About us

Brain and Spine Group, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that exists to improve medical student preparation for careers in neurological surgery, leading to more well-rounded neurosurgical match applicants. 

Our organization was founded in 2019 after two successful years running Medical Student Neurosurgery Training Camps in collaboration with the AANS Medical Student Chapters and Departments of Neurosurgery at Weill Cornell Medical College and Keck School of Medicine of USC, and we look forward to opening a third Training Camp in 2020 at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine.
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Our team is committed to training the future of brain and spine care.

Meet Our Team

Ryan E. Radwanski
​​Chairman, Board of Directors
Chief Executive Officer
about ryan
Ryan is a U.S. Marine who served with 1st Batallion, 11th Marines in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. During four years of active, enlisted service Ryan was meritoriously promoted three times, was awarded the Naval Achievement Medal, and earned a combat action ribbon in theater. Ryan was honorably discharged from the U.S. Marine Corps in 2012.

Ryan completed his undergraduate studies in Neurobiology and Behavior at Cornell University prior to starting medical school at Weill Cornell Medical College.  As a medical student, Ryan founded the first planning committee for Medical Student Neurosurgery Training Camps - a multi-site national training program that continues to grow year after year under Ryan's leadership.  As the Chairman and CEO of Brain and Spine Group, Ryan is at the forefront of our mission to pioneer new training opportunities the clinical neurosciences.
Susan C. Pannullo, MD
​Director At Large
Secretary
about susan
Dr. Susan C. Pannullo is the Director of Neuro-oncology and the Director of Neurosurgical Radiosurgery at New York Presbyterian - Weill Cornell Medical Center. Dr. Pannullo is board-certified in both neurology and neurological surgery and has served as the faculty adviser for the Weill Cornell Medicine AANS Medical Student Chapter since its inception. She has mentored countless students through the AANS Medical Student Chapter and played a critical role helping medical students launch the flagship Medical Student Neurosurgery Training Camp at Cornell.
 Mark Corey, JD
​Director At Large
Chief Financial Officer
about mark
Mark Corey founded and runs 45 Capital Management, an investment advisory firm specializing in building an assortment of hedged portfolios through the use of derivatives.  He founded the firm in 2015 after putting aside his law career in order to follow his dream of running his own investment fund. 

Prior to running his own firm, Mark worked at a patent law firm where he focused on intellectual property, specifically in patent prosecution.  While attending law school, he worked at Arizona Technology Enterprises (AzTE), the technology transfer office of Arizona State University, under their Life Science Department. 

Mark received his Juris Doctor from Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University.  He also received a Law, Science, and Technology Certificate specializing in Intellectual Property. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Biology from Arizona State University. 
Philip E. Stieg, PhD, MD
​Director At Large
about philip
Dr. Philip Stieg is Chairman and Neurosurgeon-in-Chief of NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and Professor of Neurological Surgery at Weill Cornell Medicine. Dr. Stieg, a world-renowned neurosurgeon with expertise in cerebrovascular disorders, skull base surgery, and traumatic brain injury, has a longstanding commitment to mentorship; he has not only personally mentored dozens of students and residents over his career, he has also developed a culture of mentorship within the department of neurological surgery and established formal mentoring programs that match residents and junior faculty with senior neurosurgeons. He has also nurtured the department’s programs that seek increased diversity in medicine in general and neurological surgery in particular, including relationships with Mentoring in Medicine and the new PrIMES mentoring program.   
 
Dr. Stieg is a widely published author and internationally known lecturer, and has been consistently named one of the nation’s Top Doctors by Castle Connolly. He is the host of the weekly podcast This Is Your Brain With Dr. Phil Stieg, and is one of the editors of the definitive textbook on AVMs, Intracranial Arteriovenous Malformations.
 
Under Dr. Stieg’s leadership, the Weill Cornell Medicine Brain and Spine Center created the Surgical Innovations Lab, the first multimedia neurosurgical teaching facility enabling real-time global collaboration. He also launched New York’s first multidisciplinary Concussion and Brain Injury Clinic and the Weill Cornell Medicine Center for Comprehensive Spine Care, where patients receive multidisciplinary services under one roof.  

​Dr. Stieg received his B.S. degree from the University of Wisconsin, his Ph.D. from Union University, and his M.D. from the Medical College of Wisconsin. He trained at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School after completing a fellowship in cell transplantation for restorative neurological function at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, then joined the faculty of the Harvard Medical School. He was recruited from the Harvard Brigham and Women’s/Children’s Hospital in 2000 to build the new Department of Neurological Surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center.
Iyan Younus
​Director At Large
about Iyan
Iyan Younus is a fourth year medical student at Weill Cornell Medical College. Iyan is one of the co-founding members of the Medical Student Neurosurgery Training Camp and is involved in numerous projects pertaining to medical education. His other interests include epilepsy and minimally invasive endoscopic skull base surgery. He has worked in the epilepsy research laboratory under the mentorship of Dr. Theodore Schwartz for which he has received funding from the AANS NREF research fellowship.
Graham Winston
​Director At Large
​Co-Director of Medical Student Neurosurgery Training Camps
about Graham
Graham Winston is a fourth year medical student at Weill Cornell Medicine, where he is an active member of the Cornell AANS Medical Student Chapter. He helped spearhead the 2018 and 2019 Medical Student Neurosurgery Training Camps. Graham works in the laboratory of Dr. Michael Kaplitt investigating use of MR-guided focused ultrasound to deliver gene therapy to the brain. He has worked on research in the fields of cerebrovascular surgery, spine surgery, functional neurosurgery as well as numerous projects pertaining to medical student education.

