Titles & Roles

Associate Dean and Vice President of Health System Clinical Affairs, Director of the Tulane Center for Clinical Neurosciences, Charles B Wilson Professor & Chairman, Neurosurgery

Biography

Dr. Dumont, Associate Dean and Vice President of Health System Clinical Affairs, Charles B. Wilson Professor and Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at Tulane University School of Medicine, serves as the Director of Tulane’s Center for Clinical Neurosciences.

Dr. Dumont is a board-certified neurosurgeon who completed his residency at the University of Virginia as well as a fellowship in cerebrovascular, skull base and endovascular neurosurgery at the University of Virginia. He has interests in all areas of pediatric and adult neurosurgery including stroke and cerebrovascular disease, tumors of the brain and spine, spine disorders, epilepsy, peripheral nerve disease, minimally invasive stereotactic radiosurgery.

He is dually trained in open traditional microsurgery and minimally invasive endovascular surgery for vascular disorders of the brain and spine, and believes that Tulane’s commitment to having multiple certified and fellowship-trained surgeons is an important differentiator locally and regionally. He has active neurosurgical research interests and has published and presented extensively with more than 200 publications and more than 175 national and international presentations. He is a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Neurosurgery (the specialty’s leading scientific journal) and serves on the Editorial Boards of several other academic journals.

Dr. Dumont’s particular expertise in stroke, aneurysm and hemorrhage has led to his being one of a select team of physicians with whom the FDA consults as they evaluate new technologies.

Clinical Expertise

• Acquired Arteriovenous Fistula
• Arteriovenous Malformations (AVM’s) of the Head and Neck
• Brachial Plexus
• Brain Aneurysm
• Cavernous Angioma
• Chiari Malformation
• Brain tumors
• Carotid artery
• Cerebral bypass surgery
• Complex spinal conditions
• Endovascular neurosurgery
• Epilepsy
• Moyamoya disease
• Neurotrauma and critical care
• Pediatric neurosurgery
• Peripheral nerve disorders
• Pseudotumor cerebri
• Skull base surgery
• Spine disorders
• Stereotactic radiosurgery
• Stroke
• Vascular malformations
• Vertebral artery and intracranial stenosis

Appointments

Titles & Roles

Professor of Neurosurgery, Codirector of the Neurosurgery Spine Program, Vice Chairman, Neurosurgery, Codirector of The Tulane/Ochsner Spine Fellowship

Biography

Dr. Maulucci is the Director of the Neurosurgery Spine Program at Tulane. Fellowship-trained in complex spine, Dr. Maulucci specializes in complex spine disorders and minimally invasive spine surgery. He completed his residency training program at the University of Maryland as well as a fellowship in complex spine surgery at Thomas Jefferson University.

Dr. Maulucci provides comprehensive care for spine patients. He is considered one of the leading experts in the country on surgical techniques using the Excelsius GPS spinal robot. He utilizes minimally invasive techniques, and possesses expertise in treating scoliosis, spinal deformity, and tumors of the vertebral column as well as complex revision surgery.

Dr. Maulucci has research interests in complex spine disorders and outcomes research.  He has published numerous articles in these areas, and presented at national and international conferences.

Clinical Expertise

• Degenerative spine diseases
• Minimally Invasive Spine surgery (including Robotic Spine Surgery)
• Spinal column tumors
• Spinal cord injury
• Spine Fractures
• Spinal deformity
• Scoliosis
• Revision spine surgery

Appointments

Titles & Roles

Director of the Tulane Comprehensive Stroke Center

Biography

Dr. Justin Salerian is fellowship-trained in Vascular Neurology and is double Board Certified in both Neurology and Vascular Neurology by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.  He is the Director of Tulane’s Comprehensive Stroke Center.

Dr. Salerian completed his neurology residency training at Georgetown University in Washington, DC; in his final year he served as Chief Resident. He then completed his Vascular Neurology Fellowship at Tulane. He is an Assistant Professor of Neurology at Tulane and is deeply committed to training medical students, residents, and fellows to become world class physicians.

