Research Team | Nitin Agarwal, MD, MBA, FACS

Directors

Nitin Agarwal, M.D., M.B.A., F.A.C.S.

Dr. Nitin Agarwal is the Acting Chief of Neurological Surgery at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and serves as Director of SCOLI (Spine Computational Outcomes Learning Institute), Site Director of the Residency Program, and Associate Professor of Neurological Surgery. His research focuses on neurotrauma outcomes, complex and minimally invasive spine surgery, socioeconomic determinants of patient outcomes, and patient education / health literacy.
D. Kojo Hamilton, M.D., M.B.A.

Dr. D. Kojo Hamilton is a Professor of Neurological Surgery and serves as Director of UPMC Neurosurgical Spine Services and Co-Director of the Spine Fellowship Program. His work spans patient optimization, surgical protocols, biomarkers, neurological imaging, metamaterial implants, and socioeconomic factors affecting surgical outcomes, with active mentorship across SCOLI's fellowship and internship programs.

Research Fellows

Ayesha Akbar Waheed, M.B.B.S.

Dr. Ayesha Akbar Waheed is a Principal Research Fellow at the University of Pittsburgh Department of Neurological Surgery and serves as the Director of Fundraising and the Intern Program for SCOLI. She also serves as the TRACK-SCI Site Coordinator and SCOLI's Clinical Coordinator for industry study efforts. A graduate of Aga Khan University Medical College, she brings a unique combination of clinical knowledge and research expertise to advance spine care through innovative research initiatives and collaborative programs.
Samuel Wakelin, B.S.

Samuel Wakelin is a Senior Research Fellow at SCOLI and a third-year medical student at Georgetown University School of Medicine with a passion for neurosurgery and neuroscience research. With early exposure to immunotherapy research at Massachusetts General Hospital and continued research at Georgetown, he brings technical expertise in AI applications, spine segmentation algorithms, and radiomic data processing to SCOLI's research initiatives.
Serhat Aydin, M.D.

Dr. Serhat Aydin is a Research Fellow at SCOLI who merges advanced statistical expertise with artificial intelligence to transform spine surgery. His work applies AI, radiomics, and machine learning to challenges in neurological care, and he develops large language model platforms for patient education to support informed decision-making and health literacy. Dr. Aydin earned his M.D. from Koç University School of Medicine in Turkey after ranking exceptionally high on the national medical entrance exam, and has contributed over 20 peer-reviewed publications across AI applications in neurosurgery, radiomic analysis, and translational research.
Janam Patel, B.S.

Janam is a research fellow in SCOLI focusing on spinal cord injury treatments and procedures. He will be a medical student at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
Ben Carnovale, B.S.

Ben Carnovale is a Junior Research Fellow at SCOLI and a medical student at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. With strong academic performance in electrical engineering from Pitt and extensive research experience, he brings analytical skills and biomedical innovation expertise to advance spine care through technology-driven solutions and clinical research.

Postgraduate Neurosurgery Fellows

Qazi Zeeshan, M.D., M.S.

Dr. Qazi Zeeshan is a Postgraduate Neurosurgery Fellow at SCOLI. He earned his medical degree from the Institute of Medical Sciences and completed general surgery residency at the same institution, followed by neurological surgery training at King George Medical University. He has since completed fellowships at Harborview Medical Center, SUNY University at Buffalo, and Mayo Clinic.

Interns

Aditi Choudhary, B.S.

Aditi Choudhary has been an undergraduate intern at SCOLI since December 2023. She is an honors undergraduate History and Philosophy of Science student at the University of Pittsburgh and intends on pursuing a career in neurosurgery. She is passionate about AI and the intersection between medicine and humanity, and will begin her Master's at the Pitt School of Public Health in Fall 2024.
Armani Manov

Armani Manov studies at the University of Pittsburgh with a deep passion for research and discovery. He is interested in intersecting computational biology and AI/ML with neurosurgery.
Zayaan Tirmizi

Zayaan Tirmizi is an undergraduate student at the University of Pittsburgh, majoring in Neuroscience with a minor in History, and is currently an intern with SCOLI. His research interests within neurosurgery include AI applications within surgery, socioeconomic health disparities, and nutritional factors affecting patient outcomes.
Shaunak Patil

Shaunak Patil is an undergraduate student at the University of Pittsburgh majoring in Molecular Biology. His research interests include spine deformities, AI applications in neurosurgery, and traumatic brain injuries. Outside of academics, he enjoys backpacking and traveling.