Prateek Agarwal, MD, MBA, joined the University of Pittsburgh Department of Neurological Surgery residency program in July 2020 after earning a dual MD/MBA degree from the Perelman School of Medicine and Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. At the Perelman School of Medicine, he was elected into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society and received the Spencer Morris Prize, the School of Medicine’s highest academic honor. Prior to medical and business school, he graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Harvard University in 2015 with an AB in molecular and cellular biology and secondary field in economics.
Dr. Agarwal’s clinical neurosurgical research focuses on employing system-level interventions to improve patient outcomes while reducing costs. His investigation on using behavioral economics principles to reduce neurosurgical postoperative infections and implant costs was awarded the 2018 Neurosurgery Paper of the Year in Socioeconomics, Health Policy, and Law. He has also performed translational research on injectable hydrogels for intervertebral disc regeneration, supported by the Neurosurgery Research and Education Foundation (NREF) Medical Student Summer Fellowship. His undergraduate basic neuroscience research in olfaction resulted in publications in Nature Neuroscience and Nature Communications.
Dr. Agarwal is active in organized neurosurgery. He was elected to serve on the Young Neurosurgeons Committee (YNC) in 2021 and was appointed as an early career member on the AANS Education Committee in May 2022. Previously, he served as the 2018 YNC MISSION fellow. He is also passionate about entrepreneurship and co-founded the medical device startup Sanguis, which won 1st place at the 2018 Penn Wharton Entrepreneurship Startup Challenge.
Dr. Agarwal was born and raised in New Jersey. Outside of neurosurgery, he enjoys aviation, water polo, swimming, tennis and spending time with his family and friends.
Specialized Areas of Interest
Professional Organization Membership
Education & Training
- AB, Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, 2015
- MD, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, 2020
- MBA, Health Care Management, The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, 2020
Honors & Awards
- Spencer Morris Prize, Perelman School of Medicine, 2020
- Palmer Scholar, The Wharton School, 2020
- Alpha Omega Alpha, Perelman School of Medicine, 2019
- Neurosurgery Paper of the Year in Socioeconomics, Health Policy, and Law, 2018
- MISSION Fellowship, Young Neurosurgeons Committee, 2018
- Department of Neurosurgery Research Prize, Perelman School of Medicine, 2017
- NREF Medical Student Summer Fellowship, 2016
- Guggenheim Family Neurosurgery Scholarship, Perelman School of Medicine, 2016
- Summa Cum Laude, Harvard University, 2015
- Phi Beta Kappa, Harvard University, 2015
Selected Publications
Agarwal P, Roy S, Sharma N, Stone J, Agarwal,N, Moossy JJ. Arachnoid web associated with an intrathecal pain pump. Interdisciplinary Neurosurgery 25:101252, 2021.
Casillo SM, Agarwal P, Nwachuku EL, Agarwal N, Miele VJ, Hamilton DK. Alan N. Evaluation of free-hand screw placement in cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine by neurosurgical residents. Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery 204:106586, 2021.
Agarwal P, Khalafallah AM, Hersh EH, Ivan ME, Mukherjee D. Impact of AANS Medical Student Chapters on Participation in Organized Neurosurgery, Research Productivity, and Residency Match Success. World Neurosurgery 138:e437-e444, 2020.
Agarwal N, Agarwal P, Taylor TM, Mortimer AR, Stacy JD, Spatola M, Mazzola CA, Orrico KO, Heary RF. Contributions to the Neurosurgery Political Action Committee (NeurosurgeryPAC): A Historical Perspective. World Neurosurgery 135: 273-279, 2020.
Agarwal P, Ramayya AG, Osiemo B, Goodrich S, Glauser G, McClintock SD, Chen HI, Schuster JM, Grady MS, Malhotra NR. Association of Overlapping Neurosurgery with Patient Outcomes at a Large Academic Medical Center. Neurosurgery 85(6): E1050-E1058, 2019
Glauser G, Agarwal P, Ramayya AG, Chen HI, Lee JYK, Schuster JM, Osiemo B, Goodrich S, McClintock SD, Malhotra NR. Association of Surgical Overlap During Wound Closure with Patient Outcomes Amongst Neurological Surgery Patients at a Large Academic Medical Center. Neurosurgery 85(5):E882-E888, 2019.
Albeanu DF, Provost AC, Agarwal P, Soucy E, Murthy VN. Olfactory marker protein regulates refinement of the olfactory glomerular map. Nature Communications 9(1):5073, 2018.
Agarwal N, Agarwal P, Mazurkiewicz A, Tempel ZJ, Friedlander RM, Gerszten P, Hamilton DK, Okonkwo DO, Kanter AS. Implementation of an Infection Prevention Bundle and Increased Physician Awareness Improves Surgical Outcomes and Reduces Costs Associated with Spine Surgery. Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine 29(1):108-114, 2018.
Agarwal N, Zenonos GA, Agarwal P, Walch FJ, Roach E, Stokes SJ, Friedlander RM, Gerszten PC. Risk to Benefit Ratio of Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis for Neurosurgical Procedures at a Quaternary Referral Center. Neurosurgery 84(2):355-361, 2019.
Agarwal N, Gupta R, Agarwal P, Matthew P, Wolferz Jr R, Shah A, Adeeb N., Prabhu AV, Kanter AS, Okonkwo DO, Hamilton DK. Descriptive Analysis of State and Federal Spine Surgery Malpractice Litigation in the United States. Spine 43(14):984-990, 2018.