Brett Evan Youngerman, MD
Overview
Dr. Brett Youngerman is a highly skilled neurosurgeon specializing in minimally invasive brain surgery and advanced neuromodulation techniques. He provides expert care for a range of brain and neurological conditions, including:
- Pituitary, skull base, and other brain tumors (meningioma, glioma, metastases)
- Drug-resistant epilepsy
- Movement disorders: Parkinson's disease, essential tremor, dystonia, hemifacial spasm
- Cavernous malformations
- Adult hydrocephalus: Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH)
- Chronic pain: trigeminal neuralgia, Chiari malformation
In each of these areas, Dr. Youngerman collaborates with multidisciplinary teams of specialists, ensuring patients received a comprehensive approach with access to the latest diagnostic and treatment options. He has particular expertise in minimally invasive techniques that aim to protect or improve brain function, including:
- Neuroendoscopy & robot-assisted surgery
- Laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT)
- Neuromodulation: deep brain stimulation (DBS) & responsive neurostimulation (RNS)
- Stereotactic radiosurgery
- Awake & asleep brain mapping for precision surgery
Patients choose Dr. Youngerman for his technical expertise, compassionate care, and commitment to improving brain function while minimizing recovery time.
Research
Dr. Youngerman’s research focuses on enhancing surgical outcomes and quality of life for patients with neurological conditions, including epilepsy, movement disorders, and pituitary tumors. As Principal Investigator of the Clinical Neuroinformatics & Neuromodulation (CNN) Lab, he integrates neuroscience, clinical informatics, and biomedical engineering to drive innovation in neurosurgical care.
Research areas include:
- Enhancing Surgical Outcomes – Leading multi-center studies and quality improvement initiatives to refine surgical decision-making and improve patient results.
- Expanding Minimally Invasive Techniques – Advancing laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) as a safer, less invasive alternative to traditional open surgery. (American Epilepsy Society Young Investigator Award)
- Refining Neuromodulation with Biomarkers – Investigating neurophysiologic and multimodal biomarkers to optimize brain stimulation therapies. (R61MH135405)
- Developing Next-Generation Brain-Computer Interfaces – Developing a next-generation, fully implanted, wireless, high-resolution neural interface to enhance brain decoding and neuromodulation.
- Improving Access to Neurosurgical Care – Leveraging clinical informatics to identify and overcome barriers to timely, specialized neurological treatment. (KL2TR001874)
Areas of Expertise / Conditions Treated
- Benign Essential Tremor
- Computer Assisted Surgery (CAS)
- Craniofacial Abnormalities
- Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS)
- Dystonia
- Epilepsy
- Epilepsy/Seizure Disorders
- Epilepsy Surgery
- Facial Nerve Disorders
- Facial Pain
- Functional Brain Mapping
- Gamma Knife
- Headaches
- Hemifacial Spasm
- Hydrocephalus
- Microsurgery
- Microvascular Decompression
- Minimally Invasive Brain Surgery
- Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery
- Movement Disorders
- Neurobehavioral Disorders
- Neurostimulation
- Neurosurgery
- Parkinson's Disease
- Radiosurgery
- Robotic Surgery
- Second Opinion
- Seizures
- Stereotactic Neurosurgery
- Stereotactic Radiosurgery
- Third Ventriculostomy
- Tremors
Academic Appointments
- Assistant Professor of Neurological Surgery
Hospital Affiliations
- NewYork-Presbyterian / Columbia University Irving Medical Center
- NewYork-Presbyterian / Weill Cornell Medical Center
Gender
- Male
Schedule an Appointment
Phone Appointments
Connect Patient Portal
For existing patients, login to make an appointment, view documentation or contact your care provider.
Location(s)
Insurance Accepted
Aetna
- Aetna Signature Administrators
- EPO
- HMO
- Medicare Managed Care
- NY Signature
- POS
- PPO
- Student Health
Affinity Health Plan
- Essential Plan
- Medicaid Managed Care
AmeriHealth of New Jersey
- PPO - New Jersey Services
Amida Care
- Special Needs
Cigna
- EPO
- Great West (National)
- HMO
- Medicare Managed Care
- POS
- PPO
Emblem/GHI
- Medicare Managed Care
- PPO
Emblem/HIP
- ConnectiCare
- EPO
- Essential Plan
- HMO
- Medicaid Managed Care
- Medicare Managed Care
- POS
- PPO
- Select Care (Exchange)
- Vytra
Empire Blue Cross/Blue Shield
- EPO
- HMO
- Medicare Managed Care
- PPO
Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield HealthPlus
- Child/Family Health Plus
- Essential Plan
- Medicaid Managed Care
Fidelis Care
- Child/Family Health Plus
- Essential Plan
- Medicaid Managed Care
- Medicare Managed Care
Healthfirst
- Child/Family Health Plus
- Leaf (Exchange)
- Medicaid Managed Care
- Medicare Managed Care
Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield
- EPO - New Jersey Services
- HMO - New Jersey Services
- POS - New Jersey Services
- PPO - New Jersey Services
Local 1199
- NYP Employee Plan
MagnaCare (National)
- MagnaCare
Medicare
- Railroad
- Traditional Medicare
Multiplan
- Multiplan
MVP Health Care
- Child/Family Health Plus
- Essential Plan
- HMO
- Medicaid Managed Care
QualCare
- POS - New Jersey Services
RiverSpring
- Special Needs
UnitedHealthcare
- Compass (Exchange)
- Empire Plan
- HMO
- Medicaid (Community Plan)
- Medicare Managed Care
- Oxford Freedom
- Oxford HMO
- Oxford Liberty
- POS
- PPO
VNSNY CHOICE
- Medicare Managed Care
- SelectHealth
- Special Needs
WellCare
- Medicaid Managed Care
- Medicare Managed Care
World Trade Center Health Plan
- World Trade Center Health Plan
Credentials & Experience
Education & Training
- BA (Hons), Yale University
- MD, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
- Residency: Neurological Institute of New York – NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center
- Fellowship: Columbia University Irving Medical Center
- Fellowship: Weill Cornell Medical Center
Committees, Societies, Councils
- Fellow of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons
- Fellow of the College of Neurological Surgeons
- North American Skull Base Society
- American Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery
- American Epilepsy Society
- International League Against Epilepsy
- AOA Honor Society
Board Certifications
- Neurological Surgery
Research
Selected Publications
Please see Dr. Youngerman's most recent work via PubMed: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/brett.youngerman.1/bibliography/public/
Research
Dr. Youngerman’s research focuses on enhancing surgical outcomes and quality of life for patients with neurological conditions, including epilepsy, movement disorders, and pituitary tumors. As Principal Investigator of the Clinical Neuroinformatics & Neuromodulation (CNN) Lab, he integrates neuroscience, clinical informatics, and biomedical engineering to drive innovation in neurosurgical care
Research areas include:
- Enhancing Surgical Outcomes
- Leading multi-center studies and quality improvement initiatives to refine surgical decision-making and improve patient results.
- Expanding Minimally Invasive Techniques (American Epilepsy Society Young Investigator Award)
- Refining Neuromodulation with Biomarkers (R61MH135405)
Developing Next-Generation Brain-Computer Interfaces
Developing a next-generation, fully implanted, wireless, high-resolution neural interface to enhance brain decoding and neuromodulation.
Improving Access to Neurosurgical Care (KL2TR001874)
Dr. Youngerman received a Master of Science in Patient-Oriented Research from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, is actively involved in hospital and national quality improvement efforts, has published dozens of articles in leading, peer-reviewed journals, and frequently presents at prominent national and international meetings.
For a complete list of publications, please visit PubMed.gov