Meet the team
Our specialists
Dr. Rak is fluent in French and Persian.
Ramin Rak, MD., FAANS., FCNS
Ramin Rak, M.D., F.A.A.N.S., F.C.N.S., is a board certified neurosurgeon who performs complex neurosurgery. He has extensive experience in performing awake craniotomies. Dr. Rak specializes in the treatment of neurological tumors and cerebrovascular and skull base diseases. He uses stereotactic radiosurgery, such as Cyberknife®, as well as complex and minimally invasive spinal procedures. Dr. Rak is an expert in micro-neurosurgical techniques which he utilizes to perform most of his surgeries.
“He’s a wonderful doctor. He’s a wonderful person. I don’t ever want to deal with a neurosurgeon again, but if anyone ever does, I would definitely recommend him. He made me very comfortable after all I went through.” – Barbara Nadel Tepper
Dr. Rak received his undergraduate degree with high honors in Medical Basic Sciences and his medical degree from the Free University of Brussels, Brussels, Belgium. He then completed an externship followed by Internship and another year of General Surgery residency in the department of surgery at Washington Hospital Center, Washington, D.C. Dr. Rak was a clinical neurosurgery fellow, NIH/NINDS/Surgical Neurology Branch, Bethesda, MD; then a neurosurgery resident at the department of neurosurgery, George Washington University, Washington, D.C. He then joined Dr. Sekhar at the Mid-Atlantic Brain and Spine Institute in Annandale, VA and University of Maryland in Baltimore, MD for a microneurosurgery clinical and research fellowship. He established the “Brain and Spinal Cord Foundation” with Dr. Sekhar in Northern Virginia.
Dr. Rak became a clinical neurosurgery fellow, cerebrovascular and skull base surgery under Dr. Sekhar at North Shore-LIJ, then chief neurosurgery resident, department of neurosurgery, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, where he also taught a neurosurgery lecture series.
For more than 30 years, Dr. Rak has conducted basic neuroscience and clinical research in a variety of neurologicial conditions, including reperfusion injuries after treatment of stroke, micro-neurosurgical techniques and outcomes of difficult skull base and cerebrovascular diseases and usage of adult Olfactory Ensheathing Glial and Schwann Cells (OEC) in spinal cord injuries. He has published several dozen articles and book chapters in the main neurosurgical journals and book atlases.
Dr. Rak has presented at more than twenty professional meetings on topics such as Minimizing Reperfusion injuries after treatment of stroke, Neuronavigation in Skull Base Surgery, Reconstruction Options for the Complex Posterior Fossa and Middle Cerebral Artery Aneurysms, and Functional Recovery after Spinal Cord Injuries/Optic Nerve Injuries/Brain Stem Injuries in Patients Transplanted with Olfactory Ensheathing Glial and Schwann Cells (OEC.)
The Society for Brain Mapping and Therapeutics (SBMT) appointed Dr. Rak to its Board of Directors in 2013. His committee assignment at SBMT will include a leadership position for the membership committee. He will also be involved in organizing 2018/19 World Brain Mapping in NYC. Dr. Rak is a member of the (AANS) American Association of Neurological Surgeons and the (CNS) Congress of Neurological Surgeons. Dr. Rak is currently the incoming president of the (SCMS) Suffolk County Medical Society and Suffolk Academy of Medicine and the past president of the (NYSNS) New York State Neurosurgical Society.
Dr. Rak is the Director of Neurosurgical Trauma Services at Mount Sinai South Nassau, as well as the Director of Brain and Spine Tumor Program at Mount Sinai South Nassau/NSPC. He was recently appointed to New York State Department of Health’s Spinal Cord Injury Research Board (SCIRB), whose mission is to support neurological spinal cord injury scientific research projects from leading researchers within New York State to find a cure for spinal cord injuries.
Dr. Rak speaks fluent Persian and French.
Leader. Chef. Francophile.
Dr. Marat Avshalumov, PhD, CNIM
Marat V. Avshalumov, Ph.D , is a neurophysiologist who specializes in the intraoperative monitoring of spinal cord and brain function during complicated surgical procedures that place the nervous system at risk. Intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring assists in protecting the brain and spinal cord by providing real time feedback (information) regarding the status of the nervous system to the surgical team. The neurophysiological team will make recordings of spontaneous or elicited electrical signals from the brain, spinal cord, cranial and peripheral nerves, and muscle during surgery. The timely neurophysiological assessments help in the identification of neural tissue and can warn of impending injury, thus permitting corrective action to be taken while the patient is still in the operating room.
Dr. Avshalumov received his doctorate in neuroscience from the Rostove State University in Russia. Following this he completed several years of postdoctoral training in neurophysiology in NYU School of Medicine, where he became a Research Assistant Professor. In 2007 Dr. Avshalumov joined an intraoperative monitoring program in Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, and received advanced training in clinical neurophysiology.
