Dr. Louis G. Cornacchia, III, MD.
FAANS, FACS
SPINE SURGEON. INVESTIGATOR. ADVOCATE.
Every Patient Is Unique.
Every Detail Matters.
I approach every patient like a medical sleuth—carefully connecting the clues of your history, symptoms, imaging, and exam to uncover the true source of your pain and build the right plan.
CONSULTS WITHIN 24 HOURS MOST WEEKDAYS.
Louis G. Cornacchia III, MD
Neurosurgeon & Spine Surgeon
OVER
30 YEARS
OF EXPERIENCE
IN SPINE SURGERY
IN SPINE SURGERY
CHIEF OF SPINE SURGERY
PROGRAMS
Leadership. Innovation. Results.
FELLOWSHIP TRAINED
CHIEF OF SPINE SURGERY
PROGRAMS
Minimally Invasive Surgery
Revision / Failed Back Surgery
Degenerative Spine Disorders
Nerve Compression Conditions
Trauma & Work-Related Injuries
Professional Biography
Louis G. Cornacchia III,
MD, FACS, FAANS
30+ Years. Complex Spine. Neurotrauma. Academic Practice.
Dr. Louis G. Cornacchia III is a board-certified neurosurgeon with more than 30 years of experience in complex spine surgery, neurotrauma, and academic neurosurgical practice. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS) and the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (FAANS), and a Diplomate of the American Board of Neurological Surgery (ABNS). A graduate of Columbia College (BA, 1982) and NYU (New York University) School of Medicine (MD, with Honors in Cell Biology, 1987), he completed his neurosurgical residency at UCSD (University of California, San Diego) Medical Center under Dr. John Alksne, one of the formative figures in late-twentieth-century academic neurosurgery. He holds active medical licensure in New York, New Jersey, Florida, and California.
Dr. Cornacchia’s training reflects an unusually deliberate scientific foundation for a career surgeon. Before entering clinical practice, he held research fellowships at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons (P&S), and NYU’s Magneto Encephalography Center, where he contributed to early software development for localizing magnetoencephalographic sources in the study of epileptiform signals. His NYU School of Medicine Honors in Cell Biology was awarded for stereological research in Zellweger’s syndrome and Pompe’s disease, conducted with Professor Virginia Black in the Department of Cell Biology, using a stereological analysis system that Dr. Cornacchia designed and built software he authored in Fortran on a DEC (Digital Equipment Corporation) PDP-8e – to calculate volume, surface, and number density from electron micrographs. The same tool subsequently supported peer-reviewed work on peroxisomal and mitochondrial pathology, including in neonatal-onset adrenoleukodystrophy. This early pattern – identifying a measurement problem, building the instrument to solve it, then applying it across multiple clinical questions has recurred throughout his career.
Dr. Cornacchia has led major neurosurgical services across the New York region for more than two decades and held faculty appointments at Weill Cornell Medical Center (2001-2018) and SUNY (State University of New York) Downstate. As Chief of Neurosurgery at Mercy Medical Center (2001-2007), a Level II trauma center, he directed a team of more than a dozen neurosurgeons and physician assistants, introduced Gamma Knife radiosurgery to Long Island through a collaborative program with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and established routine anterior cervical plate implantation in a region where the approach was not yet standard. During this period he also founded and directed NY Neurosurgery & Neuroscience Associates (1997-2012), a Nassau County private group practice of three neurosurgeons and a neurologist that served patients across the eastern Long Island region for fifteen years. He subsequently served as Chief of the Division of Neurosurgery at Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center (2002-2016), a prominent academic safety-net hospital and Level II trauma center in Brooklyn, where his service managed approximately 700 stroke admissions, 100 non-traumatic intracerebral hemorrhages, and more than 50 neurotrauma craniotomies per year.
Board Certified
ABNS Diplomate
Fellowships
FACS · FAANS
Education
Columbia · NYU · UCSD
Licensure
NY · NJ · FL · CA
Faculty
Weill Cornell · SUNY Downstate
Patients come to Dr. Cornacchia when answers are unclear, symptoms persist,
or prior treatment hasn’t worked. He listens, investigates, and provides clear direction.
HOW I HELP
Finding Answers.
Building the Right Plan.
Back and neck pain can be complex and frustrating. My role is to be your advocate, investigator, and guide—so you understand your condition and your options.
Louis G. Cornacchia III
WHAT PATIENTS SAY
“Dr. Cornacchia is the only doctor who took the time to truly listen and put all the pieces together. He explained everything and gave me a plan I finally had confidence in. I highly recommend him.”
CONDITIONS TREATED
You Deserve Answers. You Deserve a Plan.
Take the first step toward real relief.
We’re here to help.
New Patients: 609-831-0998
Existing Patients: 732-784-6072
HOW I APPROACH SPINE CARE
HOW I APPROACH SPINE CARE
Nothing important is overlooked. Every detail has a purpose.
DISCOVER THE CAUSE
Connecting the clues to identify the true source of your pain.
RIGHT PLAN
A personalised strategy designed around your goals and lifestyle.
COORDINATED FOLLOW-THROUGH
We help keep your care organised and moving forward.