Biographical Sketches of the 2024-2025 Candidates

Vice President

Michael T. Froehler, MD, PhD

I’m honored to be nominated again as a candidate for Vice President. I have served on the SNIS Board of Directors for a number of years in multiple roles, including Neurology Member-at-Large, Secretary, and Governance Chair. I would be very proud to serve as Vice President and President as the culmination of my service to our society.

If elected, I would seek to implement three key initiatives:

1. Improve government interface. I have heard from several SNIS members that SNIS should take a more active role in shaping the legislative and regulatory decisions that impact our field. I will create an SNIS Government Affairs Committee to serve this liaison and lobby effort.
2. Focus on member needs. The purpose of SNIS is to serve the professional needs of our members, but we don’t do a great job of collecting updated information to understand what is most important to our members today. I will create focus groups to learn how we can better satisfy all the members of SNIS. I also believe that there should be more recognition of the amazing work that our members do and will therefore create annual awards for excellence among SNIS members.
3. Professional labor support. Whether negotiating job contracts, requesting new equipment, hiring new partners and support staff, or bringing in new devices, being prepared with relevant data puts you in the strongest negotiating position. Yet there is no easy way for neuro interventionalists to access these data, particularly across institutions. I intend to create a service within SNIS to compile and share appropriate and anonymized data with members that need it for labor-related purposes.

The Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery has been my home for 15 years, and I have always treasured the Society’s embrace of multiple disciplines. I intend to maintain this high level of inclusivity and will work hard to keep SNIS the leading multidisciplinary society for all neurointerventional physicians.

Peter Kan, MD

I am deeply honored to be nominated to run for Vice President, a key position for the society that ultimately ascends to Presidency. Given the rapid increase in number and diversity of specialists who practice neurointerventions both in the US (as evident by our growing membership of now almost 1500) and across the globe, I believe that the Vice President and subsequently the President of the Society can serve as a critical liaison between SNIS and other national and international societies to cultivate meaningful collaborative programs in patient care, education, and research, thus promoting the mission of SNIS locally as well as globally.

I have served on the SNIS Board of Directors as the Member-at Large for Neurosurgery, Education Chair, and Secretary, all of which have given me valuable experience with the society. As the Education Chair, I have worked closely with other national and international societies such as the CV section, ESMINT, ANZSNR, OCIN, and PAIRS to develop joint webinars and sessions with the overarching goal of educating physicians and patients locally and globally. I also share a deep interest in the academic mission of SNIS: I serve as a grant reviewer for the SNIS Foundation and an assistant editor for the technical video section of JNIS. I am committed to the growth of neurointervention and SNIS. Recently, together with other board members, we have organized the first neurointerventional oncology summit to explore an emerging and exciting discipline within our field.

Outside of SNIS, nationally, I currently serve on the JNS editorial board, the ISC meeting committee, the AANS Scientific Program Committee, and the Member at Large for the CV section. Locally, I just completed my term as the president of the Texas Association of Neurological Surgeons. I believe these outside roles and experience have allowed me to gain important leadership skills and valuable connections to other related societies that are important and applicable to a leadership position at SNIS.

In summary, I am passionate about the society, and it will be a great honor to serve you as Vice President. Thank you for the opportunity to serve and to support SNIS.

Secretary

Justin R. Mascitelli, MD

I am thrilled and honored to be nominated for Secretary on the Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery (SNIS) Board of Directors. Following Neurosurgical Residency/Endovascular Fellowship at Mount Sinai Hospital and Cerebrovascular Fellowship at the Barrow Neurological Institute, I have worked in the department of Neurosurgery at the University of Texas Health and Science Center San Antonio for the last 6 years and am currently serving as the Residency Program Director, Endovascular Fellowship Co-Director, and Comprehensive Stroke Director of St. Luke’s Baptist Hospital in San Antonio.

I have served and continue to serve the SNIS in several ways over the last 2 years including 2022-23 Neurosurgery Member-at-Large, active Chair of the Social Media Committee, active Associate Editor for the Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery (JNIS), and active member of the SNIS Standards and Guidelines Committee. At the same time, I have maintained an ongoing role in the AANS/CNS Cerebrovascular (CV) Section, including 2020-2023 Member At Large, 2021-2023 Chair of the Website Committee, Co-Chair of the Communications Committee, and Co-Director of the Introduction to Vascular Neurosurgery for Residents Course. Finally, I was recently appointed to the Neuroendovascular Surgery Advisory Committee (NESAC), a subcommittee of the Committee on Advanced Subspecialty Training (CAST) of the Society of Neurological Surgeons (SNS).