His interests in Neurology are broad ranging including stroke, acute care neurology, neuro-immunology, neuro-behavioral disorders, post-concussion syndromes, and epilepsy.  He is trained in multiple neuro-diagnostic modalities including neurovascular ultrasound and EEG. He performs botulinum toxin (Botox) injections with EMG guidance to treat spasticity.  He serves as a physician in Tulane’s Professional Athlete Clinic, which is one of only four official National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) partnered sites around the country that has been entrusted to provide medical care for retired NFL players. Overall, his approach to medicine welcomes all patients, even those with the most challenging neurological disorders.  

As for his research interests, Dr. Salerian is currently a co-investigator on multiple clinical trials, including one testing a medical cooling suit that can induce rapid hypothermia (cooling) as a neuroprotection strategy in acute stroke. Notably, prior to medical school, Dr. Salerian was a paramedic and a film-maker. He spent a year in South Africa working as a medic, and then wrote and directed a critically acclaimed documentary inspired by this experience. The film is called Tell Me and I Will Forget; it has been on Netflix and film festivals around the world.

Clinical Expertise

• Stroke and Neurovascular Diseases
• Neuro-immunology, Multiple Sclerosis
• Headache Disorders
• Concussion and Traumatic Brain Injury
• Behavioral Disorders related to neurological disease
• Seizures and Epilepsy
• Movement Disorders, Parkinson’s Disease
• Botox Injections for Spasticity

Appointments

Titles & Roles

Assistant Professor of Clinical Neurological Surgery

Biography

Dr. Thomas Francavilla is a board-certified neurosurgeon who completed neurosurgery training at The George Washington University, and completed a Fellowship studying brain tumors at the National Institutes of Health.  He has served as President of the Neurosurgical Society of Alabama, Southeast Regional Director of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, and the Southeast Quadrant Chairman of the Council of State Neurosurgical Societies.

Dr. Francavilla recognized minimally invasive spine surgery as a major advance for patients suffering from spinal related pain. He was an early adopter of this type of surgery, performing numerous minimally invasive procedures since 2002. He went on to complete a fellowship in this type of surgery with the Laser Spine Institute, performing over 2500 surgeries while on staff.

Dr. Francavilla sees patients in the Tulane Covington Neuroscience Clinic, and performs surgeries at Lakeview Regional Medical Center, a campus of Tulane Health System.

Clinical Expertise

• Degenerative spine diseases
• Herniated discs
• Minimally invasive spine surgery
• Spinal cord injury
• Spine Fractures
• Revision spine surgery

Appointments

Titles & Roles

Assistant Professor of Neurology

Biography

Dr. Neda Hidarilak is a board certified neurologist with special expertise in movement disorders. She completed her neurology residency at Tulane University and subsequently completed a movement disorders fellowship at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Clinical Expertise

• Botox injections for movement disorders
• Chorea
• DBS placement with neurosurgery team and DBS programming
• Dystonia
• Gait disorder
• Parkinson's Disease
• Tourette syndrome
• Tremor and/or abnormal movement

Appointments

Titles & Roles

Associate Professor of Neurology 

Biography

Dr. Michele Longo is a clinical neurologist at the Tulane Center for Clinical Neurosciences at Tulane School of Medicine. A native New Orleanian, Dr. Longo earned her undergraduate degree, medical degree, and masters of public health degree at Tulane University. Her internship and residency were completed at Tulane. She is board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. She has interests in all areas of adult general neurology including dementia and cognitive disorders, headaches, movement disorder, stroke and vascular diseases, peripheral nerve diseases, neuromuscular disorders, neck and back pain, seizures and sleep disorders.

Clinical Expertise

• Dementia and cognitive disorders
• Headaches
• Movement disorders
• Stroke and vascular diseases
• Peripheral nerve diseases
• Neuromuscular disorders
• Neck and back pain
• Seizures
• Sleep disorders 

Appointments

Titles & Roles

Chair of the Department of Neurology
Professor of Neurology
Herbert J. Harvey, Jr. Chair in Neurosciences
Co-director of the Tulane Center for Clinical Neurosciences
Tulane University School of Medicine

Biography

Dr. Maraganore's passion is helping patients to achieve successful brain aging by preventing cognitive decline and dementia. His recent research studies relate to 1) quality improvement and practice-based research in neurology using the electronic medical record (EMR); 2)  utilizing data from the EMR to predict Alzheimer's and dementia risk; and 3) understanding resistance, resilience, and repair in the healthspan ("over 90's study").  His clinical practice is in brain health (primary prevention of cognitive decline and dementia in at-risk persons) and the evaluation and management of memory disorders (including mild cognitive impairment and dementia).

