Souhel Najjar, MD

Souhel Najjar, MD is the Chair of Neurology at Lenox Hill Hospital and Staten Island University Hospital and is Chair and Professor of Neurology at the Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine. Dr. Najjar is a world-renowned physician, internationally recognized for his clinical, research and teaching expertise, having dedicated his career to the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy, neuroinflammation-related neuropsychiatric disorders and autoimmune disorders of central nervous system.Dr. Najjar received his MD from Demascus Medical School in Syria and completed residencies in pathology and neurology at Albany Medical College. Following residency Dr. Najjar completed a fellowship in neuropathology at the NYU School of Medicine as well as a fellowship in epilepsy and clinical neurophysiology at NYU's Hospital for Joint Diseases.Prior to his appointment at North Shore-LIJ, Dr. Najjar was the Director of Neurosciences and Director of Stroke at SIUH, as well as the Director of Epilepsy Quality Assurance and Associate Professor of Neurology at New York University School of Medicine. Dr. Najjar was also the Founder and Director of the Epilepsy Center Division of the NYU Department of Neurology's Neuroinflammation Research Group.Dr. Najjar was featured in the New York Times' best-selling novel "Brain on Fire," a memoir written by Susannah Cahalan, a reporter from the New York Post. Dr. Najjar diagnosed Ms. Cahalan with a rare autoimmune disease in which the body was attacking her brain. This illness is now thought to have been the cause of "demonic possessions" throughout history.In addition, Dr. Najjar has been featured in several nationally syndicated broadcast interviews including TLC's "Mystery Diagnosis," NBC-TV's "Today" show and ABC-TV's "Katie Couric Show." Dr. Najjar has also been featured in Oprah magazine and Forbes magazine and has been included in "Best Doctors" issues published by US News and World Report and New York magazine. Dr. Najjar was also recognized in Exceptional Parent Magazine's Maxwell J. Schleifer Distinguished Service Award for his contributions to the care of children with epilepsy, cerebral palsy, movement disorders and related disabilities. Dr. Najjar's work has been widely published and is a reviewer for several peer-reviewed journals. He is also the Co-Director of the Scientific Planning Committee of the Autoimmune Encephalitis Alliance and lectures regularly both nationally and internationally.