I have greatly enjoyed being able to work in both SNIS and CV Section, especially working on collaborative efforts such as CV Section integrating into the SNIS Annual Meeting and joint SNIS/CV Section Webinars. In my mind, the greatest strength of the SNIS is the multidisciplinary team, bringing colleagues from Neurology, Neuroradiology, and Neurosurgery all to the table to push the field forward. SNIS is also unique in its broad efforts that serve both its members and patients, including educational webinars, mentorship programs, data registries, stroke advocacy, and more. The next 3 years will be extremely exciting as we roll out the new Neurovascular Match and I have the potential to have a unique role serving as a bridge between SNIS and NESAC/CAST.

Thank you again for the opportunity to potentially serve as Secretary for SNIS.

Maxim Mokin, MD, PhD

I am a stroke neurologist and neurointerventionalist at the University of South Florida with an academic appointment of Professor, Research Vice-chair and CAST-accredited Neuroendovascular Fellowship Director at the Department of Neurosurgery and Brain Repair.

I joined SNIS in 2012, and since then have been engaged in a variety of its initiatives including serving as a Neurology Member-at-Large on the Board of Directors for SNIS, member of the SNIS Standards and Guidelines Committee, member of the Education Committee, SNIS Annual Meeting Co-Chair in 2023 and SNIS/CV section Fellows Course Co-Chair in 2022. I have served as an Assistant Editor of JNIS Technical Video section since its inception in 2019. With the support of Get Ahead of Stroke/SNIS, I had a tremendous opportunity to participate in the 2019 Florida State Legislature campaign, which led to critical changes in regional stroke systems of care for the Floridians.

My primary goal as a secretary is that SNIS continues to grow and maintain its multidisciplinary nature where neurointerventionalists of different backgrounds thrive and advance the diagnosis and treatment of cerebrovascular diseases, as well as explore new horizons.

Member-at-Large (Interventional Neuroradiologist)

Akash P. Kansagra, MD

Akash Kansagra is an interventional neuroradiologist. He is chief of neurointerventional surgery and co-director of the stroke program at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. His previous experience includes attending roles at Scripps Health in San Diego and Washington University in St. Louis, where he also served as neurointerventional chief and stroke center co-director.

Akash’s first experience with the society was at the 2012 fellows’ course, and he has remained active in the subsequent years of growth for both SNIS and JNIS. He has served as associate editor of JNIS since 2022 and was named JNIS Reviewer of the Year in 2020. Akash has also appeared as moderator and panelist for various SNIS webinars. He has planned SNIS programming for the American Society of Neuroradiology annual meeting and collaborated with other society partners including the American College of Radiology, American Heart Association, and International Pediatric Stroke Organization on a variety of tasks, including the development of practice guidelines, outreach, and advocacy.

“I am incredibly humbled to be nominated to the member-at-large position for radiology. Our society has grown from very humble origins to become a model of how multiple specialties can work together to promote ambitious standards of clinical practice, research, and collaboration. As a member of the board, I hope to support these ongoing efforts and foster new opportunities to incorporate young physicians and early-stage investigators into our society. Drawing upon my experience working in academic, private, and public hospitals, I commit to honorably representing neurointerventionalists from a wide range of practice settings.”

Hal A. Rice, MD

Dr Hal Rice is Director of Interventional Neuroradiology at Gold Coast University Hospital in Queensland Australia. He studied Medicine at the University of Queensland and Specialist training in Radiology at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital before fellowship training in Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology at The Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City.

Returning to the Gold Coast in 2002 he founded the Interventional Neuroradiology service at Gold Coast Hospital and subsequently founded Qscan Radiology Clinics which as the Qscan Group has grown to become one of Australia’s largest Radiology providers with over 85 practices and 1200 staff members. He, along with his colleague Dr Laetitia de Villiers, hosted the World Federation of Interventional and Therapeutic Neuroradiology (WFITN) 13th Congress in November 2015 at Gold Coast Australia. At this congress, a close collaboration between SNIS and WFITN was established with a dedicated pre-conference SNIS program. He is focused on accelerating innovation in the endovascular treatment of brain vascular abnormalities, aneurysms and acute ischaemic stroke.