Dr. Maraganore is the past BJ and Eve Wilder Professor of Alzheimer's Disease at the University of Florida, and recent founder and Director of the University of Florida Brain Health Program. Before the University of Florida, he was the Chair of Neurology at NorthShore University Health System and the Mayo Clinic Chair of the Division of Movement Disorders. 

A Chicago native, Dr. Maraganore received his Bachelor of Science and Medical Degree at Northwestern University.  He then completed his internship and residency at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. He was then the Honorary Clinical and Research Fellow in Movement Disorders to Professor C. David Marsden at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London, England.

Appointments

Titles & Roles

Director of the Division of Endovascular Neurosurgery/Interventional Neurology, Associate Professor of Neurosurgery

Biography

Dr. Arthur Wang is a fellowship trained, board-certified neurosurgeon who specializes in cerebrovascular, endovascular, and general neurosurgery at Tulane University Medical Center.

Dr. Wang is a graduate of Cornell University and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.  He completed his neurosurgery residency at New York Medical College and a fellowship in endovascular neurosurgery/interventional neuroradiology at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City.

As a cerebrovascular and endovascular neurosurgeon, Dr. Wang treats many vascular disorders of the head, neck, brain and spine using both open neurosurgery and minimally invasive techniques.  Additionally, he treats general neurosurgical disorders including tumors of the brain and spine. His areas of clinical interests include ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, cerebral aneurysms, vascular malformations of the brain and spine, and carotid artery disease.

He is widely published with multiple peer reviewed articles and book chapters in the Journal of Neurosurgery, Journal of Neurointerventional Surgery, and World Neurosurgery.

Clinical Expertise

• Ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke
• Cerebral aneurysms
• Vascular malformations of the brain and spine
• Carotid

Appointments

Titles & Roles

Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery, Director of Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery

Biography

Dr. Khan completed his neurosurgery residency at the Sher-I Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences in India. Following his residency, he completed a two-year fellowship in Pediatric Neurosurgery at Northwestern Chicago and then did a one-year Onco-neurosurgery fellowship at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia. This was followed by a two-year fellowship in Endovascular/Cerebrovascular also at the UVA.

Later, Dr. Khan joined Batra Hospital, a multispecialty hospital in Delhi at the Medical Research Center as a Consultant of Neurointerventional Surgery and visiting consultant with IBS Hospital. He joined Tulane, starting as a fellow in minimally invasive and spine, where he is currently working as an Instructor of Neurological Surgery.

His areas of interest are minimally invasive spine, complex spine, pituitary, and general surgery, including endovascular and endoscopic neurosurgery.

Appointments

Titles & Roles

Cerebrovascular and Endovascular Neurosurgeon

Biography

Dr. Johnson is a dual-fellowship trained Cerebrovascular and Endovascular Neurosurgeon. He has special expertise in the open and minimally invasive treatment of carotid artery disease, brain aneurysms, AVM’s, stroke, and other diseases of the cerebral vasculature. In addition to his specialized interest in cerebrovascular neurosurgery, Dr. Johnson is also able to provide care for patients with spine disorders, brain, tumors, trauma and general neurosurgical care.

Dr. Johnson is a Louisiana native, hailing from St. Joseph, LA in Tensas Parish. He graduated with honors in Chemistry from Southern University and A&M College. Dr. Johnson then complete medical school at the Louisiana State University School of Medicine in Shreveport. He then went on to complete residency training at the University of Illinois School of Medicine in Peoria, where he also completed an Enfolded Endovascular Surgical Neuroradiology fellowship. Following completion of residency training, Dr. Johnson then completed additional fellowship training at Semmes-Murphey Clinic in Open Cerebrovascular and Endovascular Neurosurgery.

