Pittsburgh, June 23, 2025 -- A special black-tie graduation reception and dinner was held Saturday evening, June 21, at the Pittsburgh Golf Club honoring Hussam Abou-Al-Shaar, MD; Ricardo Fernández-de Thomas, MD; Daryl P. Fields II, MD, PhD; Arka N. Mallela, MD; and Gautam Nayar, 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 150 faculty members, colleagues, family and friends.
Following graduation, Dr. Abou-Al-Shaar will serve a fellowship at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth in Houston, Texas; Dr. Fernandez-de Thomas will be an assistant professor at the University of Puerto Rico; Dr. Fields will be an assistant professor at the University of Florida; Dr. Mallela will be an assistant professor at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago; and Dr. Nayar will enter private practice with Oregon Neurosurgery in Springfield, Oregon.
The department also recognized graduating residents for the following completed fellowships: Dr. Abou-Al-Shaar (open and endoscopic cranial base surgery, stereotactic radiosurgery, sports neurosurgery). Dr. Fernández-de Thomas (spine, sports neurosurgery); Dr. Nayar (spine, endovascular); and Dr. Mallela (neuro-oncology, functional epilepsy).
Other physicians honored for completing fellowships included Mark Maclean, MD, (spine, neurotrauma spine); James Mooney, MD (spine, sports neurosurgery); Timoteo Almeida, MD, (stereotactic radiosurgery, functional epilepsy surgery), and Ivo Petoe, MD, (external open and endoscopic skull base).
Annual teaching awards were also announced at the dinner. Dr. Abou-Al-Shaar was selected as the best resident teacher as chosen by department faculty and David Fernandes Cabral, MD—a graduate of last year’s Pitt neurosurgery residency class and winner of the 2024 best resident teacher award—was chosen as the best faculty teacher by the residents.
Special awards were also presented to PGY-5 resident Prateek Agarwal, MD—High American Board of Neurological Surgery (ABNS) Score Award—and Dr. Abou-Al-Shaar—Joseph Maroon Aequanimitas Award for humility, compassion and excellent care of patients, and the Nitin Agarwal Courage for 200 Award for graduating with more than 200 papers published during residency.
As the department honored its graduating residents, it also welcomed five new residents: Ritesh Karsalia, MD; Najib Muhammad, MD; Abhinav Pandey, MD; Rohit Prem Kumar MD; and Sangami Pugazenthi, MD.