The service at Gold Coast University Hospital treats patients locally and from throughout Australia with acute stroke patients airlifted up to 2000km from remote locations. The service has been instrumental in developing innovative treatment techniques with flow diversion therapy, robotic neurovascular procedures and first in human device clinical trials.

He is co-founder of NeuTex Image Guided Therapy Surgical and Robotics Training center at the Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct. A facility dedicated to education, training and innovation that utilises state of the art medical imaging equipment and 3D printed anatomic models to precisely replicate surgical treatments for medical specialist training and biomedical innovation. The NeuTex centre regularly hosts visiting specialists from across Australia and throughout the Asia Pacific region for hands on workshops fostering international collaboration and introducing new technology that benefits patients with complex neurovascular disorders.

He is a frequently invited keynote speaker at local and international conferences, a published author in major international journals and founding chair of the national neurovascular complications NeuroExchange annual conference since 2009. He has extensive board experience previously as the national Treasurer of Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists (RANZCR) and executive board member of the Qscan Group. Currently holding board positions with the Gold Coast Titans National Rugby League (NRL) team and Griffith University Council.

He has been a senior member of SNIS for the past 10 years. He has been a frequent attendee, speaker and moderator at the Annual SNIS meetings and presenter at the SNIS online webinar program. In the past 10 years he has been instrumental is establishing strong connections and contributing to ongoing collaboration between the Australian and New Zealand Society of Neuroradiology (ANZSNR) and SNIS. He continues to actively promote SNIS in Australia and through the Asia Pacific region.

Member-at-Large (Endovascular Neurosurgeon)

David J. Altschul, MD

Dr. David J. Altschul, MD, FAANS, FCNS, serves as the Chief of the Division of Cerebrovascular Neurosurgery, Surgical Director of the Comprehensive Stroke Center, Associate Residency Program Director, and Associate Professor of Neurosurgery and Radiology at Montefiore-Einstein. He is a dual trained open-endovascular neurosurgeon, having completed his neurosurgical residency at Montefiore-Einstein and a neuroendovascular fellowship under the guidance of Dr. Alejandro Berenstein at Mt. Sinai.

Throughout his esteemed career, Dr. Altschul has garnered recognition for his exceptional patient care and unwavering commitment to excellence in neurovascular surgery. Renowned for his innovative treatment approach, he leverages cutting-edge technology and research to ensure optimal care for his patients. Actively engaged in numerous research initiatives focusing on new device developments and clinical trials, he has established a thriving Cerebrovascular research lab at Montefiore-Einstein. Dr. Altschul takes great pride in his dedication to mentorship, consistently offering his time to guide students at various stages of their learning journeys.

As a senior member of the SNIS and a fellow of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, Dr. Altschul plays key roles in the neurovascular community. He currently sits on the organizing committee for the 2024 WFITN in New York City and contributes as a member of several committees within the SNIS. His involvement includes pioneering efforts such as being the first male member of the Women in Neurointervention committee and serving on the organizing committee for the 2024 SVIN. Additionally, he actively participates in the research and social media committee for the SVIN.

Furthermore, Dr. Altschul envisions a more inclusive future for the SNIS through initiatives like “Mission 50,” aimed at achieving gender parity within the field over the next decade. He advocates for increased collaboration with medical and pre-medical students to introduce them to neurointervention at an earlier stage of their careers. With a focus on education and bio-design innovation, he hopes to see the SNIS play a more active role in developing educational curricula. Personally, as a devoted husband and father of three with diverse interests including guitar playing and songwriting, Dr. Altschul advocates for a renewed emphasis on wellness within the SNIS, envisioning a family-friendly atmosphere at SNIS meetings.

Kyle M. Fargen, MD

I am an Associate Professor of Neurological Surgery and Radiology at Atrium Wake Forest Baptist Health and serve as the Associate Residency Program Director in the Department of Neurological Surgery as well as the CNS Endovascular Fellowship Director. I am dual-trained cerebrovascular neurosurgeon with a practice focusing on traditional cerebrovascular diseases but with an emphasis on idiopathic intracranial hypertension and cerebral venous disorders.

