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Residents

Reginald Fong, MD

Reginald P. Fong, MD

PGY7

Medical school: New York Medical College
Undergraduate: University of California, Los Angeles (B.S. Psychobiology)
Hometown: Monterey, CA
Area of interest: Skull base/neuro-oncology

Dr. Fong completed medical school at New York Medical College. During his research year, he worked at NewYork Presbyterian Medical Center/Weill Cornell Medicine with Theodore Schwartz, MD, studying skull base tumors. He has an awesome dog named Kobe.

Nelson Sofoluke, MD

Nelson F. Sofoluke, MD

PGY6

Medical school: Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine
Undergraduate: University of Maryland – College Park (B.S. Neurology and Physiology)
Hometown: Baltimore, MD
Area of interest: Neuro-oncology, peripheral nerve

Dr. Sofoluke’s interest in neurosurgery stems from his own family experiences dealing with neurological conditions, which fostered his already-deep interest in neuroscience. His hobbies include music, basketball, technology and entrepreneurship.

Alejandro Bugarini, MD

Alejandro Bugarini, MD

PGY5

Medical school: San Juan Bautista School of Medicine
Undergraduate: University of Texas – El Paso (B.S. Biomedical Sciences)
Hometown: Juarez, Mexico
Area of interest: Skull base/neuro-oncology

Dr. Bugarini grew up in Juarez, Mexico, and graduated from the University of Texas at El Paso with a degree in biomedical sciences. Between his third and fourth years of medical school, he spent a year at the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NIH/NINDS) Surgical Neurology Branch through the Medical Research Scholars Program, where he studied the pathophysiology and genetic basis of pituitary disease with the goal of improving diagnosis and discovering novel chemotherapeutics. In his off hours, he spends time with his family and eagerly expands his culinary acumen.

Christian Bohan, MD

Christian O. Bohan, MD

PGY4

Medical school: Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine
Undergraduate: University of Pittsburgh (B.S. Neuroscience)
Hometown: Danville, PA
Area of interest: Vascular, neuro-oncology

Born and raised in central Pennsylvania, Dr. Bohan is the middle child in a family of five. He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a Bachelor of Science in neuroscience and then attained his doctorate at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine in Scranton, Pa. His interest in neurosurgery stemmed from his fascination with the nervous system and desire to heal with his hands. His current neurosurgical interests include neuro-oncology and spine. In his spare time, he enjoys traveling, photography, spending time outdoors and doing home improvement projects. Dr. Bohan published a horror book when he was 12 years old, which, when read in front of an audience for the first time, caused some unsettled looks from other parents in the class. However, his own parents were brimming with pride.

Ali Tafreshi, MD

Ali R. Tafreshi, MD

PGY3

Medical school: Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California
Undergraduate: Williams College (B.A. Psychology, Biology)
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Area of interest: Functional

Dr. Tafreshi has conducted and published research in gait and speech disorder in Parkinson's disease, epigenetics of movement disorders, optogenetics, neuromodulation, deep brain stimulation and endoscopic skull base surgery. During medical school and college, he volunteered in global medical service trips to countries including Dominican Republic, Philippines, Nicaragua and Mexico. He also conducted clinical service and research with Duke University Department of Neurosurgery in Kampala, Uganda. His clinical interests include brain-computer interface, neurosurgery for psychiatric disorders and neurosurgical management of pain. Dr. Tafreshi does spoken word poetry, wrote a movie and sings opera.

Kent R. Richter, MD

Kent R. Richter, MD

PGY2

Medical school: Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine – Arizona
Undergraduate: Brigham Young University (B.S. Neuroscience)
Hometown: Houston, TX
Area of interest: Vascular, skull base

Dr. Richter grew up in Houston, Texas. His interest in neurosurgery comes from his family's experience with cerebrovascular disease and from volunteering in hospitals while living in Angola, Africa, for two years. Outside of the hospital, Dr. Richter enjoys spending his time with his wife and children. His other hobbies include running, gardening and reading Wendell Berry.

Denis Lee

Dennis Lee, MD

PGY1

Medical school: Chicago Medical School 
Undergraduate: University of Maryland (B.S. Biological Sciences)
Hometown: Gaithersburg, MD
Area of interest: Neuro-oncology, skull base 

Dr. Lee grew up in the suburbs of Maryland outside Washington, D.C. He graduated from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor of Science in biological sciences and then attended Chicago Medical School. During medical school, he spent a year at UC Davis researching brain tumor immunotherapy as an NREF fellow. In addition, he completed an internship in general surgery at Rush University in Chicago, Ill. Dr. Lee's interests in neurosurgery include neuro-oncology, skull base surgery, and innovative therapies for the treatment of primary and metastatic cancers of the brain. Outside the hospital, Dr. Lee enjoys traveling, music, working out and exploring new coffee shops.