Brian Hoh, MD, MBA, FACS, FAHA, FAANS, is an internationally known expert in the treatment of brain aneurysms, brain arteriovenous malformations, and ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke. In July 2018, he was named the chair of the Lillian S. Wells Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Florida College of Medicine.

Dr. Hoh graduated from Stanford University with a Bachelor of Arts and Science degree in biology and political science. He attended medical school at Columbia University in New York, where he graduated with Alpha Omega Alpha honors. Dr. Hoh completed his internship in surgery, residency in neurological surgery and fellowship in interventional neuroradiology at Harvard University at Massachusetts General Hospital. He graduated with an MBA from the University of Florida Hough Graduate School of Business with Beta Gamma Sigma honors.

Dr. Hoh is board-certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery. He is president of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, past-chair of the Joint American Association of Neurological Surgeons/Congress of Neurosurgical Surgeons Cerebrovascular Section, a member of the Society of Neurological Surgeons, a senior member of the Society for Neurointerventional Surgery (formerly the ASITN), a member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and a member of the Florida Neurosurgical Society.

In 2014, Dr. Hoh was elected to the prestigious American Academy of Neurological Surgery.

Dr. Hoh is a past co-chair and member of the editorial board of the Journal of Neurosurgery and a past member of the editorial board of the Journal World Neurosurgery.

Dr. Hoh is an NIH-R01-funded principal investigator of basic science research investigating the biologic mechanisms of cerebral aneurysm formation and rupture, as well as innovative tissue engineering technology to improve the treatment of cerebral aneurysms. He is also an investigator on national and international clinical trials focused on stroke, cerebral aneurysms, carotid stenting and endarterectomy, and vasospasm.

Dr. Hoh is a leader in neurosurgical education. He is the past director of the UF residency program and the UF endovascular surgical neuroradiology fellowship program, both ACGME-accredited training programs. In these roles, he was responsible for the training of 21 neurosurgery residents and endovascular surgical neuroradiology fellows.

Adam J. Polifka, MD, is an assistant professor of neurosurgery at the University of Florida College of Medicine in Gainesville. He was awarded his bachelor’s degree with a concentration in molecular biology from Colgate University and his medical degree from the University of Vermont. Dr. Polifka completed his internship and residency training in neurological surgery at the University of Maryland. During his residency, Dr. Polifka completed his pediatric training at Johns Hopkins University and also completed a one-year, enfolded endovascular fellowship with the department of radiology at the University of Maryland.

After his residency, Dr. Polifka completed a prestigious neurosurgical fellowship in endovascular surgery at Thomas Jefferson University. He then received extensive training in open and endovascular management of complex vascular disorders of the neurovascular system, including cerebral aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations, stroke and carotid artery stenosis.

Dr. Polifka joined the faculty at UF in July 2015. As a UF Health neurosurgeon, he performs craniotomies for brain tumors and vascular disorders, endovascular management of vascular disorders, carotid artery stenting, carotid endarterectomy and spinal instrumentation for traumatic and degenerative spinal disease.

Joseph A Tyndall, MD, MPH, FACEP, is a graduate of the University of Maryland School of Medicine and completed his residency in emergency medicine at University of Maryland Medical Center and the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center. He is board-certified in emergency medicine and is a fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians. He began his academic career in New York, where he was involved in undergraduate medical education as a student clerkship director and, eventually, the residency program director in emergency medicine at the Brooklyn Hospital Center. He also served as an associate medical director of emergency services at the Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center. While in New York, Dr. Tyndall held faculty appointments as an assistant clinical professor of emergency medicine at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University and assistant professor of emergency medicine at State University of New York Health Sciences Center in Brooklyn. 

Dr. Tyndall holds an executive master’s degree in health services management and health policy from the Mailman School of Public Health of Columbia University. He was recruited to the University of Florida in 2006 as vice chairman of emergency medicine and was appointed chair of emergency medicine in 2008. He holds leadership positions and is active on several boards at the local, state and national levels in emergency medicine. His academic and research interests include the epidemiology and management of acute asthma, trauma care and traumatic brain injury, clinical operations research and health services research. 