Dr. Avshalumov is also an active researcher. He has conducted research studies related to Parkinson’s disease. These studies resulted in numerous publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals, including Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, (PNAS), and The Journal of Neuroscience. Currently Dr. Avshalumov is co-investigator on the NIH funded project focusing on the role of potassium channels in regulation of physiological properties of dopaminergic neurons. Dr. Avshalumov is a member of the American Society of Neurophysiologic Monitoring and the Society for Neuroscience.
Mastermind behind the scenes
Heidi Abrecea
Heidi Abrecea was hired by NPSC as the receptionist in 2011 and later joined the IOM team in May 2013. She has over 7 years of experience & she is now the IOM Service Administrator. Heidi oversees the scheduling for IOM cases and credentialing new staff members to various hospitals.
Dedicated professional for clients and patients, alike.
Anna Pacis
Anna Pacis was hired to join IOM Solutions in July 2019. Prior to that she has been working as an Administration Assistant for 10 years in the Philippines, overseeing projects, and is the line of communication between clients and the company.
Expert Clinician. World Traveler. Poet.
Denmark Mugutso, MS, CNIM
Denmark Mugutso, MS, MCN, CNIM, has been in the field of intraoperative neurophysiology since 2004. He holds two master’s degrees in Clinical Neuroscience and Biology, respectively, with a strong focus on neuroanatomy. Denmark has worked extensively with over 60 neurosurgeons in various hospitals in the Southeast and the Northeast, successfully monitoring simple to complex brain, spine, and peripheral nerve surgical procedures. An engineer at undergraduate training, Denmark is passionate about employing core engineering process design principles such as continuous quality improvement to intraoperative neurophysiologic monitoring.
Denmark enjoys traveling to different parts of the world, learning about different cultures and their history. He also enjoys reading and writing short stories and poetry. For “quiet” time, he prefers playing the Yamaha keyboard, overlaying organ and grand piano sounds.
Proud Long Islander. Expert Technologist. Whiskey Connoisseur.
Charles Warnecke, CNIM
Charles Warnecke is a graduate of King’s College with a Bachelors of Science in Biology. He is a board certified Neurophysiologist with more than eight years of experience within the field. Before joining NSPC, he had worked with surgeons and hospitals throughout the east coast and was pivotal in helping to set up new accounts. Charles performs a wide variety of cases including basic and complex brain, spine, and peripheral nerve operations. He is very passionate about his practice as well as making sure his patients receive the highest degree of care.
Skier. Doctor. New Yorker.
Dr. Megan Brower, DC, CNIM
Megan Brower is from a small town in upstate New York. She graduated from New York Chiropractic College in 2005 with her doctorate of chiropractic. Megan practiced chiropractic for 2 years in New York before beginning her career in intra-operative neurophysiologic monitoring. She worked on growing her knowledge and skills as a technologist, eventually earning her CNIM in 2009. Megan has continued her growth as an IOM clinician for IOM Solutions since 2012. Outside of work Megan enjoys spending time with her family, skiing, biking, and hiking.
Exercise and Music aficionado providing inspired patient care.
Amato Iannelli, CNIM
Amato Iannelli is a first generation Italian American whose path to become a physical therapist transitioned into a neurophysiologist. While attending Queens College, Amato’s father suffered a cerebral aneurysm and Dr. Jonathan Brisman successfully operated on him. This occurrence led to a particularly high interest in neuroscience which influenced his undergraduate coursework and encouraged him to provide the best possible care for other patients who also suffer neurological complications. After graduating from Queens College, Amato pursued a career as a neurophysiologist, acquired his certification in neurophysiological intraoperative monitoring(CNIM), and is delighted to be working alongside the surgeon who operated on his father. On his free time, Amato enjoys listening to music, concerts, exercising, the beach, and traveling.
Explorer. Researcher. Patient-Care Champion.
Katya Potapova, CNIM
Ekaterina Potapova joined IOM Solutions team in 2017. She completed a B.Sc. in Kinesiology at York University in Toronto, Canada, and began her Neuromonitoring career at the largest trauma hospital in Canada, Sunnybrook Health Science Center. Over the course of her career, she has been involved in several research projects and served terms of director and secretary on board of Canadian Association of Neurophysiological Monitoring. Ekaterina enjoys being outdoors, and her two favorite places she visited while being in United States are Zion and Great Smokey Mountains National Parks.
IOM clinician specializing in patient care excellence.
Dr. Julius Bythewood, DC, CNIM
Before transitioning into IONM, he spent three years practicing in Connecticut specializing in sports chiropractic medicine at Integrated Medical Centers of Fairfield County.
Previously, while in Georgia, Julius was an associate involved in administering multi-tiered therapies for patients with post-chemotherapeutic and diabetic neuropathy ailments.