Dr. Johnson’s research interests center around equity in stroke care, the anatomic basis of cerebrovascular disease, as well as aneurysm and stroke treatment outcomes.

Clinical Expertise

• Arteriovenous Fistula
• Arteriovenous Malformations (AVM’s) of the Head and Neck
• Brain Aneurysms
• Cavernous Angioma
• Chiari Malformation
• Brain tumors
• Carotid artery disease
• Endovascular neurosurgery
• Moyamoya disease
• Neurotrauma and critical care
• Pseudotumor cerebri
• Spine disorders
• Stroke
• Vascular malformations
• Vertebral artery and intracranial stenosis

Appointments

Titles & Roles

Vascular/Interventional Neurologist

Biography

Dr. Robinson is an ABPN board certified neurologist that specializes in Vascular and Interventional Neurology. She completed her Neurology residency and Fellowship in Vascular Neurology at Tulane University School of Medicine. Dr. Robinson completed her Fellowship in Interventional Neurology at The Advanced Neuroscience Institute in Miami, Florida. In August, Dr. Robinson joins the Tulane University School of Medicine faculty as Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurosurgery.

Appointments

Titles & Roles

Adult and Pediatric Complex Spine Neurosurgeon, Codirector of the Neurosurgery Spine Program, Codirector of The Tulane/Ochsner Spine Fellowship

Biography

Dr. Keshavarzi is a board-certified, dual fellowship-trained neurosurgeon specializing in both adult and pediatric complex spine including spinal deformity/scoliosis. Originally from Ann Arbor Michigan, Dr. Keshavarzi graduated from the University of Rochester School of Medicine, completed a neurosurgery residency at the University of California, San Diego, completed an adult complex spine fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco, and a pediatric fellowship in scoliosis at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami. Dr. Keshavarzi started his academic neurosurgery career at the University of Florida, Jacksonville, where he served as Interim Chair for the Department of Neurosurgery and Medical Director of the Spine Institute. Subsequently, he was an attending at the Cleveland Clinic - Florida as a complex reconstructive spine surgeon, where he had a busy practice utilizing both open complex and minimally invasive techniques to address scoliosis, back pain, degenerative disease, and spinal tumors.

Clinical Expertise

• Adult and pediatric complex spine
• spinal cord compression
• Myelopathy
• All forms of scoliosis (idiopathic, early onset, neuromuscular)
• Spinal fusion
• Tumors
• Spine fracture 
• Spinal deformity
• Disc herniation
• Extreme Lateral Interbody Fusion (XLIF)
• Spondylolisthesis/spondylosis 
• Minimally invasive spine surgery (including Robotic Spine Surgery)
• Artificial discs
• Degenerative disc disease
• Osteoperosis/osteopenia

Appointments

Titles & Roles

Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgeon

Biography

Dr. Lora Kahn is a board-certified, fellowship-trained stereotactic and functional neurosurgeon. She realized her passion for helping patients with neuroscientific disease in high school, which inspired her to work for Nobel Laureate Dr. Eric Kandel in college and complete a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Fellowship under his mentorship during medical school.

In 2012, Dr. Kahn moved to New Orleans to complete her residency at Tulane University School of Medicine and Ochsner Health, where she enjoyed comprehensive training in all aspects of neurosurgery. She specializes in deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapy for Parkinson disease, essential tremor, dystonia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder; surgical treatments for epilepsy including cranial robotics and minimally invasive therapies; and other neuromodulatory techniques, including spinal cord stimulation and intrathecal drug-delivery pumps.

Dr. Kahn’s research interests include electrophysiologic correlations of epilepsy and movement disorders in sleep states, safe application of neuromodulation for treatment of debilitating psychiatric disease and improving functional neurosurgery health literacy through 3D modeling. She is a member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, the American Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery, Women in Neurosurgery, and the Louisiana Neurosurgical Society. She also serves as a reviewer for Acta Neurochirurgica.