Program Directors

Michael Rothbaum
​​Co-Director of Medical Student Neurosurgery Training Camps
about Michael
Michael Rothbaum completed his undergraduate education at Cornell University where he majored in Comparative Literature and Spanish. Upon graduating, he spent two years at Weill Cornell as the coordinator for an NIH-funded study investigating the role of topical vancomycin in craniotomy wound prophylaxis. He is currently a third year medical student at New York Medical College where he serves on the executive board of the AANS medical student chapter and is active in clinical neurosurgery research. Michael is also passionate about his various volunteer positions and his work as a private tutor. He plans to pursue a career in neurosurgery.  
Amy Brotherton
​​Director of Fundraising
about amy
Amy Brotherton is an events and marketing specialist from Columbus, OH. She is a promotions assistant at an independent non-profit radio station, 104.9 the River focusing on engaging the Columbus community in unique ways with each of their partnerships and appearances.

Amy has a BA in Broadcasting Communication and Journalism from Cedarville University. She is dedicated to creating connection points between organizations and the people who love and need them which is what she  brings to our donor relationships at Brain and Spine Group.

Amy spends her free time indulging in experimental baking projects, Taco Tuesdays as well as time with family, friends and her puppy. She says Bon Appetit and enjoys the Great British Baking Show - she hopes to one day master the art of bread-baking.
Sergio W. Guadix
​​Director of Grant Acquisition
about Sergio
Sergio W. Guadix is a medical student and President of the AANS student chapter at Weill Cornell Medical College. He is passionate about creating opportunities for students to engage with the field of neurosurgery and works closely with faculty to achieve this goal. His position as Director of Grant Acquisition for Brain and Spine Group allows him to further this passion, expanding opportunities for students to gain exposure to the field of neurosurgery and the behavioral sciences on a national scale.

Sergio earned a B.A. in cognitive science and graduated magma cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania in 2017. He has diverse research experience, spanning the areas of psychology, consumer behavior, neuroscience, and neurosurgery. His grant writing acumen has been integral to the infrastructure and organization of Medical Student Neurosurgery Training Camps.

Jill Davis, ​CSW, M.Ed., BCBA

Director of Brain and Spine Group Behavior Institute
​about jill
Jill is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and owner of Take Flight ABA, LLC. She earned her master’s in Special Education from the University of Phoenix and enjoyed a career as a special education teacher for 12 years. Jill went on to study behavior analysis at Florida Institute of Technology to become a BCBA. She specializes in providing training using empirical techniques based upon the principles of learning to change behavior of social significance. Jill has worked with individuals of varying ages and disabilities in different settings such as schools, clinics, and residential programs. She currently provides intensive in-home services to families of children with autism as well as provides advocacy for parents of children with various disabilities. Jill also provides supervision and mentorship to students seeking certification as a behavior analyst as well as offers trainings to individuals desiring a career as a behavior technician.   

Volunteers

Lana Aldos

Social Media 
about lana
Lana Aldos is a third-year pre-med undergraduate student at Cornell University. She is currently studying Communication and Biology & Society. Her current interests are health and social behavior. Lana is involved in projects pertaining to health in refugee camps with main interests including the prevalence of infectious disease among refugees. She hopes to use her education and background experience to bring awareness to the healthcare crisis occurring in refugee camps and among refugees. Her research in health communication highlights a prime way to prevent the spread of infectious disease. Lana aspires to be a medical doctor committing her life to service and helping those in need.

Jacob Strouse

Project Manager
​about jacob
Jacob Strouse is a fourth-year premedical student at Cornell Univeristy and is expected to graduate with a degree from CALS in Interdisciplinary Studies in May of 2020, with a focus in neurobiology. After graduation he plans to earn a Masters in Biological and Environmental Engineering by May of 2021 also from Cornell, and then attend medical school.

​Jacob is the project manager and the email ambassador of Brain & Spine Group and believes in the direction and overall mission of the organization which is to educate and prepare the brain and spinal surgeons of the future. It is a mission that aligns with his current research interest, and life-long goal to bring a more holistic approach to medicine through his learnings and knowledge of South American Alternative Medicine.

Matt Rosenthal

about matt
Matt Rosenthal is a sophomore at Cornell University studying Neurobiology and Behavior and Health Policy. On campus, he is on the Emergency Medical Services Squad and does Evolutionary Biology Research. In his free time he enjoys listening to podcasts, reading, and staying in shape! He is excited to see how the Brain and Spine group can help medical students across the country better their skills and become world class in their field!

Christopher Yuan

Web Design
About christopher
​Christopher Yuan is a fourth-year pre-medical student at Cornell University studying Neurobiology and Behavior with a minor in Human Development. He is a research assistant in the Affect & Cognition Lab, looking at traumatic memory formation with fMRI data. In his free time, he volunteers at the local mental health service center and nursing home. He hopes to make meaningful contributions to the expanding field of mental health research  before applying to medical school.