I have been closely involved with the Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery for the last decade. I served as an Assistant Editor from 2014-2019 and have continued as an Associate Editor for JNIS since that time.

I currently operate as the Section Co-Chair for the Cerebral Venous and CSF Disorders Section and was Program Co-Chair for the 2024 section meeting. I have served on the Program Committee for multiple SNIS annual meetings. I served on the AANS/CNS Cerebrovascular Section Guidelines Committee from 2018-2022 and the SNIS Standards and Guidelines Committee from 2018-2021. I currently serve on the AANS/CNS Cerebrovascular Section Research Committee.

The SNIS mission is to promote excellence in the management of stroke, brain aneurysms, and other diseases, and has an important role to play in supporting its members to achieve this effort. Over the last few years I have been deeply invested in studying, understanding, and publishing on the nuances of being a neurointerventionist that influence our day-to-day lives: the prevalence and risk factors for burnout and professional dissatisfaction, the toll of increasing thrombectomy volume on practices and our staff, conflicts of interest within the specialty, the means through which we make medical decisions, and compensation for call, among others. Most recently I worked with the Board of Directors to study the prevalence and consequences of medical malpractice and medical board complaints within our society. If elected to the Board of Directors, I will continue to work on these endeavors to enhance and promote wellness among SNIS members as we engage in our collective mission of excellent patient care.

Member-at-Large (Interventional Neurologist)

Paul Singh, MD

I am excited at the opportunity to be the Interventional Neurology-Member at Large for SNIS in 2024-2025. I have been a member of the Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery since 2011, and as a junior member, I had the pleasure of serving on the SNIS board as the Fellows Committee Chair. I have been an active participant at the annual SNIS meetings over the last decade, and I have had the fortune of watching SNIS expand exponentially as our members have grown and our sphere of influence beyond our field continues to broaden.

I am currently on faculty at MedStar Health with a diverse group of interventional physicians from Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Radiology. Our team works collaboratively across our three disciplines, as a microcosm of the members of SNIS. I am currently the Director of a Comprehensive Stroke Center and Neuroendovascular Surgery. I also serve as Vice Chair for the Maryland Institute of EMS Systems Quality Council that dictates triage algorithms for Stroke and tiered designations for stroke hospitals. As the indications for ELVO and MeVO thrombectomy are rapidly expanding, we have a mission to ensure that patients throughout the state have access to receive rapid care at a designated center by experienced, Neurointerventional fellowship trained interventionalists. I hope to expand this mission across SNIS as the Interventional Neurology-Member at Large.

In the 23rd year of the Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery, our membership is now more diverse than ever before. Our annual meetings are not only professionally outstanding, but they also serve as a source of strong friendships and comradery amongst our peers. I want to ensure that regardless of subspecialty, the voice of SNIS is synchronous and representative of all of our members.

I would value your consideration and support as the SNIS Member-At-Large for Interventional Neurology!

Jenny P. Tsai, MD

I am thrilled to present my application to serve as the Interventional Neurology Member-at-Large on the 2024-2025 SNIS Board of Directors. It is truly an honor to be considered for this esteemed position.

I am an interventional and vascular neurologist at the Cleveland Clinic who has been a member of the SNIS for over seven years. I first joined the Board of Directors as the Fellows’ Chair in 2019, and led the early efforts in structuring the trainees’ platform that later became the YNIS. In this position, I initiated the years-long project to build a Neurointerventional Fellowship Match, and continue to oversee its growth towards the first Match, for the Class of 2027.

In 2021, I was appointed as the first SNIS Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee Chair. Under my leadership, the DEI Committee strengthened our sense of community by founding the Black Neurointerventionalists and Allies group, and through the #WeAreNeurointervention campaign. My years of service attest to my commitment to better our field for the benefit of the Society and all neurointerventionalists, from every background and specialty, no matter the challenges.

As a candidate for Neurology Member-at-Large, I look forward to continuing my service and to further contribute to our mission and success, as a collaborative, inclusive, and multidisciplinary society. Thank you for your consideration and support!