Clinical Expertise

• Deep brain stimulation (DBS)
• Essential tremor
• Dystonia
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder
• Cranial robotics
• Minimally invasive surgery
• Spinal cord stimulation
• Intrathecal drug-delivery pumps

Appointments

Titles & Roles

Biography

Appointments

Titles & Roles

Assistant Professor of Neurology

Biography

Dr. Kristina M. Lafaye is a distinguished neurologist specializing in general neurology, clinical neurophysiology and neuromuscular medicine. Dr. Lafaye earned her Master of Arts in Clinical and Counseling Psychology from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, showcasing her commitment to understanding the psychological aspects of patient care alongside her medical expertise. She completed rigorous training in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at Tulane University, followed by specialized training in Neurology at the same institution. Dr. Lafaye pursued further specialization through a Fellowship in Clinical Neurophysiology at Tulane University. She holds board certifications in Neurology, Clinical Neurophysiology, and Neuromuscular Medicine from the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. Her expertise and leadership in the field continue to make a significant impact on patient outcomes and the broader neurological community.

Clinical Expertise

• Headaches and Migraines
• Neuromuscular disorders 
• Peripheral neuropathies
• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
• Myasthenia gravis
• Neck and back pain
• Sleep disorders 
• Multiple Sclerosis and other demyelinating diseases

Appointments

Titles & Roles

Professor of Neurology, Director of Epilepsy and Central Neurophysiology

Biography

Dr. Narayanan is a board-certified neurologist specializing in epilepsy and neurophysiology. Originally from Puthucode, India, she completed her medical school education at the University of Madras in Pondicherry, India. She went on to receive a PhD in Biophysics at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, complete her residency in Neurology at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, as well as a fellowship in Clinical Neurophysiology and Epilepsy at Cornell and Columbia’s joint training program in New York. Dr. Narayanan has held several leadership positions, such as Director of Neurophysiology at CARE Hospitals in Hyderabad, India, and Program Director positions at NorthShore University Health System in Illinois as well as at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

Clinical Expertise

• Epilepsy and complex seizure disorders
• Neuromuscular disorders 
• Headaches and Migraines
• Peripheral neuropathies
• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
• Myasthenia gravis
• Neck and back pain
• Sleep disorders
• Multiple sclerosis and other demyelinating diseases

Appointments

Titles & Roles

Associate Professor of Neurology

Biography

Dr. Jessica B. Kraker is a highly skilled neurologist specializing in epilepsy and general neurology. Dr. Kraker earned her medical degree from Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, PA. She completed a Fellowship in Clinical Neurophysiology at the University of Pittsburgh, where she honed her expertise in advanced neurophysiological techniques. Dr. Kraker holds dual board certifications from the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology: she is Board Certified in Neurology and Clinical Neurophysiology. She continues to contribute to the field of neurology through clinical practice, research, and her involvement in professional organizations.

Clinical Expertise

• Headaches and Migraines
• Epilepsy and seizure disorders 
• Neck and back pain
• Sleep disorders 
• Multiple Sclerosis and other demyelinating diseases

Appointments

Titles & Roles

Neurology Advanced Practice Provider

Biography

Marie Locke, MSN, RN received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Marian University and a Master of Nursing from Loyola University of New Orleans. Marie’s expertise includes providing care to critically ill patients suffering from intracranial hemorrhage, stroke, sepsis, and other neurological conditions. Marie joins Tulane University as an Instructor who will provide inpatient nurse practitioner services as a team member on the stroke unit. The Department of Neurology within the Tulane Center for Clinical Neurosciences is pleased to welcome Marie Locke.

Clinical Expertise

• Dementia and cognitive disorders 
• Movement disorders 
• Stroke and vascular diseases

Appointments

Titles & Roles

Neurology Advanced Practice Provider

Biography

Sereen Askar is certified by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners as a Family Nurse Practitioner. She is an active member of Louisiana Association of Nurse Practitioners and the American Academy of Neurology. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Holy Cross College, and went on to receive her Master of Science in Nursing at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond. She has interests in all areas of adult general neurology including dementia and cognitive disorders, headaches, movement disorder, stroke and vascular diseases, peripheral nerve diseases, neuromuscular disorders, neck and back pain, seizures and sleep disorders. Sereen is beginning her career at Tulane University Center for Clinical Neurosciences within the school of Medicine.

Clinical Expertise

• Dementia and cognitive disorders 
• Movement disorders 
• Stroke and vascular diseases

Appointments