Dr. Meurer was born in Biloxi, Mississippi, the son of a career US Air Force officer. He attended high school and graduated from Wagner High School, Clark Air Base, in the Republic of the Philippines. While majoring in marine biology as an undergraduate at Florida Institute of Technology, he became interested in Emergency Medicine while volunteering with Harbor City Volunteer Ambulance Service in Melbourne, Florida. After graduating from FIT, he worked for a BLS rural ambulance service in north Florida for several years before attending paramedic school in Valdosta, Georgia, and then worked as a paramedic for Tallahassee Memorial Hospital Ambulance Service on an ALS service. Upon graduating from UF College of Medicine, he interned at University Medical Center (now Shands Jacksonville) in a preliminary year, having also matched in the PGY2, 3,4 UF Emergency Medicine residency program. After completing my residency in Emergency Medicine, he came to the Division of Emergency Medicine at Shands in Gainesville in 1993. Except for a brief 3-month stint in private practice at Alachua General Hospital in 1996, he has enjoyed a clinical faculty appointment here at UF.                       

Clinical Interests: EMS and pre-hospital medicine, Farm Emergencies, Hazardous Materials response including radiation emergencies, Disaster Medicine, Environmental Emergencies (snake bites, space, altitude, and diving emergencies, etc), Development of clinical guidelines, Use of PDAs in clinical medicine.

Dr Babi joined the University of Florida in 2017. Dr Babi completed his undergraduate and subsequent medical training at Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar and New York. Dr Babi then completed this residency training in neurology at the University of Vermont, in Burlington VT, where he also served as a chief resident. He then moved to Durham NC, where he completed fellowship training in neurocritical care at Duke University Hospital.

Dr Babi is a member of the American Academy of Neurology, the Neurocritical care Society, the American Heart/Stroke Association and Society of Critical Care Medicine. Dr Babi serves in several educational and administrative institutional committees at the University of Florida, as well as national committees related to neurocritical care.

Dr Babi is the neurocritical care fellowship director at the University of Florida, the associate program director of neurology residency, and associate director of neurology clerkship.

Dr Babi research interests include curriculum development, critical care simulation, systems of care in the ICU and clinical trials pertaining to intracerebral hemorrhage and subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Outside of work, Dr Babi is an avid outdoorsman, where he enjoys free-diving, deep sea fishing, camping, hiking, skiing and kitesurfing.

Katharina M. Busl, MD, is the division chief of neurocritical care at University of Florida Health and co-director of the UF Health Shands Hospital Neuro Intensive Care Unit. She is a neurointensivist with faculty appointments in the departments of neurology and neurosurgery.

Dr. Busl received her medical degree with high honors from the Technical University of Munich in Germany. She moved to Boston to complete her neurology residency in the Harvard Neurology Residency Program at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, where she also served as chief resident. She subsequently completed a fellowship in neurological critical care at the Harvard Partners program (MGH and BWH). Before coming to UF, Dr. Busl was an assistant professor of neurology and attending neurointensivist at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. In addition to her formal medical education, Dr. Busl holds a master’s degree in science from Rush University.

Dr. Busl is board certified in neurology as a diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, and neurocritical care-certified by the United Council for Neurologic Subspecialties. She is a member of various professional societies, including the American Academy of Neurology, the Neurocritical Care Society, the American Heart Association and the Society of Critical Care Medicine. Dr. Busl has been invited to numerous regional, national and international meetings and conferences to present and participate.

In addition to conducting her own research, Dr. Busl also serves as a reviewer for several journals, including JAMA Neurology, Critical Care Medicine, Neurocritical Care, the Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Disease and the Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery. She also has contributed to several book chapters.

As the recipient of numerous awards, including the Outstanding Faculty Teaching Award from Rush University Medical Center, Dr. Busl is a sought out speaker and experienced teacher. Dr. Busl is fluent in German and English.

