Anil Nanda, the Peter W. Carmel, M.D. Chair of Neurological Surgery

Chair holder is leader in advanced neurosurgical techniques

Having performed more than 16,000 surgeries, 2,000 of which were performed on skull base tumors and aneurysms, renowned neurosurgeon Anil Nanda is considered an expert in several advanced neurosurgical techniques. He specializes in skull base, vascular, and spinal neurosurgery, including Gamma Knife radiosurgery.

The inaugural holder of the Peter W. Carmel, M.D. Chair of Neurological Surgery at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School (NJMS), Nanda is also chair of the Department of Neurological Surgery at NJMS and Robert Wood Johnson Medical School; chief of neurological services at University Hospital in Newark and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital; and senior vice president of neurological services at RWJBarnabas Health.

Nanda earned his medical degree with honors from Jawarhalal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research at Madras University in India. He completed residency training in surgical oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York; in general surgery at Rush-Presbyterian-St Luke’s Hospital in Chicago, in neurosurgery at Hahnemann in Philadelphia; and in pediatric neurosurgery at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He also completed a fellowship in microneurosurgery and cranial base surgery at the University of Pittsburgh.

Nanda came to Rutgers after serving as the chair of neurosurgery at the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center at Shreveport.
Nanda is director of the American Board of Neurological Surgery and has led several prestigious organizations, including the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, the American Academy of Neurological Surgeons, the American Heart Association Caddo Bossier Division, the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, the North American Skull Base Society, and the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies.

The Peter W. Carmel, M.D. Chair of Neurological Surgery is named for the chair emeritus of the Department of Neurological Surgery at the former University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and an internationally prominent pediatric neurosurgeon. The chair was established in 2015 with generous gifts from an anonymous donor, the University Physician Associates-Neurosurgery, the Foundation for Pediatric Neurosurgery, Carmel, his friends, and Jacqueline Bello, a former member of the neurological surgery faculty at NJMS.

In the Professor’s Own Words

What is the most personally fulfilling aspect of your work?

I feel blessed to be leading such a great department with enormous potential.

What elements of your work are the most challenging?

Despite our advances, some diseases can have devastating consequences

How would you describe the quality of neurological studies and surgery at Rutgers?

I feel this is a world-class operation with great research and outcomes.

This story is part of Rutgers University Foundation’s Endowed Chairs Impact series. Supporting professorships and research helps spark innovation and creativity here in New Jersey and beyond.