New York (Oct. 21, 2025)—Dr. J Mocco, an esteemed physician-scientist who specializes in cerebrovascular and endovascular neurosurgery, has been appointed chair of the Department of Neurological Surgery at Weill Cornell Medicine and neurosurgeon-in-chief at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, effective Dec. 1.
Dr. Mocco will lead a large team of neurosurgeons and other experts who specialize in diseases that affect the blood vessels in the brain, known as cerebrovascular disease; brain and spinal tumors; movement disorders; and other diseases of the brain, spine and nerves that branch out from the brain and spinal cord. Dr. Mocco will seek to broaden the department’s scope in key areas, including neuro-oncology, pain syndromes, peripheral nerve surgery, and surgical procedures to promote cognitive restoration. He is also focused on advanced technologies, like augmented recovery, that leverage the brain’s natural ability to form new neural connections.
“The Department of Neurological Surgery at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian already has exceptional physicians who are well regarded in their fields,” he said. “I am excited to expand the department’s expertise and guide the department towards an even brighter future.”
Dr. Mocco was recruited from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where he is the Kalmon D. Post Professor and senior system vice chair of the Department of Neurological Surgery, with extensive experience leading clinical trials and pioneering advanced treatments for many neurologic diseases. He also serves as director of the Cerebrovascular Center for the Mount Sinai Health System. He succeeds Dr. Philip E. Stieg, who led the Department of Neurological Surgery for 25 years and will remain on the faculty.
“I am delighted Dr. Mocco will be joining Weill Cornell Medicine,” said Dr. Robert A. Harrington, the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medicine and provost for medical affairs of Cornell University. “His extraordinary blend of deep clinical research experience, commitment to academic medicine and training and dedication to exceptional care will make him an excellent chair of our Department of Neurological Surgery.”
“We are pleased to welcome Dr. Mocco to NewYork-Presbyterian,” said Dr. Steven J. Corwin, president and chief executive officer of NewYork-Presbyterian. “Dr Mocco is an outstanding physician-scientist and leader who is committed to providing the highest quality care to patients, mentoring the next generation of physicians and advancing the field of neurological surgery.”
Dr. Mocco’s clinical and research interests have focused on a wide range of topics and techniques related to cerebrovascular diseases, stroke and neurointervention, including acute stroke therapy; management of bleeding within the brain, also known as intracerebral hemorrhage; aneurysm treatment; brain-computer interfaces that create a direct communication pathway between the brain’s electrical activity and a home computer; and many other groundbreaking technologies. He helped pioneer now-standard stroke treatments and is leading or co-leading clinical trials with more than $60 million of National Institutes of Health funding.
“However wonderful a surgeon one is—there are only so many lives you can impact with your own two hands,” he said. “Clinical research lets you help exponentially more patients.”
Through its relationship with parent institution, Cornell University, as well as Cornell Tech on Roosevelt Island, Weill Cornell Medicine, in collaboration with NewYork-Presbyterian, is uniquely positioned to provide transformational neurosurgical care, Dr. Mocco said. He strives to stay grounded in two fundamental pillars: One recognizes that technological innovations such as artificial intelligence, robotics, advanced imaging and new materials are dramatically changing the way medical care is delivered and the quality of care available. The second ensures that personal, empathic patient relationships aren’t lost amid this rapid technological change.
“It would be all too easy in the coming decade for technology to supplant the human aspect of care,” Dr. Mocco said. “We must be intentional about keeping empathy at the center of our patient relationships.”
Dr. Mocco plans to deepen collaboration within neurosurgery across Weill Cornell Medicine’s academic departments, as well as NewYork-Presbyterian and Och Spine at NewYork-Presbyterian, which brings together top orthopedic and neurological spine surgeons, as well as nonoperative and rehabilitation experts, to provide spine care across the age spectrum.
Dr. Mocco said he was drawn to neurosurgery because of his fascination with medicine’s most acute, life-and-death interventions. “When you save a patient from a stroke or a brain hemorrhage, they often get to go back to their prior life,” he said. “That is something very special to me.”
He also has a long history of guiding and teaching junior clinicians and looks forward to mentoring the physicians of the future. “Academic medicine means you’re committed to influencing and inspiring others,” he said. “If you can help them find that spark or create that research infrastructure to make definitive discoveries, it magnifies your impact on helping the world.”
About Dr. J Mocco
Dr. Mocco received his bachelor’s degree from University of Miami, his medical degree from Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and a Master of Science degree in biostatistics from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. He completed his neurological surgery residency at the Neurological Institute of New York and a fellowship in endovascular neurosurgery from the University at Buffalo.
In 2007, Dr. Mocco joined the faculty of University at Buffalo as a clinical assistant professor of neurological surgery. In 2009, he became an assistant professor in the Departments of Neurological Surgery and Radiology at University of Florida. Three years later, he became an associate professor and director of the Cerebrovascular Core in the Departments of Neurological Surgery and Radiology at Vanderbilt University. He joined the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in 2014, eventually becoming the Kalmon D. Post Professor and senior vice chair of neurosurgery in 2022.
Dr. Mocco has published more than 650 papers in high-impact journals and edited three textbooks on neurosurgical techniques. He has received numerous awards and honors throughout his career for his research, teaching and mentorship. He has served as a visiting professor at dozens of prominent institutions and was recognized as a distinguished speaker at a wide array of medical conferences and events. Dr. Mocco was the Luessenhop Lecturer at the American Association of Neurological Surgeons/Cerebrovascular Section’s 2024 annual meeting and the L. Nelson Hopkins Honored Lecturer at the Congress of Neurological Surgery 2022 annual meeting. He is also the first person ever to have been elected to be both the chair of the Cerebrovascular Section of the AANS and the president of the Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery.
Weill Cornell Medicine
Weill Cornell Medicine is committed to excellence in patient care, scientific discovery and the education of future physicians in New York City and around the world. The doctors and scientists of Weill Cornell Medicine — faculty from Weill Cornell Medical College, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, and Weill Cornell Physician Organization — are engaged in world-class clinical care and cutting-edge research that connect patients to the latest treatment innovations and prevention strategies. Located in the heart of the Upper East Side’s scientific corridor, Weill Cornell Medicine’s powerful network of collaborators extends to its parent university Cornell University; to Qatar, where Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar offers a Cornell University medical degree; and to programs in Tanzania, Haiti, Brazil, Austria and Turkey. Weill Cornell Medicine faculty provide exemplary patient care at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian Westchester Behavioral Health Center, NewYork-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital, NewYork-Presbyterian Queens and NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital. Weill Cornell Medicine is also affiliated with Houston Methodist. For more information, visit weill.cornell.edu.
NewYork-Presbyterian
NewYork-Presbyterian is one of the nation’s most comprehensive, integrated academic healthcare systems, encompassing 10 hospitals across the Greater New York area, nearly 200 primary and specialty care clinics and medical groups, and an array of telemedicine services.
A leader in medical education, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is affiliated with two world-class medical schools, Weill Cornell Medicine and Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. This collaboration means patients have access to the country’s leading physicians, the full range of medical specialties, latest innovations in care, and research that is developing cures and saving lives.
Founded 250 years ago, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital has a long legacy of medical breakthroughs and innovation, from the invention of the Pap test to pioneering the groundbreaking heart valve replacement procedure called TAVR.
NewYork-Presbyterian’s 48,000 employees and affiliated physicians are dedicated to providing the highest quality, most compassionate care to New Yorkers and patients from across the country and around the world.
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