David J. McCarthy, MD

David McCarthy, MD, joined the University of Pittsburgh Department of Neurological Surgery residency program in July of 2020 after graduating from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. He earned a master’s degree in clinical and translational research with a focus in statistics from the University of Miami and a bachelor of science degree in biochemistry from the University of Florida.

During medical school, Dr. McCarthy cultivated an interest in ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke treatment modalities and outcomes. In the laboratory,  he investigated endothelial dysfunction in aneurysms and pharmaceutical stroke recovery enhancement. For aneurysms, he researched molecular inhibition of pathologic endothelial cell expression and enhanced endothelization following endovascular treatment modalities. In ischemic stroke, he utilized a murine photochemical cortical stroke model to assess the efficacy of various neuroprotective pharmaceutical agents. In clinical research, Dr. McCarthy authored and co-authored manuscripts that focused on optimizing neuroendovascular access, and post stroke thrombectomy critical care.

Dr. McCarthy’s research interests include neurosurgical epidemiology and treatment trends, neuroendovascular devices, and the molecular physiology of cerebral aneurysms. He hopes to apply artificial intelligence and machine learning for computation flow dynamic assessment of cerebral aneurysms, comparing physiologic cell stress to genomic expression. Additionally, he hopes to contribute to neurosurgical literature with the improvement of current statistical methods.

Dr. McCarthy was raised in Tampa, Fla. In his free time, he enjoys creating art (resin, graphite), winter mountaineering, skiing, hiking, running, and weight lifting.