship in endovascular neurosurgery at the University of Buffalo.

Isabelle M. Germano, MD, MBA

Isabelle M. Germano, MD, MBA, has been promoted to Vice Chair of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the Department of Neurosurgery, Mount Sinai Health System. Dr. Germano will provide leadership and strategic vision and guidance in the integration of diversity and inclusion principles into the structures, policies, and practices of the education and research environments for the Department. She has been recognized nationally and internationally as an innovative champion for diversity and inclusion.

Dr. Germano received her medical degree from the University of Turin Medical School and completed residencies/fellowships at the University of California, San Francisco, the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, the University of Zurich, and the Montreal Neurological Institute. Dr. Germano received her MBA from the New York University Stern School of Business.

Raj K. Shrivastava, MD

Raj K. Shrivastava, MD, has been appointed Vice Chair for Education, Department of Neurosurgery, Mount Sinai Health System, and Director of the Neurosurgery Residency Program at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Dr. Shrivastava will oversee educational programs throughout the Department of Neurosurgery, including residency and fellowship programs and medical student education and sub-internships. As residency program Director, he will manage the seven-year-long program’s curriculum and establish additional activities that further enrich the experience of the department’s 14 residents both in and out of the operating room. He will also spearhead initiatives and strategies to increase the program’s national exposure and reputation.

Dr. Shrivastava, who previously served as Associate Program Director of the Residency Program, earned his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania, followed by a residency in neurosurgery at The Mount Sinai Hospital and a fellowship in skull base surgery at Mount Sinai.

Johanna T. Fifi, MD

Johanna T. Fifi, MD, has been appointed Co-Director of the Pediatric Cerebrovascular Disorders Program and Site Director of Cerebrovascular Services at Mount Sinai West. Dr. Fifi will be responsible for continuing to provide world-class care in the diagnosis, treatment, management, and research of pediatric brain vascular malformations, head and neck vascular malformations, aneurysms, and occlusive vascular diseases. She will also be responsible for providing clinical and technical leadership in the development and expansion of Mount Sinai West’s cerebrovascular neurosurgical services, including treating strokes, aneurysms, vascular malformations, and intracerebral hemorrhage. She joined the program as a part of Continuum Health Partners in 2008.

Dr. Fifi earned a combined biomedical engineering and medical degree from Boston University. She performed her medicine internship and neurology residency at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. Dr. Fifi then completed a fellowship in stroke and cerebrovascular disorders at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Fifi then trained in neuroendovascular surgery at Washington Hospital Center in the District of Columbia and at Columbia University, finishing with a pediatric neurointervention fellowship at Mount Sinai West.

Christopher P. Kellner, MD,

Christopher P. Kellner, MD, has been appointed Associate Program Director of the Neurosurgery Residency Program at Icahn Mount Sinai. Dr. Kellner will support Dr. Shrivastava to develop the seven-year-long residency program’s curriculum and establish additional activities that further enrich the experience of the department’s 14 residents, including initiatives that promote wellness.

Dr. Kellner is an Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery. He received his medical degree from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and also completed his residency there. He completed a neuroendovascular surgery fellowship at Icahn Mount Sinai. Dr. Kellner has authored more than 120 publications and serves as Principal Investigator on numerous multicenter clinical trials and studies.

Benjamin I. Rapoport, MD, PhD

Benjamin I. Rapoport, MD, PhD, has been appointed Scientific Director of Mount Sinai BioDesign at Icahn Mount Sinai, a medical device incubator at Mount Sinai. The mission of Mount Sinai BioDesign is to help patients by creating technological solutions to medical problems in a way that generates jobs and high-value assets for Mount Sinai while educating a diversified generation of engineers and scientists.

Dr. Rapoport’s mission as scientific director will be to catalyze technological innovation, translation, and commercialization within Mount Sinai. Mount Sinai BioDesign operates as a center of expertise in engineering and project management to enable Mount Sinai physicians and researchers to translate their ideas into commercially viable products and practical solutions to problems in health care.

Dr. Rapoport is also an Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery. As a neurosurgeon in the Skull Base Surgery Center, he specializes in the diagnosis and minimally invasive surgical treatment of skull base pathologies. Dr. Rapoport has extensive scientific training, receiving master’s degrees in physics from Harvard University and mathematics from Oxford University, a PhD in electrical engineering and computer science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and his medical degree from Harvard Medical School. He completed his neurosurgery residency, chief residency, and fellowship training in endovascular neurosurgery and endoscopic skull base surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. He has a track record of technology translation in the areas of digital health, including serving as co-founder of Simbionics (acquired by Apple), and of neurotechnology, including serving as a cofounding member of Neuralink.