Atom Sarkar MD, PhD, FAANS

Dr. Sarkar become a nationally recognized Westinghouse Science Scholar prior to attending Brown University (Providence, RI) as an undergraduate. During this time he investigated issues related to viral oncology at various institutions including the Ludwig Institute of Cancer Research (Bern, Switzerland), the Rockefeller University (New York, NY), and the University of Georgia (Athens, GA). Dr. Sarkar received his MD/PhD degrees from the University of Miami School of Medicine (Miami, FL). His PhD dissertation was conducted in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics, with a focus on molecular neuroscience. This work culminated in cloning and characterizing neuropeptide receptors from the brain and earned research distinc tion from the Graduate School. It was at Miami that an interest in neurosurgery was galvanized.

A fellowship at Columbia University (New York, NY) in single molecule mechanics, nanotechnology, and instrument design were the focus of his post-doctoral work. This post-doctoral fellowship was performed in the midst of a neurosurgical residency at the Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN).