Neurosurgery near Fairfax, VA

Biography: Dr. Nikhil Nayak, MD, FAANS is a board-certified, fellowship-trained neurological surgeon with advanced training in spinal disorders. He specializes in minimally invasive, complex, and image-guided spinal surgery for degenerative, traumatic and oncologic conditions including cervical myelopathy, cervical and lumbar radiculopathy, spinal stenosis, spine fractures, primary and metastatic spinal tumors, adult degenerative scoliosis, and revision spinal surgery. He performs general cranial neurosurgery for brain tumors, intracranial hemorrhage, hydrocephalus, and related conditions, and participates in emergency call for brain and spine trauma. Dr. Nayak's versatility in spinal surgery affords him the ability to offer patients the full spectrum of available options for their spinal conditions, and he is frequently called upon to provide second opinions once surgery has been recommended. He is an early adopter of technological advances in neurosurgery and has specific expertise in artificial disc replacement, minimally invasive robotic spinal fusion, and non-fusion alternatives such as laminoplasty and ultrasonic-assisted spinal decompression. Dr. Nayak earned his MD and MHS degrees from Yale University and is a magna cum laude graduate of Georgetown University. He completed neurosurgery residency at the University of Pennsylvania and a clinical spine fellowship at Wellington Hospital in New Zealand. Dr. Nayak is Vice Chairman of Neurosurgery at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, VA and Clinical Instructor of both Neurology and Medicine at the George Washington University School of Medicine. He has co-authored over 25 peer-reviewed publications and has a special interest in tracking functional outcomes following spinal surgery. He is a Fellow of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and regularly voted ``Top Doctor`` by DC-area publications.

Biography: Dr. Richard D. Murray, MD, a board-certified, fellowship trained neurosurgeon, excels in microsurgical and minimally invasive treatments for diverse brain and spine conditions. He specializes in complex brain and skull base tumors, meningiomas, vestibular schwannomas, pituitary adenomas, and spine tumors. Dr. Murray also offers general spine surgeries such as decompressive laminectomies, microdiscectomies, spine fusions, and artificial cervical disc replacements. He emphasizes personalized care, using state-of-the-art technologies for customized treatment plans. Frequently collaborating with a multispecialty team, Dr. Murray brings together experts from different specialties to manage complex cases.

Care Philosophy: Want to provide the best surgical skill in the context of a caring and calm environment. My patients do not need the extra hassle of indifferent treatment in the office, as their troubles should be lessened, not augmented.

Biography: Jae Y. Lim, M.D., FAANS currently serves as the Chief of Neurosurgery Trauma at Reston Hospital Center. He also serves on the clinical faculty of Neurosurgery at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine Northern Virginia Campus. Prior to his arrival in Northern Virginia, Dr. Lim practiced at Inland Neurosurgery and Spine in Spokane, Washington from 2001 to 2006, and also held the position of Head of Neurovascular Surgery at Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane, the first nationally certified comprehensive stroke center in the United States. Following his graduation from Stanford with dual degrees in both economics and biological sciences, Dr. Lim attended Yale Medical School for the purpose of obtaining his medical degree. Dr. Lim then went on to complete a surgical internship, neurosurgery residency, and fellowship all at the UCLA Medical Center, in addition to completing a fellowship in complex spinal surgery at the Cedar-Sinai institute of Spinal Disorder. Dr. Lim is a past president of the Korean American Spine Society and continues to lecture nationally and internationally as an invited speaker. Dr. Lim is the only member of the Society for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery (SMISS) in Northern Virginia, and has been honored as a Northern Virginia Top Neurosurgeon in 2017, 2015 and 2010, a Washington top doctor in 2019, in addition to being named one of America's Top Doctors from 2004 to 2006.

Biography: Dr. Matthew Piazza, MD, is a board-eligible neurological surgeon specializing in the surgical treatment of neurologic conditions affecting the spine and brain. He treats the breadth of conditions of the spine including cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine degenerative disease, ankylosing spinal conditions, adult degenerative spinal deformity, spine trauma, and spinal tumors using the latest advances in surgical technology utilizing both minimally invasive and traditional open approaches. Dr. Piazza also manages a variety of intracranial conditions including cranial trauma, primary brain tumors, metastatic brain tumors, meningiomas, and hydrocephalus. Dr. Piazza's primary goal is to provide patients with the maximum benefit with the smallest intervention using the most up-to-date surgical techniques and evidenced based management. He believes that the patient-surgeon relationship is a partnership, and he strives to work with his patients to achieve the best outcome from both surgical and non-surgical treatments. After graduating from Princeton University magna cum laude, Dr. Piazza received his medical degree at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons where he was awarded a Doris Duke Clinical Research Fellowship. He completed his neurosurgical training at the University of Pennsylvania. While at the University of Pennsylvania, he served as an internal fellow in spine surgery during which time he received specialized training in the surgical management of complex spinal disorders including degenerative spinal disease, adult degenerative spinal deformity, spinal oncology, and spine trauma. His post-doctoral research focused on quality improvement in peri-operative neurosurgical care and the development of animal models for studying spinal disc regenerative therapies, and he has co-authored more than 40 peer-reviewed research publications, book chapters, and reviews.