Neurology Residency Faculty

Tudor Jovin, MD is an expert in interventional and non-interventional treatment for the entire spectrum of stroke and cerebrovascular disorders. He was one of the nation’s first interventional neurologists, a medical subspecialty that uses minimally invasive technologies applied from within the vessels to diagnose and treat diseases of the arteries and veins of the head, neck, and spine such as acute stroke, carotid stenosis, intracranial aneurysm, and arteriovenous malformations.

In addition to his clinical experience, Dr. Jovin is known internationally for his research activities. He has served as principal investigator for several international clinical studies including REVASCAT, a randomized trial of endovascular therapy versus medical therapy for acute stroke within eight hours of symptoms onset conducted in Spain, and DAWN, a multicenter, international, randomized trial of endovascular therapy versus medical therapy in the beyond eight-hour time window. Both studies are considered landmark studies in the development of treatments for acute stroke and have been published in the New England Journal of Medicine. He is a member of the executive or steering committees for several multicenter national and international trials, and has participated as site principal investigator or co-investigator in multiple national and international trials.

Additionally, he serves as editorial board member for numerous medical journals. Dr. Jovin has published more than 300 articles in peer-reviewed journals or book chapters. The consequential nature of his research is evidenced by recently published studies that have identified Dr. Jovin as the highest impact author in the neuro-interventional field.

Prior to joining Cooper, Dr. Jovin was a professor of neurology and neurosurgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and director of the Center for Neuroendovascular Therapy at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). At UPMC, he also served as the director of UPMC’s Stroke Institute, one of the leading centers for stroke care, education, and research in the world.

Joseph V. Campellone, MD, is the Program Director for the Neurology Residency Program. He has been with Cooper University Health Care since 1996. He is medical director of the Electromyography Laboratory, and is board-certified in neurology, neuromuscular disease, and electrodiagnostic medicine.

As a professor of neurology at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University (CMSRU), Dr. Campellone has great interest in education. He was previously the director of the neurology clerkship for Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and for CMSRU. He was a recipient of the UMDNJ Foundation “Excellence in Teaching” award. He is a small group facilitator for Scholar’s workshop and M3 Director at CMSRU.

Dr. Campellone has authored numerous manuscripts, presented at national and local meetings, and has reviewed for several medical journals. A member of the American Academy of Neurology, Dr. Campellone has served on several committees for the American Association of Electrodiagnostic and Neuromuscular Medicine. Dr. Campellone has a particular interest in myasthe­nia gravis, neuropathy, and other neuromuscular diseases, as well as electrodiagnosis.

Bradley P. Grayum, MD, is a graduate of Hahnemann Medical School and the NYU/Bellevue neurology residency program, and completed a fellowship in neuromuscular disease at Downstate Medical Center. He is board-certified, with added qualifications in vascular neurology, and is certified in electrodiagnostic medicine through the American Board of Electrodiagnostic Medicine.

With an active practice focusing on neuromuscular disease, Dr. Grayum also served as director of the stroke program during a long career at Crozer Chester Medical Center, participating in many clinical stroke trials. Since recently coming to Cooper, he maintains an interest in both stroke and neuromuscular disease and has been acknowledged as “Top Doc” several times by various local publications, including Philadelphia Magazine.

Dr. Grayum brings enthusiasm and experience as an instructor to our residents. He was named Educator of the Year at Crozer Chester Medical Center in 2012 and received a teaching award from Drexel University in 2014.

Donald A. Barone, DO, MBA, received his BA in Biological Sciences from Rutgers College and his DO from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. He served as a neurology resident at the University of Vermont College of Medicine, trained by Dr. Charles Poser and Dr. George Schumacher, two of the pioneers in Multiple Sclerosis research and clinical care. Following residency, he was awarded a Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA)-funded fellowship in Neuromuscular Diseases under the tutelage of Dr. Lewis Rowland, Chair of Neurology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. Some of his early research involved microphysiological and electron microscopic study of the neuromuscular junction in the sternothyroid muscle from the animal model of Myasthenia Gravis.

Dr. Barone directed a grant-funded MDA clinic for over 30 years. His focus on Clinical Neuro-Immunology/Multiple Sclerosis evolved over the last 25 years, coinciding with the evolution of immunotherapies for Multiple Sclerosis and related disorders. He is a well-recognized expert in the clinical care and clinical research of Multiple Sclerosis and related-disorder patients. He has published and presented research findings at multiple domestic and international venues. He has been a medical educator his whole career, coming to Cooper from Rowan University SOM, where he was Professor and Chief, Division of Neurology. He earned his MBA in 2018 from Temple University Fox School of Business. He has cultivated an interest in health care business operational and financial models, especially as they evolve to accommodate the expected future changes in health care economic and re-imbursement models.

