Alumni

Raul Cardenas, MD 2010

Dr. Cardenas earned his medical degree from Meharry Medical College in Nashville, TN in 2003. He then went onto the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, SC where he completed his surgical internship in 2004. This internship was followed by his neurosurgical residency training program at LSUHSC-Shreveport from 2004-2010. During his residency training, he served as Chief Resident from 2007-2010. After completing his residency training, Dr. Cardenas went to Memphis, TN to undergo a minimally invasive/complex spine fellowship at the University of Tennesee/Semmes-Murphey Clinic. Dr. Cardenas completed his fellowship training in June of 2011.

Dr. Cardenas is an author of more than 20 publications in various journals including, but not limited to, Journal of Clincal Neurosciences, Neurology India, World Neurosurgery, and Journal of Spinal Disorders and Techniques. He has presented at over 15 meetings including the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, Society of University Neurosurgeons, Southern Neurosurgical Society, Congress of Neurological Surgeons, and the Southern Medical Association.

Currently Dr. Cardenas is working in Houston, TX.

Christina Notarianni, MD 2009

Dr. Notarianni earned her medical degree from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-Shreveport in 2003, followed by her internship and neurosurgical residency which was also completed at LSUHSC-Shreveport from 2003-2009. With her interest in pediatric neurosurgery, Dr. Notarianni went to Memphis, TN to undergo a one year fellowship with Dr. Frederick Boop at the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center. After acquiring her training, Dr. Notarianni came back to LSU as a faculty member of the Department of Neurosurgery.

She has over 10 publications to her name in journals including Journal of Clinical Neurosciences, Journal of Neurosurgery Pediatrics, and Neurosurgical Focus. She has presented at over 15 meetings including the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, Southern Neurosurgical Society, Congress of Neurological Surgeons, and the North American Skull Base Society. Dr. Notarianni is also a member of numerous societies including Louisiana State Medical Society, Shreveport Medical Society, Women in Neurosurgery, Congress of Neurological Surgeons, and American Association of Neurological Surgeons.

Currently Dr. Notarianni is a full time faculty member of the Department of Neurosurgery at LSUHSC-Shreveport as an Assistant Professor specializing in Pediatric Neurosurgery. She operates at LSUSHC-S, Willis Knighton Medical Center, Christus Schumpert, and the VA.

Anthony Sin, MD 2007

Dr. Sin earned his medical degree from Emory University School of Medicine. From 1988 - 1992, he attended Johns Hopkins University where he received his Bachelor of Arts in Physics with Honors.

He completed his clinical fellowship at Mount Sinai School of Medicine with the Department of Neurosurgery in Neurotrauma. Dr. Sin completed internships in Internal Medicine at Emory and General Surgery at State University of New York - Stony Brook, prior to his Neurosurgery training at LSUHSC - Shreveport. He served as Chief Resident his final year. Upon graduation of his residency training, Dr. Sin completed a one year spinal fellowship with Dr. Kevin Foley at University of Tennessee -Memphis.

His clinical interests include minimally invasive spinal instrumentations and complex spinal disorders, including deformity corrections and spinal tumors. Dr. Sin has published articles in journals including Journal of the Louisiana State Medical Society, Journal of Neurosurgery – Spine, Surgical Neurology, and Child's Nervous System. In 2005, Dr. Sin won the John Jackson Award for his Clinical Research Presentation "Testing Surgical Approach Stability to Spinal Fusion" from the Louisiana Neurosurgical Society.

He is currently a full time faculty member of Department of Neurosurgery at LSUHSC-Shreveport as an Assistant Professor specializing in spine. Dr. Sin operates at LSUHSC-S, Willis Knighton Medical Center, and the VA.

Jorge Gonzalez-Cruz, MD 2007

Dr. Gonzalez-Cruz attended Escuela de Medicina Ignacio A. Santos in Mexico . He received his medical degree with honors, placing second in his class. Prior to this, he earned his Bachelor of Science from Instituto Cultural in Tampico, Mexico in 1993. He completed an internship in General Surgery at the University of Hawaii in Honolulu . He did his PGY II residency at Wayne State University in Detroit, MI, and continued on at LSUHSC – Shreveport in the Department of Neurosurgery. Dr. Gonzalez-Cruz was chief resident in his final year of his residency with the department.

He has several publications to his name in such journals as Journal of Neurosurgery and the Journal of the Louisiana State Medical Society. Dr. Gonzalez-Cruz is fluent in Spanish and English. He won an award from the Louisiana Neurosurgical Society in 2007 for his study “Lumbar Spine After Insertion and Removal of an Interspinous Process Distraction Device.”

He is currently in private practice in Altoona, Penn.

Aftab Karim, MD 2006

Ravish Patwardhan, MD 2004

Mark Shaya, MD 2005