Dr. Maciel is a neurointensivist with dedicated training in EEG monitoring in critically ill patients. Dr. Maciel received her medical degree with honors from Universidade Federal Fluminense in Brazil, and completed her Neurology residency at Weill Cornell Medical College and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. She subsequently moved to New Haven, where she underwent Neurocritical Care and ICU EEG fellowship training at Yale-New Haven Hospital. Subsequently, she obtained a Masters of Science in Clinical Research at Medical University of South Carolina.

As a native Brazilian, Carolina enjoys spending time off soaking up the sunshine while devouring a book. Her favorite words are resilience, equity, equality and love.

Michael Pizzi, DO, PhD is a board-certified neurologist and neurointensivist. He received his medical degree from Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine. During medical school Dr. Pizzi was selected for a clinical and research externship at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, where his work on using nanoparticles to facilitate axonal regeneration won the Sarah Baskin award for best research project. Dr. Pizzi completed his internship in internal medicine and neurology residency at the University of Florida-Jacksonville, where he served as chief administrative resident. Dr. Pizzi completed his neurocritical care fellowship at Mayo Clinic Florida, where he received the critical care echocardiography fellow of the year award. Prior to medical school, Dr. Pizzi earned his MS (Florida State University) and PhD (Medical College of Wisconsin) in neuroscience. Dr. Pizzi’s dissertation research project utilized a novel mechanism by which cancer cells spread in order to facilitate axonal regeneration after traumatic spinal cord injury.

Dr. Robinson is a fellowship trained neurointensivist. In 2011, he received his medical degree from the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Robinson completed his neurology residency at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, IL and his neurocritical care fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. Since joining the University of Florida, Dr. Robinson has been actively involved in severe TBI research and improvement in institutional outcomes. He has been an investigator for several clinical trials and is currently the PI for the NIH funded BOOST III trial. He currently serves as the neuroscience course director for the University of Florida College of Medicine and is actively involved within the medical school. He has recently founded the neurological simulation program in collaboration with the University of Florida simulation center, training medical students, residents, fellows, and PA’s. Dr. Robinson is also a current member of the presidentially appointed UF athletics Title IX committee and represents women’s athletics for the university. He is the proud father of four children and member of Gator Nation.

Dr. Arvin Trippensee joined the Department in the summer of 2018 as an Assistant Professor in the division of Critical Care Medicine. Before joining us, he worked for a year as a staff anesthesiologist for Greater Florida Anesthesiologists in Tampa, FL. Prior to this, he spent a career in the US Navy spanning 30 years.

Dr. Trippensee began his service in the Navy as a Hospital Corpsman and deployed during Desert Storm as an anesthesia technician for a 500 bed fleet hospital in Saudi Arabia. After earning his medical degree from the College of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery at Des Moines University on the Armed Services Health Professions Scholarship, he completed his internship followed by an operational tour as a Naval Flight Surgeon with the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing in Iwakuni, Japan. Dr. Trippensee completed several staff tours after completing his residency in anesthesiology at the Naval Medical Center Portsmouth and continued his education with a fellowship in Critical Care & Transesophageal Echocardiography at Duke University.

Throughout his military career Dr. Trippensee completed numerous operational and clinical assignments and served as an advocate for patient safety and quality improvement. He established himself as an outstanding mentor and role model for trainees, medical students, residents, and staff. He spent his last three years in the military as the Chief of Anesthesia & Operative Services at Tripler Army Medical Center (TAMC) leading a staff of 19 anesthesiologists, 26 nurse anesthetists and 8 support staff. TAMC is the largest military medical center in the Pacific supporting over 480,000 DoD beneficiaries. In 2013, Dr. Trippensee served as the Senior Medical Officer for the NATO Role 3 Multinational Medical Unit in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

Dr. White joined our faculty in 2012 after completing fellowships in critical care medicine and neuroanesthesiology at the University of Florida. Her research interests have included studies in the critically ill patient population, traumatic brain injury, neuroanesthesiology, and organ donation.

Dr. White also has an interest in education research and has won multiple Department awards for teaching residents and fellows. She facilitates bi-weekly simulation sessions to train emergency response teams in the ICU and serves as a question writer for the American Board of Anesthesiology, Critical Care Examination Committee.