Dr. Yassari earned his medical degree from the Medical University of Vienna in Austria with a dissertation in neuropathology. He completed his basic surgical training in England, before relocating to the United States, where he received a Master of Science degree in experimental pathology at the University of Chicago. He completed his residency in neurosurgery at the University of Chicago Hospital. He underwent fellowship training in spinal oncology and reconstructive and complex spine surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and started his tenure as Assistant Professor of Neurological Surgery at Montefiore and Albert Einstein College of Medicine and became Professor of Neurological Surgery in 2018. Dr. Yassari is board certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.

Ziya L. Gokaslan is the Julius Stoll, MD Professor and Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. He serves as the Neurosurgeon-in-Chief at Rhode Island Hospital and The Miriam Hospital. Dr. Gokaslan is also the Clinical Director of the Norman Prince Neurosciences Institute. Furthermore, he leads the Norman Prince Spine Institute at Brown University Health and is Director of the Complex Spinal Surgery Fellowship at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. He's the recipient of numerous prestigious awards, including the Leon Wiltse Award recognizing his excellence in leadership and clinical research in spine care by North American Spine Society, and is an active member of many professional societies including American Academy of Neurosurgeons, World Academy of Neurosurgeons, and The Society of Neurological Surgeons. He also served as Chairman of AANS/CNS Joint Section on Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral Nerves.