Palmetto Health-USC Neurosurgery

Mohit Datta, MD, is a neurointerventional specialist for Palmetto Health-USC Neurosurgery and an assistant professor of neurology with the University of South Carolina School of Medicine.

Dr. Datta received his medical degree from the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. After receiving his MD, he completed an internship in preliminary medicine from the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. He completed a residency in neurology at the Medical University of South Carolina and a fellowship in neurological critical care at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Datta has received numerous professional honors and awards and is published in several peer-reviewed journals. He specializes in stroke and neurocritical care.

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Rodney O. Leacock, MD, is a neurointensivist for Palmetto Health-USC Neurosurgery and an associate professor of neurology with the University of South Carolina School of Medicine.

Dr. Leacock earned his medical degree from Howard University in Washington, DC, and completed his neurology residency at Temple University in Philadelphia. He completed a neurocritical care fellowship at Wayne State University in Detroit, followed by a stroke fellowship at St. Louis University in Missouri.

Dr. Leacock is board certified in neurology, vascular neurology and neurocritical care. His clinical interests include acute ischemic stroke, intracranial and subarachnoid hemorrhage, status epilepticus, and airway protection in patients with neurological disorders.

Research interests
Hypothermia protocols in neurological patients

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Advanced practice care team provider: Annette Darby-Rauch, PA

Erwin Mangubat, MD, MPH, currently serves as the director of functional and epilepsy neurosurgery at Palmetto Health-USC Neurosurgery and is an assistant professor of surgery with the University of South Carolina School of Medicine.

Dr. Mangubat received his medical degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine, and completed his master’s in public health at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health. He completed his neurosurgery residency at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, followed by an epilepsy and functional neurosurgery fellowship at the Swedish Neuroscience Institute in Seattle. He returned to Rush University Medical Center for his endovascular fellowship. Dr. Mangubat’s clinical interests include endovascular neurosurgery, as well as epilepsy and functional neurosurgery.

Research interests
Deep Brain Stimulation and Coil Technology for Cerebral aneurysms

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Deep brain stimulation

Arteriovenous Malformations (AVMs)

Catherine McClung Smith, MD, is a pediatric neurosurgeon with Palmetto Health-USC Neurosurgery and an assistant professor of surgery with the University of South Carolina School of Medicine.

Dr. McClung Smith earned her medical degree from Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta and completed her residency in neurological surgery at Saint Louis University School of Graduate Medicine in St. Louis. She completed a fellowship in pediatric neurosurgery at Children’s Hospital of Colorado in Denver, and her specialty interests include the surgical treatment of epilepsy and functional disorders, traumatic brain injury, clinical outcomes and guidelines.

Research interests
Pediatric epilepsy, pediatric head trauma

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Hydrocephalus

Protect your melon

Roham Moftakhar, MD, is chief of neurosurgery for Palmetto Health Richland and an associate professor of clinical surgery at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine. He received his medical degree from George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, DC, and completed his neurological surgery residency at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics in Madison. Dr. Moftakhar completed fellowships in neuroendovascular surgery and cerebrovascular/skull-base surgery at the University of Miami, Jackson Memorial Hospital.

Dr. Moftakhar is board certified in neurological surgery. His clinical interests include brain aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations, cavernous malformations, stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage, moyamoya disease, brain tumors, pituitary tumors, acoustic neuromas, carotid endarterectomy and stenting, cerebral angiography, coil embolization of aneurysms, endovascular/vascular neurosurgery, trigeminal neuralgia and hemifacial spasm and general neurosurgery.

Research interests
Minimally invasive techniques for surgical treatment of intracranial hemorrhage, development of novel endovascular devices for treatments of cerebral aneurysms, endoscopic techniques for surgical resection of brain tumors

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Treating brain aneurysms

Acoustic neuromas

Advanced practice care team provider: Drew K. Friedrichs, PA

Seth S. Molloy, DO, MSc, currently serves as co-director of the Palmetto Health-USC Spine Center and is an assistant professor of surgery at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine.

