Neurosurgery Department Celebrates Residency Program Graduates of 2026

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2026 UCSF Neurosurgery Residency Program graduates.

The  UCSF Neurosurgery Residency Program congratulates this year's three graduates, who officially completed their seven-year training on June 20. Our graduating chief residents have already made significant impacts on the field of neurosurgery. Read more about their accomplishments and where they are heading next.

Arati Patel, MD

Arati Patel, MD, completed an undergraduate degree in neuroscience at UCLA. She then went to the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, where she was a Dean’s Research Scholar and a recipient of the Carolyn L. Kuckein Student Research Fellowship through the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society.

As a neurosurgery resident at UCSF, she worked closely with her mentor, Praveen Mummaneni, MD. Her clinical training focused on minimally invasive and endoscopic approaches to spine pathologies. Her research interests were in using patient-reported outcomes to provide personalized approaches to spine surgery. Her work with the Spine Clinical Outcomes Registry (CORe) study group, a collaborative effort between 14 U.S. institutions to prospectively collect data about the long-term outcomes for patients following spine surgery, has been recognized by the Cervical Spine Research Society and the American Association of Neurological Surgeons.

After residency, she will pursue a spine fellowship at the University of Miami.

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Anthony Lee, MD, PhD

Anthony Lee, MD, PhD, received his undergraduate degree in biology from Duke University. He then completed his medical degree at UCSF as well as a PhD in neuroscience, working in the lab of Vikaas Sohal, MD, PhD.

During his residency training at UCSF, his clinical research interests have been in both functional and spine neurosurgery. He has worked closely with mentors Lee Tan, MD, Nima Alan, MD, and Jang Yoon, MD, to develop clinical expertise in minimally invasive approaches, like MIS TLIF, XLIF, and endoscopy. In the laboratory, he worked with Edward Chang, MD, and Tomasz Nowakowski, PhD, to study the relationship between the molecular architecture of neurons in the superior temporal gyrus and this region’s role as an important center for language production in the human brain. His research has been recognized by several neurosurgical societies on the local, regional, and national levels.

After residency, he will stay at UCSF to complete a fellowship in functional neurosurgery in our department.

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Cecilia Dalle Ore, MD

Cecilia Dalle Ore, MD, completed her undergraduate degrees in biology and anthropology at Dartmouth College. She then earned her medical degree from UC San Diego.

As a neurosurgery resident at UCSF, Dalle Ore worked closely with mentors Shawn Hervey-Jumper, MD, Line Jacques, MD, and Aaron Clark, MD, PhD. Her clinical research interests are in glioma surgery and minimally invasive spine surgery. Most recently, she helped establish the minimally invasive robotic spine program at UCSF with Clark, demonstrating that integrating robotics into minimally invasive spinal tumor resections is a safe, feasible approach that helps patients start postoperative chemoradiation sooner.

After residency, she will be joining Kaiser Medical Center in the Greater Sacramento area.

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