Resident Life

Events

NYC Softball Tournament

Each year, we participate in the Annual Charity Neurosurgery Residency Conference in New York City. While we aren’t always the champions, we have a great time interacting with other neurosurgery residency programs from across the country. And all for a great cause!

A photo of the participants of the UTHealth Houston Department of neurosurgery softball team.

Other Social Events:

Holiday Party
Resident End-of-Year Party
Post-ABNS Exam Party
Random fun activities as thought up by the residents

Drs Blackburn and Tandon with the team

Resident Awards

ABNS Primary Examination High Score Award

2026 – Aria Sabbagh, MD
2025 – Dallas Sheinberg, MD
2024 – Shivani Bindel, MD, and Duncan Trimble, MD
2023 – Dallas Sheinberg, MD
2022 – Hussein Zeineddine, MD
2021 – Phillip Choi, MD
2020 – Hussein Zeineddine, MD
2019 – Hussein Zeineddine, MD
2018 – Keith Kerr, MD
2017 – Dan Monsivais, MD
2016 – Saint-Aaron Morris, MD
2015 – Sebastian Villarreal, MD
2014 – Shane Abdunnur, MD / Saint-Aaron Morris, MD
2013 – Yoshua Esquenazi Levy, MD

Most Valuable Resident (“MVR”) of the Year

2026 – Ankush Chandra, MD
2025 – Elvira Lekka. MD
2024 – Joe Withrow, MD
2023 – Hussein Zeineddine, MD
2022 – Phillip Choi, MD
2021 – Cole Lewis, MD
2020 – Matthew Mullarkey, MD
2019 – Daniel Monsivais, MD
2018 – Jessica Stark, MD
2017 – Wesley Jones, MD
2016 – J. Edward Hsu, MD
2015 – Keith Kerr, MD
2014 – Jessica Stark, MD
2013 – J. Edward Hsu, MD

Faculty Awards

Faculty Teaching Excellence Award

*Recognizes outstanding contributions to resident teaching for the past year

2024 – Arthur L. Day, MD
2023 – John Quinn, MD
2022 – Joseph Cochran, MD
2021 – John Caridi, MD
2020 – Karl Schmitt, MD
2019 – Karl Schmitt, MD
2018 – Joseph Cochran, MD
2017- Karl Schmitt, MD
2016 – Scott Shepard, MD
2015 – Nitin Tandon, MD
2014 – Karl Schmitt, MD