Dr. Molloy received his Doctorate of Osteopathic Medicine and master’s in biomedical science from A.T. Still University, Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine in Kirksville, Missouri. He completed his neurosurgery residency at Advocate BroMenn Medical Center in Normal, Illinois, followed by a neurosurgical spine fellowship at the University of Miami. He is board certified by the American Osteopathic Board of Surgery. His clinical interests include general neurosurgery with an emphasis on minimally invasive techniques for the treatment of complex spinal conditions including adult scoliosis, tumors and trauma.

Research interests
Minimally-invasive treatment techniques for complex spinal conditions

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Minimally invasive spine surgery

Artificial spinal discs

Andrew Price, MD, received his medical degree from the West Virginia University School of Medicine in Morgantown. He completed residencies in internal medicine and neurology at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia, and a fellowship in neurocritical care at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. Dr. Price is board certified in neurology.

Stanley O. Skarli, MD, FAANS, FACS, FAAP, currently serves as the director of pediatric neurosurgery at Palmetto Health-USC Neurosurgery and is an associate professor of surgery with the University of South Carolina School of Medicine.

Dr. Skarli earned his medical degree from Oral Roberts University School of Medicine in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and completed his residency at the University of Maryland Medical System in Baltimore. He completed a fellowship in pediatric neurosurgery at Primary Children’s Medical Center at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.

Dr. Skarli is board certified in neurological surgery and pediatric neurological surgery. In addition to practicing for more than 20 years, Dr. Skarli has served as a clinical assistant professor with Michigan State University and the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine-Tulsa. His clinical interests include neuroendoscopy, spinal instrumentation, endoscopic craniosynostosis surgery, craniovertebral junction anomalies and selective dorsal rhizotomy for patients with cerebral palsy.

Research interests
Neuroendoscopy, spinal instrumentation, endoscopic craniosynstosis surgery, craniaovertebral junction anomalies and selective dorsal rhizotomy for patients with cerebral palsy

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Hydrocephalus

Tethered cord syndrome

Myriam Sollman, PhD, received her doctorate in clinical psychology, with a specialization in neuropsychology, from the University of Kentucky in Lexington. She completed a fellowship in clinical psychology, with a specialization in adult and pediatric neuropsychology, at Barrow Neurological Institute/St. Joseph’s Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona.

Research interests
Dr. Sollman’s research interests include movement disorders and memory disorders. She serves as a reviewer for several professional journals and has authored or co-authored many peer-reviewed articles.

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Advanced practice care team provider: Andrea Griffin, NP

David C. Straus, MD, currently serves as the director of Gamma Knife Neurosurgery at Palmetto Health and is an assistant professor of surgery with the University of South Carolina School of Medicine.

Dr. Straus received his medical degree from the Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago and completed his internship and residency in general surgery and neurological surgery at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. He completed a fellowship in skull base and cerebrovascular neurosurgery at the University of Washington in Seattle. Dr. Straus has received numerous honors and awards and is published in several peer-reviewed journals. He is interested in refining neurosurgical care through active research and monitoring of patient-centered outcome measures.

Research interests
Refining care through patient-centered outcomes monitoring

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Astrocytomas

Metastatic brain tumors

Andrea P. Griffin, RN, ACNP, works with Dr. David Straus and his spine and neurosurgery patients. She received her master's degree in nursing from the University of South Carolina in Columbia and completed bachelor's degrees in biology and chemistry at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Griffin enjoys the process of guiding her patients through treatment to recovery. 

Annette M. Darby-Rauch, PA-C, received her physician assistant master's degree from Nova Southeastern University in Orlando, Florida. She is certified by the National Commission of Certification of Physician Assistants and currently works with Dr. Erwin Mangubat and his spine and neurosurgery patients.

Coleman Fravel, PA-C, is a certified physician assistant working with the interventional medicine team at Palmetto Health-USC Spine Center. He received his physician assistant master's degree from the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. Fravel works to improve outcomes for his patients by involving all necessary care providers in the treatment process, whether preoperative or postoperative.

Drew Friedrichs, PA, works with Dr. Seth Molloy and his spine neurosurgery patients. She received her physician assistant master's degree from Nova Southeastern University in Jacksonville, Florida. Friedrichs enjoys the relationships she is able to build with patients throughout their treatment process, and finds it rewarding to treat pain that interferes with a patient’s quality of life.