Jessica Bryson, PA-C, received her undergraduate degree in biology from Stockton University in Pomona, New Jersey, and her master’s degree in Medical Science in Physician Assistant Studies from Salus University in Pennsylvania. In the outpatient clinic, she cares for patients suffering from stroke and general neurologic conditions. Working closely with Dr. Syrow, she also has a special interest in headaches and migraines, and is integral to Group Visits through the Cooper Advanced Care Center, where she helps treat patients suffering from migraines.

Evren Burakgazi-Dalkilic, MD, received her medical degree from Istanbul University School of Medicine. She completed her residency in neurology at George Washington University School of Medicine where she was recognized as Resident of the Year. After completing a fellowship in Clinical Neurophysiology and Epilepsy at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Dr. Burakgazi-Dalkilic was co-director of the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit and an assistant professor of neurology at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center – MCV Campus in Richmond, Virginia, before coming to Cooper.

Dr. Burakgazi-Dalkilic specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy, pre-surgical evaluation, and intracranial epilepsy moni­toring. Special interests include the role of hormones in epilepsy, cardiac aspects of status epilepticus and refractory epilepsy, pharmacokinetics of antiepileptic drugs and their interactions with other drugs.

Dr. Burakgazi-Dalkilic has been principal investigator or sub-investigator on a number of external grants and is a contributor to numer­ous journals and abstracts. She is also a member of several scientific, honorary, and professional societies: American Academy of Neurology, American Epilepsy Society, and American Clinical and Neurophysiology Society (ACNS). She also serves as a member of the AAN Anti-Epileptic Drugs Efficacy and Safety Guideline Committee.

Merin F. Campbell, PsyD, earned her doctoral degree in psychol­ogy and certificate in clinical neuropsychology at Widener University’s Institute for Graduate Clinical Psychology. She completed a post-doctoral fellowship in neuropsychology within the department of neurology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. She conducts comprehensive outpatient neuropsychological evaluations, inpatient consultations, and individual psychotherapy sessions. Although Dr. Campbell primarily sees adults and older adults with neurological condi­tions such as dementia, movement disorders, epilepsy, TBI, tumor, stroke, and MS, she is also a certified school psychologist and experienced with pediatrics and adolescents. She is particularly interested in the role of neuropsychology in neuro-interventional and neurosurgical procedures such as Wada and intraoperative brain mapping.

Melissa A. Carran, MD, is a graduate of University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. She completed her neurology residency and subsequent fellowship in epilepsy at Thomas Jefferson Hospital. She is an assistant professor of neurology at CMSRU. Dr. Carran is board-certified in neurology and clinical neurophysiology, with more than 15 years of experience as an attending neurologist and epileptologist. She has also been an examiner for the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and is a member of the Recertification Committee.

Dr. Carran’s practice includes treating and managing epilepsy, including women’s health, developmental issues, and evalu­ations for epilepsy surgery. She also participates in several studies of investigational treatments for epilepsy.

Amy Colcher, MD, joined Cooper University Health Care as director of the Cooper Neurological Institute Movement Disorders division after 15 years at the University of Pennsylvania. She earned her medical degree from Jefferson Medical College, completed her neurology residency training at Georgetown University, and did her fellowship in movement disorders at the University of Pennsylvania. A well-known authority in movement disorders, Dr. Colcher has authored numerous articles and book chapters.

A diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, Dr. Colcher serves on the board of the Eastern Pennsylvania chapter of the Huntington’s Disease Society of America. She is involved in clinical research and conducts trials on Huntington’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and other movement disorders. She treats patients with dystonia, and has expertise in the use of Botulinum toxins. She sees patients with Parkinson’s dis­ease, Multiple System Atrophy, Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, essential tremor, ataxia, and Huntington’s disease and other movement disorders. Dr. Colcher also enjoys teaching trainees and in addition to providing clinical instruction to neurology resi­dents, Dr. Colcher is active as a small group leader at CMSRU and precepts several medical students.

Dr. Michael Gallagher grew up in suburban Philadelphia and studied mechanical engineering at Drexel University. After a short career as an engineer, he decided to pursue medicine at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine in New York City. He then completed his Neurology residency at Cooper University Hospital and fellowship in neuromuscular diseases and electromyography at the University of Maryland in Baltimore. In his free time, he enjoys fishing, kayaking, and hockey.

Andrew McGarry, MD, is an alumnus of UMDNJ and Cooper University Health Care for medical school clerkships and completed his neurology residency at the University of Rochester. He subsequently completed a fellowship in movement disorders and experimental therapeutics at Rochester. He is board-certified in neurology and belongs to the American Academy of Neurology, Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Society, Parkinson’s Study Group, Huntington’s Study Group, and Movement Disorder Society. He serves on the HSG Clinical Trial Science and Ethics Review Committee.

