Atom Sarkar, MD, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at Drexel University College of Medicine. Dr. Sarkar received his MD/PhD degrees from the University of Miami School of Medicine (Miami, FL). His PhD dissertation was conducted in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics, with a focus on molecular neuroscience. This work culminated in cloning and characterizing neuropeptide receptors from the brain and earned research distinction from the Graduate School. It was at Miami that an interest in neurosurgery was galvanized.
A fellowship at Columbia University (New York, NY) in single molecule mechanics, nanotechnology and instrument design were the focus of his post-doctoral work. This post-doctoral fellowship was performed in the midst of a neurosurgical residency at the Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN). Dr. Sarkar’s first faculty appointment was at The Ohio State University’s Department of Neurological Surgery as an assistant professor and director of neurological nanomedicine; ultimately, heading the Epilepsy, Tumor and Stereotactic programs at Ohio State University and was co-director of the Functional Neurosurgery program there as well.