(201) 392 3100
Bio
Dr. Assina specializes in complex and minimally invasive spine surgery with a special interest in the treatment of spinal tumors and scoliosis. Dr. Assina’s practice approach centers on a comprehensive integrated approach to the development and implementation of a plan of care for the full range of spine conditions. He provides state-of-the-art treatment, restoring back health and enabling patients to lead full lives. As an orthopedic fellowship-trained spine surgeon, Dr. Assina performs the most innovative surgical techniques, including minimally invasive endoscopic surgery, artificial disc replacement, image-guided scoliosis correction, and laser-assisted tumor surgery to achieve the best results for his patients.
Dr. Assina is a graduate of Ross University School of Medicine and completed his neurosurgical residency at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School where he performed more than 1500 procedures. He completed a fellowship in Orthopedic Spine Surgery at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine’s Spine Institute of New York and Beth Israel Medical Center performing more than 350 spine surgeries.
Prior to his medical training, Dr. Assina received his Bachelors in Pharmacy from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and was a practicing Pharmacist before he left to pursue medical school. He has been actively involved in research and has 14 academic manuscripts, two book chapters and 10 abstracts to his credit.
Dr. Assina is fluent in Arabic and French and is committed to providing outstanding, expedient, compassionate and technologically sophisticated care and expertise to his patients.
Education
Spine Institute of New York. Beth Israel Medical Center, The Mount Sinaà School of Medicine - Research Fellowship
New York, NY
July, 2012 - June, 2013
Research Fellowship
Rutgers New Jersey Medical School - Residency
Newark, NJ
July, 2009 - June, 2015
Residency.
Neurosurgery
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey - Internship
Newark, NJ
July, 2008 - June, 2009
Internship
General Surgery/Neurosurgery
Ross University School of Medicine - Medical Education
Dominica, West Indies
January, 2004 - May, 2008
MD
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Sciences - Pre-Professional Education
Boston, Massachusetts
September, 1995 - January, 1999
BS
Bachelor of Science: Pharmacy
Awards/Honors
Rho-Chi National Pharmacy Honor Society Award, 1998
Awarded by Rho-Chi Academic Honor Society in Pharmacy
Publications
Direct Midline Posterior Corpectomy and Fusion of a Lumbar Burst Fracture with Retrospondyloptosis: a Case Report.
World of Neurosurgery
2017
Other contributors include, Corminucci A, Hernandez RN, Goldstein IM.
Meralgia paresthetica following prone position in posterior lumbar spinal surgery: Case series and review of the literature.
Interdisciplinary Neurosurgery: Advanced Techniques and Case Management.
2016
Other contributors include, Mujmundar NJ, Shastri D, Goldestein IM.
Evaluation, Indications, and Techniques of Revision Spine Surgery.
Youmans & Winn Neurological Surgery, 7th Ed.
2016
Other contributors include, Henry FR, Karimi RJ.
Neurosurgery in Ancient India: Susruta
Indian Journal of Neurosurgery
2015
Other contributors include, Majmundar NJ, Prestigiacomo CJ, Gandhi CD.
History of Migraine Surgery. In Mammis et al.
Migraine Surgery
2014
Other contributors include, Surris EC.
First report of major vascular injury due to lateral transpsoas approach leading to fatality.
Journal of Neurosurgery Spine
2014
Other contributors include, Majmundar NJ, Herschman Y, Heary FR.
Titanium Mesh - Assisted Dural Tenting for an Expansile Suboccipital Cranioplasty in the Treatment of Chiari I Malformation: Technical Note.
Journal of Neurosurgery Spine
2014
Other contributors include, Meleis AM, Cohen MA, Iqbal MO, Liu JK.
The History of Brain Retractors throughout the Development of Neurological Surgery.
Neurosurgical Focus
2014
Other contributors include, Rubino S., Sarris CE, Gandhi CD, Prestigiacomo CJ.
The History of Craniotomy for Headache Treatment.
Neurosurgical Focus
2014
Other contributors include, Sarris CE, Mammis A.
Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy: a Rare Cause of Cerebellar Edema and Atypical Mass Effect. A Case Report.
The Neuroradiology Journal
2014
Other contributors include, Ojeda C., Barry M, Baisre A, Gandhi C.
Medical Complications in V. V. Patel et al.
Spine Surgery Basics
2013
Other contributors include, Heary FR.
Prevalence of asymptomatic incidental ancurysms: a review of 2685 computed tomographic angiograms.
Worls Neurosurgery
2013
Other contributors include, Agarwai N, Gala NB, Choudhry OJ, Prestigiacomo CJ, Duffis EJ, Gandhi CD.
Treatment of a supralentorial primitive neurocctodermal tumor using magnetic resonance-guided laser-induced thermal therapy.
Journal of Neurosurg Pediatric
2011
Other contributors include, Jethwa PR, Lee JH, Keller IA, Danis SF.
Ossification of the ligamentum flavium: a unique report of a Hispanic woman.
Neurosurgical Focus
2011
Other contributors include, Christiano LD, Goldstain IM.
Activated autologous macrophage implantation in a large animal model of spinal cord injury.
Neurosurgical Focus
2008
The effects of intrathecal hypotension on tissue perfusion and pathophysiological outcome after acute spinal cord injury.
Neurosurgical Focus
2008
Other contributors include, Horn EM, Nicholas T, Spetzler RF, Sonntag VH.
Prospective serizl proton MR spectroscopy assessment of response to tamoxifen for recurrent malignant glioma.
Journal of Neuro-oncology
2008
Other contributors include, Sankar T, Caramanos Z, Villemure JG, LeBlanc R., Langleben A., Arnold DL, Preul MC.
Mannitol accumulation within a meningioma and its peritumoral region demonstrated with magnetic resonance spoctroscopy: Case report and neurosurgical implications.
Journal of Neruosurgery
2008
Other contributors include, Sankar T, Karis JP, Theodore N, Preul MC.
