Pittsburgh, June 24, 2024 -- A special black-tie graduation reception and dinner was held Saturday evening, June 22, at the Pittsburgh Golf Club honoring David Fernandes Cabral, MD; Zachary Gersey, MD; Justiss Kallos, MD; and Roberta Sefcik, MD, on their successful completion of the UPMC/University of Pittsburgh’s seven-year neurological surgery residency program. The event was attended by more than 130 faculty members, colleagues, family and friends.
Following graduation, Dr. Fernandes Cabral will join the University of Pittsburgh Department of Neurological Surgery faculty at UPMC Mercy; Dr. Gersey will head to the University of Miami to begin an advanced brain tumor fellowship; Dr. Kallos will serve a fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital in New York; and Dr. Sefcik has accepted a position as assistant professor at the Medical University of South Carolina.
The department also recognized the graduating residents for the following completed fellowships: Dr. Kallos (neurosurgical oncology); Dr. Sefcik, (endovascular and spine); Dr. Gersey (skull base and sports) and Dr. Fernandes Cabral (skull base).
Other physicians honored for completing fellowships during the evening included Bhubic Patel, MD, (skull base); Manan Shah, MD (spine); and Naoki Ikegapa, MD, (epilepsy and functional neurosurgery).
Annual teaching awards were also announced at the dinner. Dr. Fernandes Cabral was selected as the best resident teacher as chosen by department faculty and Ted Andrews, MD—a graduate of last year’s Pitt neurosurgery residency class—was chosen as the best faculty teacher by the residents.
Special awards were also presented to PGY-5 resident Ali Alattar, MD—High American Board of Neurological Surgery (ABNS) Score Award—and Dr. Fernandes Cabral—Joseph Maroon Aequanimitas Award for humility, compassion and excellent care of patients.
As the department honored its graduating residents, it also welcomed four new residents Madi Remick, MD; Jessica Ryvlin, MD; Nikhil Sharma, MD; and Gina Watanabe, MD.