Dr. McGarry’s interests include Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, spinocerebellar ataxias, and novel treatments for rare movement disorders. His clinical involvement includes delivery of botulinum toxin, deep brain stimulation management, resident education, and medical treatment of tremor, chorea, dystonia, tics, and myoclonus of varying etiologies. Dr. McGarry has interest in cellular mechanisms of neurodegeneration and the development and implementation of clinical trials in movement disorders. He has published numerous abstracts, papers, and book chapters in movement disorder research. He was voted “Top Doc” in South Jersey Magazine’s 2014 patient poll.

Tomer Noff, MD, completed a dual undergraduate program of rabbinics and medicine at the Ner Israel Rabbinical College and Towson University. He was ordained by Israel’s Chief Rabbi and continued to earn his medical degree at the Technion American Medical School in Haifa, Israel. Dr. Noff completed his neurology and clinical neurophysiology training at the Indiana University School of Medicine.

Dr. Noff sees general neurology patients with a special interest in electromyography, neuropathy, neuromuscular disease, and headache. He performs electromyography as well onobotulinum injections and auricular accupuncture. Dr. Noff serves on the American Academy of Neuromuscular and Electrodiganotic Medicine’s assessment examination committee. 

Mark A. Rader, PhD, is a licensed clinical neuropsychologist who has been in active practice for over thirty years. He has been with Cooper University Health Care since 2005, where he conducts neuropsychological evaluations, sees patients for individual psychotherapy, and is on the inpatient consultation service.

Currently an assistant professor of neurology at the CMSRU, he is actively involved in the training and supervision of pre- and post-doctoral students in neuropsychology and medical students. His experience includes inpatient and outpatient reha­bilitation with a special focus on the diagnosis and treatment of traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and emotional disorders arising from them. He has published and presented on many topics related to TBI and has also volunteered his time leading a support group since 2001.

Swarna Rajagopalan, MD, MS, is a neurologist and neurocritical care specialist with expertise in the resuscitation and management of acute brain injured patients. She trained in neurology and completed a fellowship in neurocritical care, followed by a master's in translational science and research. She is passionate about medical education and enjoys teaching medical students, residents, and fellows. Her clinical interests are focused on early identification and prevention of secondary brain injury after catastrophic diseases that affect the neurological system, such as subarachnoid hemorrhage, status epilepticus, traumatic brain injury, and large ischemic strokes or intracerebral hemorrhages. Currently, research interests are focused on invasive intracranial monitoring and resuscitation of critically ill neurological patients in the intensive care unit (ICU).

Dr. Shaikh started the Endovascular Neurosurgery/Neurointerventional program at Cooper Hospital in 2014, and since then has built the program to become one of the best in the region. He came to Cooper after his Neuroradiology and Neurointerventional training at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Shaikh believes in treating patients and their families with respect, courtesy, and mutual understanding. He understands how scary things may become during a very vulnerable time in their lives and he feels that it’s his obligation to help families navigate the health care system for the benefit of their loved ones.Dr. Shaikh is actively involved in overseeing the Neurointerventional Surgery program, and the fellowship training program which was started in 2021.

He enjoys teaching faculty, students, residents, and fellows throughout their training to help them realize their true calling as physicians and caretakers of the health care system. Dr. Shaikh and the Neurosciences team is involved in many ground breaking and important research projects throughout the world. He also enjoys working with startup companies and artificial intelligence companies to develop tools that can help his patients improve their lives. His clinical interests include evaluation and treatment of cerebral aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations, strokes, spinal fractures. He also performs complex brain/head/neck/spine biopsies.  

Larisa Syrow, MD, completed her undergraduate studies at SUNY Binghamton and subsequently received her medical degree from SUNY Upstate Medical University. She com­pleted residency in neurology at Albert Einstein/Montefiore Medical Center, followed by fellowship training in clinical neurophysiology at Hahnemann/Drexel Medical Center. She subsequently received board certification in headache medicine. She sees general neurology patients and has a special interest in patients with headaches and migraines, with expertise in delivering Botox injections. Additionally she performs EMG testing and inter­prets EEGs.

Dr. Syrow is the director for the CMSRU Neurology clerkship and has played an active role in teaching neurology to medical students and residents for which she has won many awards. She speaks Russian and Spanish, and is passionate about delivering health care to the Spanish-speaking population.

Jesse Thon, MD joins the Cooper faculty following completion of a vascular neurology fellowship at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. He received his medical degree from Columbia University followed by neurology residency at the Harvard-Partners program at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. He also completed a fellowship in Advanced General and Autoimmune Neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital. He is board certified in neurology and a member of the AAN.

Dr. Thon’s clinical interests are in acute neurologic disorders and inpatient neurology. With his background in vascular neurology and autoimmune neurology, he has a particular interest in neuro-immunologic conditions that affect the cerebral vasculature, including primary and secondary CNS vasculitis, inflammatory CAA, and neurosarcoidosis. He is passionate about medical education and greatly enjoys teaching residents and medical students. He believes in patient-based learning and uses rounding as an opportunity for high-yield teaching, making it a rewarding experience for trainees while improving patient care.